Yuyuan Garden & Bazaar, Shanghai

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Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar around the garden will be the most Chinese area in Shanghai.
It is located in the center of the city, yet you will feel that you are deep in China.

When you get to the gate to the area, please walk along the alleys to the center of the area and buy the admission ticket to the garden. Inside the garden walk along the maze-like paths enjoying various buildings and gardens.

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The Yuyuan Garden is amazing. Besides you can get many things from the bazaar. It is cheap.... as long as you know how to bargain. I leave that to my hubby. Most of the time he will think of a price that is way too low, to my surprised his tricks work. Roughly we will bargain as low as 70% from the actual price and we manage to get it all. I manage to get a pair of Tahiti saltwater pearl for Y1200. I got three set of pearl and jade for my daughter........ jade cost me Y300, freshwater pearl Y150 each set. Consist of earings, neckless and bracelet.

This garden, which is modeled in the style of the Ming Dynasty, and is located in the Yuyuan Bazaar. This traditional Chinese garden features rock formations, bridges, and alcoves with dragon walls. The garden also contains a range of flower and plant species native to the region. The beautiful gardens provide a respite from the bustle of the city.

Outside the garden you can buy fish food and feed those beautiful fishes. And look for a roving photographer and have your polaroid picture in an instant!

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Like many asian gardens there is plenty of water and plants. It has several buildings and is located in the "old city" south of the Bund. If you like asian gardens, you will like this one.
Then when you are done, you can go shopping in the bazaar. And, be sure to haggle the price down if you see something you like. You will often here, "what will you pay then?". You can get there from the Metro line 10 and go 2 blocks east then south. It costs 30 RMB (4.50 USD).

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Walking along and past the corridoors and streets of Yu Yuan Garden was one fond memory of Shanghai. Though it is touristy as expected, knowing that it was once a classic Ming architecture made me look at it in a different way. It actually reminded me of walking along the streets around the Ruins in Macau.

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Yuyuan garden is an historical Chinese Garden. Outside the garden, there were some buildings in the traditional Chinese style. Inside most of these buildings are the restaurant or the shops for the tourist. Besides Yuyuan Garden, a tea caf'e called Huxingting is in the center of the lake through a zigzag Chinese bridge. A famous traditional dim sum restaurant called Lu Bo Lang and another famous Nanxiang Bun Shop are also located around the lake. City God temple is also in the vincinity.

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The history of the Yuyuan garden can be dated back to 1559 when it was built as a private garden. Pan Yunduan spent almost 20 years to build the garden for his father Pan En who was an official in the Ming Dynasty. The gardens became neglected and in 1760 were bought by merchants. They were badly damaged during the Opium Wars of the 19th century and again by the Japanese in 1942.

Between 1956-61 they were repaired by the Shanghai government and opened to the public . In 1982 they were declared a national monument.

The garden covers an area of 2ha and is laid out in 6 areas as in the traditional Suzhou style. Each garden is separated by Dragon Walls - the grey tiled ridge ends in a dragon head.

The gardens are a photographers paradise with lots of reflections and interesting rock shapes.

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This was the first sight we saw after arriving in Shanghai the night before. The Yuyuan Gardens. It was a cold day when we went. This place was built by a fellow named Pan who wanted a picturesque and ideal place for his aging parents to live out their final days. Today the area is in excellent condition and a rather peaceful oasis in a concrete jungle. Goldfish swim in the ponds and glorious pavillions and pagodas remind you on an ancient dynasty gone by. This is a must during your trip to Shanghai and a great way to start your visit to the city. This was a part of my tour so it was already accessible to our group. You start your visit entering a gateway into shops and even a Starbucks nearby. You proceed down an twisting set of alleys until you get to the main entrance. If I ever go back to Shanghai, I'll visit this during a much warmer time as to fully enjoy it's pleasures. Beware though, if you don't like crowds, then you're out of luck. Because this place is full of tourists!