Shanghai Water Town, Yuyuan Garden and Nanjing Road

In the morning we visit one of the “water towns” near Shanghai, have a typical Shanghai-style lunch and explore the Yuyuan Garden as well as Nanjing Road in the afternoon.

The Yuyuan Garden is located in the center of the Old City and is considered one of the most lavish Chinese gardens in the region. It was constructed in 1577 by Pan Yunduan, a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who built the garden for his parents. During the late Ming Dynasty, the garden fell into disrepair until 1760 when some rich merchants bought it and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. In the 19th and 20th century, the garden again suffered extensive damage, especially during the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion. The Yuyuan Garden was repaired for five years until 1961 when it was opened to the public.

Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai and one of the world's busiest shopping streets. The city of Shanghai became a treaty port after the Opium War (1839-1842) and Nanjing Road was first the British Concession, then the International Settlement and therefore became the earliest shopping street in Shanghai importing a great amount of foreign goods.