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| Five Ancient Gardens |
The "Five Ancient Gardens" in Shanghai, except the aforesaid Yuyuan Garden built in the Ming Dynasty still include the following four:
1. "Qiuxiapu in Jiading" built in 1502, the 15th year under the reign of Hongzhi, the garden was made up of the Gong, Shen and Jin family gardens and the Town God Temple in the Ming Dynasty. Though small, yet it is delicately and quaintly laid out with an ambient environment, tt consists of the four scenic areas of the Peach Blossom Pond, Afterglow Pavilion, Serene Mirror Hall and the Yi Temple. On the west of the Green Veranda in the Afterglow Pavilion scenic area there is a "stone-tablet con'idor" in which are collected with 17 tablts of the Ming and Qing dynasties and they are worth to be appreciated. If you get into the garden from its western gate you'll find a find a small courtyard in seclusion by the name of Osmanthus Stud3 in which are grown with many sweet osmanthus trees and to the south of the Study are dotted with the three pieces of rock, given the name the" Gods of Happiness, Officialdom and Longevity." There is still a small bridge in the garden, which, built in 1621, is known as the" Approaching Mirth Bridge." Spanning over the gurgling brook it links up the zigzagging shore on the north, presenting an elegant seene unique in Shanghai and rare to be found elsewhere in the country. The garden has now been listed as a cultural unit under the protection of the munioipality.
2. "Guyi Garden in Nanxiang" Initially built in the period of 1522 - 1573 under the reigns of Jiajing and Wanli of the Ming Dynasty il ]las a history of over 400 years. Designed and laid out By Zhu Sansong, a famous bamboo-carver of the Ming, it features a garden growing all over with bamboos and with the Geese Playing Pond as the center, the garden consists of six parts of the Wild Leisure Hall, Geese Playing Pond, Pine and Crane Yard, Verdant Serenity Yard and Mandarin-duck Lake and Nanxiang Screen Wall. There is a White Crane Arbor in the west of the garden and a stone-boat in the north, which is also known as non-moored boat. Seen in the east is the Plum Blossom Hall, which together with the corridor outside is designed in plum blossom pattern and all round are growing with winter-sweets. Standing in the center of the Lotus Pond is the Putong Tower built in the Song Dynasty with exquisite carvings on it and erected in front of the Southern Hall and the Micro-sonic Pavilion is respectively a stone-pillar of Buddhist scriptures, having witnessed a histotory of over 1000 years.
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