Yu Garden
豫园 · Old City, Huangpu, Shanghai, China
A famous Ming-dynasty Jiangnan garden coexisting with the City God Temple market — the origin point of old Shanghai
Know before you go
- No climbing the Taihu stone rockeries or crossing the garden's railings
- no smoking, littering or loud noise in the garden
- don't linger long on the Nine-Bend Bridge posing for photos and blocking the passage
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
Legend
The Exquisite Jade Rock and the origins of Yu Garden
Yu Garden's most famous stone is the Exquisite Jade Rock: this Taihu stone peak, about 3.3 metres high, is pierced by seventy-two holes and is famed for the test of pouring a stream of water on top and watching it flow from every hole, or setting a furnace of incense below and watching smoke rise from every hole. Legend has it (legend only, without firm evidence) that it was originally a rock gathered for Emperor Huizong of Song's Genyue garden in Bianjing under the "flower and rock convoys", which sank beside the Huangpu River in transport and was later bought by Pan Yunduan and placed in the garden. The garden's origin carries the same human warmth: in the Ming Jiajing era, the official Pan Yunduan, so that his father Pan En could enjoy his old age in peace, began building this garden in 1559 — "Yu" taking the meaning of pleasing one's elderly parents. Sadly, by the time the garden was completed his father had already died, and this garden built for filial devotion became Shanghai's longest-lasting memorial. The Dianchun Hall in the garden still carries the marker of the Small Swords Society headquarters site — one still, one stirring — exactly the two faces of Yu Garden's four hundred years.
History
Yu Garden through the centuries
Yu Garden was founded in the 38th year of Jiajing of Ming (1559); Pan Yunduan built it over nearly twenty years on grounds of more than seventy mu; later the family declined and the garden gradually fell into neglect. In the Qianlong era of Qing, Shanghai gentry bought and restored it, assigning it to the City God Temple; in the mid-19th century the Small Swords Society used the garden's Dianchun Hall as its headquarters, and the garden was repeatedly damaged amid the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and other wars. From 1956 to 1961 the Shanghai municipal government funded a full restoration and opened it to the public; in 1982 it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. The surviving garden covers about 30 mu, divided into six scenic areas — Sansui Hall, Wan Hua Lou, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Lou, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden — complete with dragon walls, Taihu stone peaks and Ming-Qing buildings.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Yu Garden sits at the core of Shanghai's old city, adjoining the City God Temple and the Yuyuan commercial district — a Jiangnan urban specimen of temple, market and garden in one: inside the garden, the shifting views of literati garden-making; outside the garden, a temple-fair commerce unbroken for four hundred years.
Local customs
- The Yuyuan Lantern Fair descends from the Qing-dynasty temple-fair tradition and is now national intangible cultural heritage, lit up with lanterns around every Lantern Festival
- on ordinary days the Nine-Bend Bridge and the Huxinting Teahouse are the first stop for locals drinking tea and listening to pingtan, and for foreign visitors experiencing old Shanghai.
Religion & beliefs
- No specific religious affiliation
- the adjoining Shanghai City God Temple is a Daoist temple dedicated to the City God and can be visited on the way — inside the temple, follow Daoist temple etiquette and don't photograph the deity statues carelessly.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- No climbing the Taihu stone rockeries or crossing the garden's railings
- no smoking, littering or loud noise in the garden
- don't linger long on the Nine-Bend Bridge posing for photos and blocking the passage
Locals appreciate DO
- Enter in the early opening session to avoid the tour-group peak, and enjoy the stone peaks and lattice windows in quiet
- walk slowly around Huxinting and the Nine-Bend Bridge and yield to oncoming flows of people
- keep a reverent quiet when visiting the City God Temple on the way, and use incense and candles as the temple directs
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- The garden proper is a different thing from the free Yuyuan commercial district and the Nine-Bend Bridge
- to see the garden you must buy a ticket and enter by the garden gate — don't wander inside the commercial district in vain
- Usually closed on Mondays (except statutory holidays), with a relatively early last entry
- for an afternoon visit, check the day's announcement first
- During the Lantern Festival fair, the garden and the commercial district operate timed reservations and one-way flow
- if going at the New Year season, be sure to check official notices in advance
- Yu Garden usually opens about 9:00–16:30, with last entry at 16:00 and closure on Mondays (separate announcements for holidays and the lantern-fair period)
- tickets are split into low and high seasons at roughly CNY 30–40 — official and on-site postings prevail. Metro Lines 10 and 14 to Yuyuan Garden station, then walk. A careful look inside the garden takes 1.5–2 hours
- allow half a day together with the commercial district's snacks and the City God Temple
- entering at the first morning session gives the best light and the fewest people. The garden is small and refined
- the stone paths are slippery on rainy days, so non-slip shoes are steadier.
Eat nearby
What to eat nearby
Must-try
- Nanxiang xiaolong mantou
- Lübolang pastries
- Ligao tang pear-syrup candy
- City God Temple five-spice beans
- Crab-roe xiaolong and soup-dumpling noodle dishes
Nanxiang xiaolong mantou (originating in Yuyuan, in the two classic flavours of crab roe and fresh pork); Lübolang pastries (fine boat-shaped dim sum such as "eyebrow" crisps and osmanthus pulled cakes); Ligao tang pear-syrup candy (a century-old brand, a soothing throat sweet); City God Temple five-spice beans (cream flavour, best with tea); Crab-roe xiaolong and soup-dumpling noodle dishes (several choices within the commercial district)
| Where to eat | Inside the Yuyuan commercial district, the Nanxiang Mantou Shop, Lübolang and the Old City God Temple snack plaza are the most concentrated; to avoid tourist prices, walk to the old shops around Fangbang Middle Road and Fuyou Road |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | The Nanxiang Mantou Shop runs separate dine-in and takeaway queues — check before ordering; dip xiaolong in ginger-and-vinegar and pierce them to drink the soup first; at the snack plaza, top up or scan to pay before collecting food, and at meal times grab seats first before splitting up to buy |
| Typical price per person | CNY 60–120 per person (market reference); a snack combination runs CNY 40–80 per person, and a sit-down meal at Lübolang and the like CNY 150–300 per person |
| Tips | Snacks beside the Nine-Bend Bridge carry an obvious premium; the same pastries are better value at old shops around the old city; during the lantern fair all dining queues, so eat first, then stroll |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
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