Historic site · SHANGHAI
Yu Garden
豫园 · Yùyuán
About
16th-century classical Chinese garden in central Shanghai, surrounded by the Yuyuan Bazaar — restored Ming-style shopping streets.
Yu Garden was built between 1559 and 1577 as a private retreat for a Ming dynasty official. The 2-hectare garden combines pavilions, rockeries, ponds and zigzag bridges in classical southern-Chinese style. The surrounding Yuyuan Bazaar (Yuyuan Shangchang) is a much-rebuilt complex of Ming-style shopfronts, restaurants and souvenir shops — touristy but the centre of Old Shanghai food culture, with Nanxiang Mantou Dian (the canonical xiaolongbao stall) and Lubolang restaurant.
How to get there
Metro Line 10 or 14 to Yuyuan Garden Station.
When to visit
Early morning (8:30am) before tour groups arrive.
Other attractions in Shanghai
Itineraries featuring this site
- Shanghai in 3 days
3d · Bund, French Concession, Pudong, Yu Garden, museums.
- Shanghai weekend — 3 days in the city
3d · Three full days in Shanghai covering the Bund, French Concession, Yu Garden, Tianzifang and Pudong — the city's distinct neighbourhoods at a pace that leaves time for coffee and wandering.
- Beijing + Shanghai — 5-day first-timer classic
5d · Two of China's three great cities in five days: imperial Beijing followed by the modern skyline of Shanghai, linked by a quick domestic flight or overnight train.
- Accessible China — mobility-friendly 7 days in Beijing and Shanghai
7d · Seven days in Beijing and Shanghai planned for visitors with mobility limitations — step-free access, English-language signage, accessible transport and accommodation notes throughout.
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