Shanghai

Yuyuan or Yu Garden (Jade Garden) Old Town Shanghai China. Hall of Jade Magnificence in Yuyuan Garden (Garden of Happiness or Garden of Peace) in Old City of Shanghai, China. Yu Garden or Yuyuan Garden Ye Yuan, lit. Garden of Happiness is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai, China. It abuts the Yuyuan Tourist Mart and is accessible from the Shanghai Metro's Line 10 Yuyuan Garden Station. A centerpiece is the Currow ancient stone, a porous 3.3-m, 5-ton boulder. Rumours about its origin include the story that it was meant for the imperial palace in Beijing, but was salvaged after the boat sank off Shanghai. Yu Garden was first conceived in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan as a comfort for his father, the minister Pan En, in his old age. Pan Yunduan began the project after failing one of the imperial exams, but his appointment as governor of Sichuan postponed construction for nearly twenty years until 1577. The garden was the largest and most prestigious of its era in Shanghai, but eventually its expense helped ruin the Pans. The garden was inherited by Zhang Zhaolin, Pan Yunduan's granddaughter's husband, and then passed to different owners. A section was briefly organised by Zhang Shengqu as the 'Academy of Purity and Harmony' and the Ling Yuan, today's East Garden, was purchased by a group of local leaders in 1709. A group of merchants renovated the increasingly decrepit grounds in 1760 and in 1780 the West Garden was opened to the general public. (Photo by: -/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)