Yuyuan Gardens
 Yuyuan is the famous gardens in Shanghai, Located in the center of Shanghai's Old City, one of the few remaining old tourist sites in Shanghai. Surrounding the gardens is Shanghai's bazaar, a maze of small streets and alleyways where vendors sell their wares and food stuffs to the visiting tourist and locals. That is why he called this garden "Yuyuan" - because "yu" in Chinese means "peace and health"-- a place of peace and comfort in the heart of bustling Shanghai, dates back to the fabled Ming Dynasty. Now a popular tourist destination, Yuyuan began as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years - and all of his savings - to build a garden in order to please his parents in their old age.
During the past 400 years, Yuyuan, although restored and reopened several times, was most often in disarray. Due to the decline of Pan's family after Pan Yuduan's death, Yuyuan gradually fell into disuse. Although the garden was improved by the local signiors, several civil conflicts in the mid-19th century caused great damage. In 1956, after Shanghai's liberation, the city government reconstructed the garden and refurbished its mien and beauty as in the old days. Yuyuan Garden was finally reopened to the public in 1961, and the State Department declared it a national monument in 1982. Now Yuyuan Garden attracts countless visitors at home and abroad every year |
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