| Yu Yuan Garden was first built
in 1559 with an area of some 2 hectares. It appears much larger on
account of skilful landscape gardening-with paths winding through
charming pavilions, delightful grottoes, beautiful lotus ponds, quaint
bridges and trickling streams. The art of decoration also finds expression
in the brick engravings and woodcarvings everywhere in the garden
that reflect the style of typical architecture of southern China in
the Ming and Qing dynasties. The beautiful scenery can be compared
with the four famous gardens in Suzhou.
No less than forty picturesque and fascinating
scenes are found here. There are altogether five dragon walls in the garden, each
with a different posture, separating different sections of scenery in the garden.
The Spring Hall in the garden was once made
the headquarters of the Small Sword Society during its armed uprising
in 1853. It is one of the major government -protected cultural sites.
The
Palace on the Moon is the most famous brick sculpture in the garden. The round
relief on a wall represents several popular legends in connection with the moon.
The famous Town God's Temple (Chenghuang Miao)
lies in the south of Yu Yuan Garden. It is dotted with groceries
and snap stands. The buildings still preserve the old fashion with
typical style and features of the old town market in the southern
part of China.
Entry fee: 15
yuan | 
