Yuyuan Garden, a place of peace and comfort in the heart of bustling Shanghai, dates back to the fabled Ming Dynasty. Now a popular tourist destination, it 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. That is why he called this garden "Yuyuan" - because "yu" in Chinese means "peace and health", and "yuan" "garden". Zhang Nanyang, an architect, was commissioned by the Pan family of the Ming court to build the gardens, in traditional Chinese style with numerous rock and tree garden areas, ponds, dragon-lined walls and numerous doorways and zigzagging bridges separating the various garden areas and pavilions.

During the past 400 years, Yuyuan, although restored and reopened several times, was most often in disarray. Due to the decline of Pan family after Pan Yuduan's death, it gradually fell into disuse. Although the garden was improved, several civil conflicts in the mid-19th century caused great damage. In 1956, the city government reconstructed the garden and refurbished its mien and beauty as in the old days. The garden was finally reopened to the public in 1961, and the State Council declared it a national monument in 1982. Now it attracts countless visitors at home and abroad every year.

The present-day Yuyuan occupies an area of two hectares and is built in a style associated with the renowned Suzhou gardens, which are characterized by an exquisite layout, beautiful scenery and artistic architecture. Each pavilion, hall, stone and stream in the garden expresses the essence of South China's landscape design from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a representative of the classical architectural style and is acknowledged as an architectural miracle in the region southeast of the Yangtze River. There are more than 40 scenic spots scattered throughout the garden, which is divided into six parts by five boundary walls.