In heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Yu Yuan”, say the Chinese about Shanghai’s spectacular Yu Yuan gardens. I was reminded of my refreshing visit to this enchanting classical garden as I watched a China travel show on television a few days ago. This is not merely one of China’s premier sights, it is a tribute to the heightened sense of formal beauty which marks China, Korea and Japan.
A wonderful counterpoint to both the steel-and-chrome skyline of modern Shanghai and the brick facade of its colonial bund, the Yu Yuan gardens are spread over two hectares of heaven, in the centre of the city. ‘Yu Yuan means peace, comfort and happiness. You will surely feel that this is an abode of peace’ read a sign near the gate. A rolly polly man dispensed entry tickets, flashing a toothy smile.
Say ‘cheese’!
The first sight I saw as I entered the famous garden was a verandah overlooking a placid pool, called the happy fish verandah. “This is because even the fish in these pools are happy”, said my charming guide. How do you know if fish are happy?”, I asked her. “They eat very much, they are very fat and they live for very long”, she replied, matter-of-factly, “and if you will look a little closely, you can also see them smile.”
The theme of happiness and peace dominates the Yu Yuan gardens. Within the gardens, there are over 40 buildings, which carry quaint but apt names such as ‘Tower of Joy’, ‘Hall of Mildness’, ‘Hall of Happy Spring’, ‘Tower of the Smiling Moon’ and ‘Corridor of Sparkling Jade’. Each building reflects the exquisite architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties of South China - ornate yet simple, with large clean spaces which expand and soothe the mind.
Indeed, the gardens owe their origin to the Ming dynasty. Over 400 years ago, the Pan family, rich Ming dynasty officials, created these fabulous gardens.
It is said that Pan Yunduan built Yu Yuan to please his parents in their old age, and to bring great happiness into their lives. The gardens were completed after 18 years of hard labour — about as long as it took to build the Taj Mahal — and were eventually opened to the public in 1577.
It struck me that these gardens were created as a tribute to the living, unlike the Taj Mahal and its gardens which were built as a memorial to the dead. Both were, however, monuments to love — like so many other grand creations of mankind.
Like most formal oriental gardens, Yu Yuan is neatly divided into several scenic areas, each area to be savoured separately for its distinct charms. To begin with, we see the Grand Rockery, a spectacular exposition of jade. An exquisite jade stone, thousand years old and certainly the largest I have ever seen, dominates the rockery. This is typical of the finest Chinese gardens, which display individual stones as works of art created by nature. “Jade is a stone of peace, a guardian against violent evil spirits. So you will find so many Buddhas carved from jade”, my guide informed me, and then she offered me some practical advice, “but don’t buy jade Buddhas from the Fangbang Bazaar, they cheat you all the time.
The Fangbang Bazaar, also called the Yu Gardens Bazaar, stands at one corner of Yu Yuan. It spills over with antique and souvenir shops, and is a somewhat natural extension of an abode of peace - because shopping is truly modern nirvana, that elusive state of eternal bliss, to so many of us.
Indeed, on Lao lie, the main street of Yu Gardens Bazaar, a shifty-eyed merchant with a long thin white beard did try to sell me an ancient jade Buddha for a small fortune. He claimed it belonged to the ancient Han dynasty. This falsehood exposed him completely, because Buddha had not even been born during the ancient Han period. And it reconfirmed my guide’s advice at the Grand Rockery, so I politely declined.
From the Grand jade rockery we moved to the Nine Lion study, set against a remarkably beautiful pond. The pond was clean, deep and secluded. Stone boulders appeared at a few points in the pond.
Standing in the study which, true to its name, featured nine stone lions, it appeared that we had virtually entered another world. A world where water and stone quietly mingled with each other, to tell us a few truths about the sharp contrasts and complex realities of our world.
Fine Chinese gardens like Yu Yuan use natural symbols to reflect meaning, drawing from the deep wells of Taoist and Buddhist philosophy. They are centred around water and stone, which are yin and yang in nature. Rather than be a mere feast for the eyes, they choose to be intellectual stimulation for all the senses at once.
So the story goes...
Stories from epics and history are always a favourite, and China is no exception. A recent story from history intrigued me, as we moved on to the next section of the Yu Yuan garden. This grand pavilion, called the Spring Hall, is a bright hall featuring ornate carved seats and a multitude of red Chinese lamps. I listened wide-eyed, as my guide told me - “This Spring Hall was the headquarters of the mysterious Dagger Society. The Society met here to conspire and plan its rebellions, during the armed Taiping rebellion of 1853. It is said they had ferocious leaders. But this garden gave them good sense, and they plotted well.”
She pointed to a high seat, above which was featured giant calligraphy — “here sat the leader of the Dagger Society, as he commanded the uprising across Shanghai. There is even a story that he spoke each evening to evil spirits, and commanded them to stay away from his armed force, so that they could fight in peace and win!”
The theme of driving away evil spirits to create peace continued into the last leg of my Yu Yuan trip, a visit to the legendary Huxinting Tea House. This is one of the most famous tea houses in China, and stands in the middle of a rectangular pool adjoining Yu Yuan. In the centre of the pool stands a beautiful and peaceful statue of a lady in pure white. Perhaps white jade, I thought, because it shimmered so silky smooth and rich in the fading light.
But what puzzled me as I walked towards Huxinting was the misshapen bridge which connected the tea house to Yu Yuan, across the pool. It was so completely zig-zagged that it looked like it had lost its way. My guide responded almost immediately. “This is the bridge of nine turnings”, she told me, “and it has nine zig-zagged turnings because in China we believe that evil spirits and evildoers cannot go around corners. So this bridge ensures that evil spirits and people cannot get into Yu Yuan at all!”
Surely, I thought, the Chinese take no chances. Every precaution had been taken to keep Yu Yuan peaceful and happy. As I sat in the ornate Huxinting tea house, nursing a pleasantly tired feeling, I could think of many spots back in India which could do with a bridge of nine or more turnings.
For the moment, I savoured my delicious steaming cup of baked green tea served in a cheerful blue teacup. Dusk had fallen gently, soft strains of traditional Chinese music were in the air, the lights were shimmering all around, the fish in the pool looked happy and the tea had a soothing effect. No wonder Yu Yuan is an abode of peace.
