Yu Garden of Shanghai - Traditional Landscape Garden

Renowned traditional landscape garden in Jiangnan, Yu Garden is also a historical site with a history of 450 years. Chairman Jiang Zemin wrote an epigraph, "Famous Garden in the Sea," for the Yu Garden.

It was first built in 1559 (Ming Dynasty) and has a history of about 450 years. In 1982, it was listed as an important relic protection unit. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, Yuyuan Garden can be divided into six main scenic parts: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall, and the Inner Garden, with each part has its own features. Each section has its own special sights. The garden is a virtual maze of caves, gardens, rockeries, paths, bridges, and buildings. Every corner you turn has a new surprise and a totally different view. It is often the situation that a person has come across a single area from three different places and doesn't realize he kept coming to the same place.

Historical & Culture Background

Built in 1559 by the Pan family, Yu Garden was for Pan's parents to enjoy a happy and tranquil life at the reminder of their life, and "Yu" in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying. It was changed and rebuilt for hundreds of years by different descendants of the original builder. Even though many people have had a hand in rebuilding the garden over the centuries, it is seamlessly blended. It was ingeniously built and shows the amazing architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Tour Features

- A big rockery with springs and small waterfalls. It has a reputation as the best rockery in the Jiangnan district.

- Exquisite corridors, rivers, rockeries, courtyards. From the building"Yu He Xie" to"Wan Hua Lou", there are full of exquisite corridors, rivers, rockeries, and courtyards. The stone hill - Jade Exquisite (Yu Ling Long in Chinese) is the treasure of the Yu Garden. It is praised as the No.1 of the famous three stones in Jiangnan district. Facing Jade Exquisite is the building"Yu Hua Tang". Inside it, it is a traditional sanctum from the Ming Dynasty. All the desks and chairs are made of precious rosewood.

- The carrier of traditional Chinese culture: painting, calligraphy, carvings, and sculptures. As the carrier of traditional Chinese culture, the Yu Garden becomes attached to painting and calligraphy. A lot of famous artists in the Ming Dynasty wrote poems and painted here. For hundreds of years of accumulation, there are thousands of precious paintings, furniture, porcelains, etc. All of them are cultural relics of high value. A lot of brick carvings, stone carvings, mud sculptures, and wood sculptures are dispersed among the Yu Garden. They not only have a long history but also have extremely exquisite designs.

Yu Garden, Shanghai

Location

Yu Garden is located in the northeast corner of the old city in south Shanghai.

Transportation

By bus: Bus 11, 24, 736, 980, 930 can reach there.
By subway: Take Line 8 and get off at Dashijie Station, walk along Huaihai East Road and Renmin Road; Yuyuan Garden is on the way.

Visiting Time

- How long should I stay there?- When is the best time to visit there?

Many visitors said that Yu Garden was a good place to spend a whole day.

Yu Garden Lantern Festival falls on the 15th of January of the lunar year, one of the best times to visit Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai.

Weekend Morning is a good time to visit.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-16:30, closed on Monday. You can enter Yu Garden by 16:00 at the latest on open days.

Costs/ Entrance Tickets

Peak season (April 1 to June 30, September 1 to November 30 each year) : 40 yuan per adult.

Off-season (July 1 to August 31, December 1 to March 31) : 30 yuan per adult.

Review & Tips

It is really an amazing place to go and relax. It is right next to Yuyuan Old Street; thus, visiting two places at one time is a good way to save time. Yu Garden is a great place to spend a day. What with the wonderful zigzag bridge and the beautiful dragon sculptures with the many different rooms and rock gardens along with the coy ponds. It is worth it to set aside a full day just to explore the full gardens. We also visited the Yuyuan Garden, which is absolutely beautiful, and the market outside that is something I could spend hours and hours looking at things that look very intriguing. (-Jayant & Asha from the USA)

Yu Garden recreates a beautiful landscape of pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees, and precious flowers. Dragon sculptures on the walls were quite impressive. (-R. Sadagopan. from Abu Dhabi).

Yu Garden, Shanghai

Other Tourist Attractions Nearby

Yuyuan Market (Shanghai Old Street)

If you want to look back on the bygone days of Shanghai, Shanghai Old Street will lead you to travel through the time tunnel back to 100 years ago.

Temple of the Town Gods (Chenghuang Miao)

This is one of the oldest temples in Shanghai. It was built in the Ming Dynasty to honor Shanghai City God, the most famous city god in Chinese history.You can taste authentic snacks and buy handicrafts here.

Tours With This Attraction

If you are interested in taking a Shanghai tour with a visit to Yu Garden, China Odyssey Tours is here and ready to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you want to explore China in your way.