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Yu Garden is one of the most famous traditional Chinese gardens in the world. It is located in the area of Anren Jie and has become a popular tourist destination in Shanghai. The garden was built and completed in the late 1500’s during the Ming Dynasty by an administrative officer Pan Yunduan.
The Garden was called Yu which means pleasing and satisfying, which is also the reason why this garden was built; to provide tranquility and happiness to the parents of Pan Yunduan. In addition, this was the reason why it was listed on one of places to go on a Shanghai tour for complete relaxation and enjoyment. Yu garden covers up to an area of almost 19,500 square meters. It was destroyed in the 1800s and later rebuilt. It has since then attracted a huge number of local and foreign tourists. The garden is built with six main halls namely Sansui Hall, Dianchun Hall, Wanhua Chambers, Yuhua Hall, Huijing Hall and the Inner Garden. Each hall has its unique aura that will surely captivate and relax the viewers mind. The Huxingting Tea House is found in the surrounding areas of Yu Garden where many important dignitaries have stopped to relax and have tea. As you proceed to the entrance of the garden, you will see a rockery which stands about 14 meters high; it is the largest and one of the oldest rockeries in the south of China, commonly known as the “Great Rockery”. Climbing on top of the rockery allows you to see the entire garden and its surroundings (oriental bazaars and ming styled architectural buildings) from an aerial view; but descending the rock leads you Cixiu Hall, a quiet place with surrounding old trees and beautiful exotic flowers with nice fragrances. Tourists can shop at the base or the top of the rockery where memorabilia on Yu Garden are sold. The most spectacular section in Yu Garden is the Jade Rock in Yuhua Hall. This rock stands 3.3 meters or roughly 10 feet high with bored holes in it. An interesting thing takes place at the foot of this rock; when you burn a stick under the rock, the smoke floats out of the holes creating a spectacular sight. This is something you should not forget to witness on your Shanghai tour.
The Yu Garden also has a lot of pools surrounding it. In these pools are exotic aquatic animals like turtles, striking red goldfishes and carps, all of which add more radiance to the beauty of the garden. Regular oriental bazaars happen in the surrounding areas of the garden, so you have the option to shop for a while and take a break or relax in the gardens and then do some shopping, the choice is yours. |
