Yu Garden
- Ale_Iva
- Sep 1
- 6 min read
Who knows the story of the mythical Mandarin Yu and his fabulous garden?
By Alessandra Ivaldi / 1/09/2025
Shanghai is known throughout the world for its vertiginous skyscrapers which punctually light up with bright colors every night and offer numerous visitors an unforgettable show. Even those who have never set foot in China have certainly seen the images of Shanghai illuminated at least once in their lives, on television or on the Internet. However, today I have no intention of talking about modern Shanghai, but rather about its past and in particular about a unique place in the world, which is located right in the heart of this megalopolis. I am talking about Yu Garden (in Chinese Yuyuan), whose story and secrets I will tell you.
First of all, we need to clarify that the word “Mandarin” in Chinese history refers to an institutional position and indicates an official of the Empire. Our story revolves around a mandarin named Pan Yunduan.
In 1559 Pan Yunduan decided to create a huge and impressive garden where his father could spend the last years of his life in peace and serenity. The project was quite ambitious. The garden was supposed to contain numerous pavilions, streams, bridges, rocks and artificial caves... Everything had to be orchestrated in such a way as to recreate the ideal locus amoenus of Chinese tradition, a place where nature and culture interpenetrated and coexisted in perfect harmony.
However, the appointment of Pan Yunduan as governor of Sichuan, a province in southwestern China, led to heavy slowdowns in construction work, which lasted for decades. When the work was finally completed, the garden was the largest and most prestigious in the area and it is no coincidence that it still represents one of the most famous tourist attractions in Shanghai.
At the behest of Pan Yunduan himself, the extraordinary garden was used as a location for numerous events, including theatrical performances and shows, important for the social life of Shanghai at the time. Unfortunately, it seems that the construction of the garden, the subsequent maintenance costs and the costs for the sumptuous performances organized within it contributed significantly to the economic ruin of the Pan family.
The last member of the Pan family to inherit the garden was the husband of a great-granddaughter of Pan Yunduan. After his death, Yu Garden came under the hands of various owners, who made the most varied uses of it and did not always treat it with the right care.
Only in the second half of the 1700s a group of merchants took steps to restore the garden and turn it into a public attraction. However, the troubled history of Yu Garden was still far from finding its happy ending. In fact, during the 19th century it was severely damaged on more than one occasion: during the first Opium War and later during the Taiping Uprising, not to mention the destruction by Japanese troops in 1942 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Finally in the second half of the 1900s the Shanghai authorities financed an enormous repair and restoration work, which returned the Yu Garden to its former splendor. In 1982 it was officially declared a national monument, which places it under the protection of specific regulations for the conservation of architectural heritage of significant historical and cultural value.
To access the Yu Garden it is necessary to cross an impressive zigzag bridge with a particularly twisted structure, which crosses an artificial lake overlooked, among other things, by the historic Huxinting tea house.
Zig-zag bridges represent a distinctive element of Chinese architecture and can be found at the entrance to the most famous historical places in the country. Their spread is due to an ancient belief, according to which evil spirits are only able to move in a straight line. This would prevent them from making corners and, consequently, crossing zigzag bridges, full of corners. In that regard, Yu Garden zig-zag bridge constitutes one of the most lavish and famous examples in the history of Chinese architecture.
Yu Garden occupies an area of two hectares and is divided into six areas by impressive stone walls known as “dragon walls” due to their wavy shape, gray ridges and large dragon heads placed on their top. All this obviously had to give the sensation that the garden was inhabited by gigantic dragons, which separated with their long bodies the various areas from each other.
I will try to briefly describe the most interesting of the garden areas, reporting their names in English. Sansui Hall, divided into two floors, contains a pond surrounded by the so-called rocky garden, a scenic landscape made up of caves, cliffs and gorges. One of the garden's most popular attractions is located here. It is the Grand Rockery, a huge rock about 14 meters high and weighing 2000 tons, imported from Zhejiang province in eastern China specifically for the construction of the Yu Garden.
The Inner Garden contains rocks, ponds, towers and pavilions, all set in an absolutely scenic manner. Finally, the Wanhua Chamber, also known as the Chamber of the Ten Thousand Flowers, is a building surrounded by cloisters rich in plants and flowers. Particularly interesting are two gigantic centuries-old trees. One of them, a ginkgo tree, would have been planted by Pan Yunduan himself!
Originally, each of these areas was meant to symbolize a particular theme related to the personal history of Pan Yunduan, such as the wish for a long and prosperous life, well-being and good health, glory and honor. Today it is difficult for ordinary visitors to recognize this symbolism. And speaking of wishes, a “Wishing Wall” was erected specifically to allow visitors to hang their prayers. In fact, in China it is customary to hang red ribbons near temples or other sacred places. Wooden plates with prayers and wishes are then tied to the ribbons.
Visiting Yu Garden is an incredible experience. The further you proceed, the more you have the feeling of crossing a gigantic labyrinth. The visitor must follow winding paths and zigzag bridges, cross caves, access stone towers and wooden pavilions... It is almost impossible not to lose your sense of direction. Fortunately, scattered around the garden, there are discreet signs indicating the route to follow.
One more curiosity: one of the treasures of the garden is given by the so-called Exquisite Jade Rock, an enormous stone more than three meters high and weighing five tons. According to the legend it was intended for none other than the imperial palace, but the boat that was carrying it sank off the coast of Shanghai and the emperor had to give up his precious cargo. However, the jade was not lost, because the people of Shanghai managed to recover it and placed it inside the prestigious Yu Garden.
Yu Garden is not the only attraction in this part of Shanghai. In fact, it is surrounded by two places much appreciated by visitors: Yuyuan Bazaar and the City God Temple. The first is a commercial district famous for its splendid buildings, based on the principles of traditional Chinese architecture and characterized by a delicate balance between the elegance of historic buildings and modern and flashy consumerism. Here you can find a large number of shops and buy any kind of object: jewellery, silk, antiques, simple souvenirs, traditional or modern clothes. Visitors can also enjoy tea and numerous dishes of traditional Chinese cuisine.
The City God Temple is a place of worship that preserves the characteristics of ancient Chinese temples. It is a tribute to the history of Shanghai and a place of veneration of three historically existing characters. After their death they became protective deities of the city due to the deeds they performed during their lifetime. In my opinion the visit to the temple is an unmissable experience. The art and beauty contained within it communicate a deep sense of the sacred even to those who do not share the local faith.
There is only one drawback in visiting these wonderful places, which represent one of the most popular attractions of one of the largest megalopolis of the world: the inevitable repercussions of mass tourism. Enjoying the beauty of Yu Garden can become a real challenge against the ocean crowd that invades it daily.
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