12th Oct 2011: Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai China

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Yuyuan Garden (豫園), located in Shanghai’s Huangpu District, is a classical Jiangnan-style garden built during the Ming dynasty. Construction began in 1559, initiated by the high-ranking official Pan Yunduan for his father, and is said to have taken approximately 18 years to complete. The character “豫” signifies “delight,” reflecting the intention behind its creation as a truly “joyful garden.”

The garden spans roughly 20,000 square meters and features a harmonious arrangement of ponds, waterways, unique rock formations, winding corridors, and elegant pavilions—an exemplary expression of Jiangnan garden aesthetics, where natural beauty blends seamlessly with architectural refinement. Among its most iconic attractions are the Nine-Turn Bridge and the lakeside Huxin Pavilion, whose exquisite interplay of traditional architecture and waterscape continues to captivate countless visitors.

Yuyuan Garden also contains numerous other highlights, such as the Dragon Wall, the exquisite Jade Rock, and the grand Great Rockery, each adorned with intricate craftsmanship down to the finest details. Despite periods of devastation from warfare and neglect, the garden was rebuilt during the Qing dynasty and again in modern times, ultimately being opened to the public in 1961. Today, together with the adjacent Yuyuan Bazaar, it is celebrated as one of Shanghai’s premier destinations for sightseeing, cuisine, and shopping.

Although my visit to Shanghai was for a meeting concerning China‑Japan tax issues within our joint‑venture company, the time I spent in Yuyuan Garden allowed me, for a brief moment, to forget all of that.

Taken with Olympus TG-140