Yu Garden (Shanghai, China) : Acting and Singing Stage (Gu Xitai), rear, facing pond

Creator:

Pan Yunduan, 1526-1601

Published/Created:

218 Anren Street, Huangpu, Shanghai, Shanghai Shi, municipality, China
1559-1577 ; restored 1956-1961

Physical Description:

2 ha (area)

Date Depicted:

6/2/2009

Materials:

plant material, rocks; wood; stucco

Notes:

The Yu Garden was originally built between 1559 and 1577 for a Ming (period, 1368-1644) official named Pan Yu [Pan Yunduan] and is a good example of the sophisticated art of Chinese garden design (Suzhou style). The limited surface area of the garden (2 ha) is laid out with winding paths, bridges, carefully placed rocks and hills and ingeniously connected pavilions, so as to convey the impression of a far more extensive area than exists in reality. The buildings were restored twice during the Qing period (period,1644-1911), in 1760 and ca. 1850, and again in 1958. A centerpiece is the Exquisite Jade Rock (Yù Línglóng), a porous 3.3-m, 5-ton boulder. The most famous building within the garden proper is the Dianchun Hall ("Heralding Spring Hall") built in 1820, the first year of the Daoguang Emperor; it served as the base of the Small Swords Society from September 1853 to February 1855 during the Taiping Rebellion.

Variant Titles:

Yuyuan Garden

Topics:

Architecture -- China -- 16th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Qing dynasty, 1644-1912

Culture:

Chinese

Accession Number:

1A2-CH-SH-YG-K01

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
garden structures (AAT)
gardens (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

buildings; garden structures; open spaces; gardens

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Eight

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
6/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2013; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4654

OID:

10900820

PID:

digcoll:1830001