Yuyuan Garden – the garden of peace and comfort

Shanghai is on the fast lane, with developments taking place every week and their middle class working seven days of the week in the hopes of making it to the big league. Think it, and it’s just about to be achieved in the metropolis that is so driven towards the future it’s almost impossible for the rest of the world to keep up. Once the playground of the elite social world, today Shanghai has morphed to become a force to be reckoned with. The global traveller can expect just about any desire to be fulfilled, from shopping, culture and adventure the possibilities are endless. Within a matter of hours you may find yourself eating mouth watering dumplings off a street vendor, gazing at an age old monastery, or sipping a cocktail whilst gazing over the picturesque Bund. Shanghai is an experience waiting to happen.

Yuyuan Garden was initially created by Pan Yunduan over a period of 20 years for the mere enjoyment and relaxation of his parents over 400 years ago. Today, it stands as not only a beautiful example of a Chinese garden but a popular tourist attraction in Shanghai. Featuring a wonderful array of pavilions, gardens, rock formations and so much more, the concept of ying and yang design is very evident. There are over 40 buildings in the garden, and it was the initiative of the government that led to the refurbishment and renewed look that it enjoys today.

What makes the Yuyuan Garden so special? Every couple of steps taken gives the beholder a different view or scene to look at. Designed according to the classical Ming dynasty, the walls feature dragon motifs and bridges will take you through to different settings and areas of the 5 acre garden. The highlight of the garden remains to be the Jade rock. This 5 ton, translucent rock is said to have been brought from the Taihu Lake in Wuxi, and has a unique facet of many holes. The highlight of the rock becomes evident if you were to hold incense sticks under the rock, and you can actually see the smoke escape from each of the holes. Likewise, if you were to pour water from the uppermost point of the rock, water will flow through all the holes of the Jade Rock.

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