On the far end of the bridge is a wall with a moon-shaped door. The words “Yingyu” or leading to the jade” are above the door. The grotesquely-shaped huge rock behind the door will arouse visitors’ curiosity. You will hastily enter the next scenic section---the Exquisite Jade Stone.
Once entering this section, you will find yourself in a world of “jade”. The huge rock, the Jade Magnificence Hall, the beautiful rockery peak and the wonderful corridor all contain in their names the Chinese character “yu” or jade. Even the Yulan (magnolia), Shanghai’s city tree newly planted in front of the hall means “white jade orchid” in Chinese.
The 3.3-meter-high Exquisite Jade Stone is a rare treasure and, actually, one of the three best in China. The other two, one in Beijing and one in Suzhou. It was one of the many valuable rocks which should have been sent to the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor, Huizhong, a rock collector. But it got lost while being transported from the south to the northern capital Kaifeng. It finally ended up in a private garden in Shanghai’s Sanlingtang, east of the Huangpu River. The owner, a local official, when marrying his daughter to the younger brother of Pan Yunduan, presented the rock to his son-in-law as a dowry.
The rock is noted for its slender shape, permeable nature, wrinkled surface and numerous holes, 72 in all. Water poured on the top drips down through the holes, while smoke from incense sticks burned below coils up through them.
The Jade Magnificence Hall was used as the study by Pan Yunduan. It is said that Pan would come to the hall every day and look for a long time at to Exquisite Jade Stone. He thus felt delighted and was inspired to write. The hall has been restored with ancient books, writing brushes and an ink stone on display.
Jiyu Peak used to be in the eastern part of the garden. After the damage done to this part, some remains of Jiyu Peak lay for a long time by the roadside. In 1956, Chen Congzhou, an eminent architect and professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, discovered them. They were moved to the present site during the recent renovation. “Jiyu” means piling up of numerous pieces of beautiful jade.
The Jiyu Corridor, which is over 100 meters long, was built in the style of the Mind Dynasty. It is the longest water-side corridor in China. It is so called because Jiyu Peak stands on it. Added to it are some stone tablets, bearing important dates about the garden. This is considered by Chen a valuable piece of “jade” in the garden.
To the west of the Jade magnificence Hall is the Moon Tower. The name aptly implies that the jade is as bright as the moon. Ascending the tower on the 15th night of August of the Chinese lunar calendar, people will enjoy two bright moons: one in the sky and the other reflected on the pond below. The Moon Tower is, actually, the upper part of a two-storied structure built by a pond in 1883. below the “Moon Tower” is Qizhao Hall, an ideal place for enjoying the beautiful lotus in the pond. There are sixteen screen doors in the winding corridor in front of Qizhao Hall. On each of them there is a carved picture of ploughing and weaving. On the eaves of the hall, there are many Chinese characters of “longevity” carved out of wood. They are called “hundred-longevity map” with distinct national feature.
On the eastern wall is another brick carving “Guang Han Palace”. It is a palace in the moon according to a legend. The lady in the middle of the brick carving is Chang E, known as the Moon Goddess. She flew to the moon after swallowing an elixir of immortality stolen from her husband, Hou Yi, who got it from Xi Wangmu (Heavenly Empress) of the Kunlun Mountains as a reward for shooting down nine suns in the sky. Wu Gang is another legendary figure on the moon. As he had made some serious mistakes while studying under a deity, he was ordered to fell a cassia tree growing on the moon. Every time Wu Gang raises his axe, the cut he has just made grows over, so he must go on chopping for eternity.
To the south of the Exquisite Jade Stone are the screen wall and the Coiling Dragon Bridge. Both are new additions built in the Ming style. Carved on the wall are the four Chinese characters “Huan Zhong Da Kuai”, meaning “happiness under heaven”. What is now one of the exits of the garden used to be the entrance. Once Mr. Pan entered the garden, he would enjoy the “worldly happiness first and then appreciate the rest of the beauty in the garden.
The eastern part of the Yuyuan Garden, only 0.5 hectare in size, has ponds taking up 60 percent of the total area. The halls, pavilions, chambers and bridges and their reflections on the water contrast wonderfully with each other, making the area loo much larger in size.
Here we are in the Inner Garden, formerly the back garden of the City God Temple. It was reconstructed in 1709. this typical Qing Dynasty-styled garden only covers 0.14 hectare but is exquisitely and tastefully laid out. How apt it is to call this a garden with a garden!
Here is the Hall of Serenity, the main building in the Inner Garden. If you stand in front of the hall and quietly look at the rocks opposite, you will, again, find that many of them are in the shape of animals.
Two stone lions squat on both sides of the hall. Each of the lions has a small ball in its mouth. The stone ball is carved inside the lion’s mouth.
There are some sculptures on the roof of the hall. The one on the left is Yue Fei, a famous general of the Song Dynasty. To this day, people still speak highly of him for his meritorious deeds of resisting the Jin invaders.
This is the Nine-Dragon Pond built with Taihu rocks. There are actually only four dragons carved on the rocks, but with their reflections on the water and the pool itself in the shape of a dragon, they make up nine dragons altogether.
This brick carving “Guo Ziyi Being Congratulated on His Birthday” is a pice of art work of the Qing Dynasty going back 300 years. Guo Ziyi, a general of the Tang Dyansty, suppressed the rebellious minister An Lushan and later drove away the invading enemy. He was once looked up as a symbol of happiness, fortune, and longevity.
This is the Sleeping Dragon, the last of the five dragons in the garden. Its scales are carved out of clay while those of the others are made of tiles.
On top of the rockery stands a two-storied pavilion. Stopping here for a brief rest, you may enjoy the beautiful views around the feel delighted.
This is a stage built in the Qing Dynasty-style with exquisite carvings and elaborate decorations. It is the oldest and largest stage preserved in perfect conditions in Shanghai. On the sides of the stage are two-storied buildings for audience to watch performances from both floors.
推荐阅读：
出国留学网导游资格证考试 栏目推荐：