Chinaunlimited and the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai

The Yunyuan Garden at night

Located in the center of the Old City of Shanghai, the Yuyuan Garden is considered as one of the four most exceptional gardens in China.

The garden was shaped in 1559 by Pan Yuduan to delight his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty. After a few times being damaged in wars and rebuilt, they were restored from 1956-1961, opened to the public in 1961, and stated a national monument in 1982.

Yuyuan garden is separated into six general areas: the Grand Rockery, featuring winding caves, gorges, cliffs and peaks; the Haralding Spring Hall (Dianchun); the Inner Garden, with rockeries, towers, ponds and pavilions; the Jade Magnificence Hall (Yuhua), furnished with rosewood, the Ten Thousand-Flower Tower and the Lotus Pool.

The areas of the garden are divided by “dragon walls” with gray tiled ridges each terminating in a dragon’s head.

The garden is surrounded by a line of buildings in the same style as the pavilions. Buildings are connected with bridges, from time to time separated by walls and served as tea houses, opera stages and shops.

It is not clear how closely the gardens today resemble its earlier versions, but it is one of the most wonderful and superb attractions to visit in Shanghai.

About the authenticity of Chinese gardens

To be considered as authentic, a garden in China must be built and planned around seventeen essential elements.
These are the proximity to the home; 2) small; 3) walled; 4) with small individual sections; 5) asymmetrical; 6) various types of spatial connections; 7) architecture; 8) rocks and water.

Furthermore ther must be trees; 11) plants; 12) sculptures; 13) jie jing, or borrowed scenery; 14) chimes; 15) incense burners; 16) inscriptions; and finally the use of feng shui for choosing site.