Located in the center of Shanghai's Old City, as one of the few remaining old tourist sites in Shanghai, Yuyuan Garden is a traditional Chinese park complete with beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes, bridges and rock formations. Built in 1559, in the Suzhou style by a high official in honor of his father, the garden has maintained its classic beauty over the centuries. During the past 400 years, Yuyuan, although restored and reopened several times, was most often in disarray. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five-year restoration project, which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September 1961.

Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres). The main scenic spots there are the Urban Mountain Forest, Hualin Charming Valley, SpringFamous Historical Site, the Most Enjoyable Water-Stone Site, Treasure in the Universe and Garden within Gardens. In the garden are ridges and peaks and zigzag paths, beautifully decorated. On the walls are brick-made dragons curling around, as vivid as life, an unique sight of the their kind. They have maintained the artistic style of the south of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties.