- Yuyuan Garden
Yuyuan Garden (Simplified Chinese: 豫园; Traditional Chinese: 豫園;
Pinyin : Yùyuán), located in the center of the Old City next to theChenghuangmiao inShanghai ,China , is considered one of the most lavish and finestChinese garden s in the region.The garden was reportedly first established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the
Ming Dynasty , during his father's old age. Over the years, the gardens fell into disrepair until about 1760 when bought by merchants, then suffered extensive damage in the 19th century. In 1842, during theOpium Wars , the British army occupied the Town God Temple for five days. During theTaiping Rebellion the gardens were occupied by imperial troops, and damaged again by the Japanese in 1942. They were repaired by the Shanghai government from 1956-1961, opened to the public in 1961, and declared a national monument in 1982.Today, Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 2
hectare s (5acre s), and is divided into six general areas laid out in theSuzhou style:* Grand Rockery - rockery made of huangshi stone (12 m high), featuring peaks, cliffs, winding caves and gorges. Thie scenery was possibly created by
Zhang Nanyang in theMing Dynasty . This area also contains the Sansui (Three Corn Ears} Hall.* Heralding Spring Hall (Dianchun) - built in 1820, the first year of the Emperor
Daoguang 's reign. From September 1853 to February 1855, it served as the base of the Society of Little Swords (Xiaodao Hui).* Inner Garden - rockeries, ponds, pavilions, and towers, first laid out in 1709 and more recently recreated in 1956 by combining its east and west gardens.
* Jade Magnificence Hall (Yuhua) - furnished with
rosewood pieces from theMing Dynasty .* Lotus Pool - with a zigzag bridge and mid-lake pavilion.
* Ten Thousand-Flower Tower (Wanhua)
Garden areas are separated by "dragon walls" with undulating gray tiled ridges, each terminating in a dragon's head.
Gallery
External links
* [http://tokyoahead.com/main/article.php/yuyuangarden2006 Images from the Garden]
* [http://flickr.com/photos/tags/yuyuangarden/ Flickr photos tagged "yuyuangarden"]
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