Yu Garden(yuyuan)

Yu garden is located in the northeast of Shanghai yu garden tourist business district, adjacent to Shanghai chenghuangmiao and Shanghai yu garden tourist mall. It is a renowned classical Jiangnan-style garden and a famous scenic spot both domestically and internationally. In 1982, it was approved as a "national key cultural relics protection unit".

Yu Garden was first built during the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of over 450 years. The garden's owner, Pan Yunduan, once served as the provincial administration commissioner of Sichuan. To allow his father to enjoy his later years, Pan Yunduan began from 1559 (the Jihai year of Jiajing reign) to transform his family's vegetable field by gathering stones, digging ponds, constructing pavilions, and planting bamboo to create a garden. After more than 20 years of meticulous effort, Yu Garden was completed.

The character "Yu" carries the meanings of "peace" and "tranquility," and the name "Yu Garden" embodies the wish to "delight one's elderly parents." When first constructed, Yu Garden covered over 70 mu of land and was meticulously designed by Zhang Nanyang, a renowned garden architect of the Ming Dynasty, who personally oversaw its construction. The entire garden features grand scale and exquisite scenery.

The current Yu Garden covers an area of 2 hectares, featuring staggered pavilions, rugged rocks, lush trees, and exquisite craftsmanship that reveals grandeur in miniature. It showcases the artistic style of Jiangnan garden architecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties with its serene beauty and delicate details.

Yu garden still preserves historical sites such as the "library building" - the birthplace of Shanghai-style painting and calligraphy, and the "dianchun hall" in yu garden which served as the headquarters of the Shanghai small sword society uprising. Ancient scholars praised yu garden with accolades like "peerless beauty in the southeast" and "the crown of southeastern gardens".

Many domestic and foreign political leaders and celebrities have visited Yu Garden, making it a rare traditional cultural landmark in Shanghai.