Entering the Yuyuan Gardens 豫园

Yuyuan Department Store 豫园百货

Yuyuan Department Store 豫园百货

I have entered what seems to be an old quarter of Shanghai. The name outside the gates says Shanghai Old Street 上海老街. Most major Chinese cities would have some kind of “old street”, Shanghai not surprisingly also has its own old street. Actually large swathes of Shanghai can still be considered old but bit by bit the old is being replaced with the new. In a bid to cling on to its storied past, “old streets” have sprung up all over the country. This has serves two purposes, the first being that the past is “preserved”, however it leads to the second, where it becomes a magnet for hordes of tourists eager to see how it was back then.

Walking in the Yuyuan Gardens 豫园

Walking in the Yuyuan Gardens 豫园

Shanghai Old Street is very much like this. Much of the old buildings have been restored and are very much in use, usually as a shop. One of the largest structures here in the old quarter is the Yuyuan Gardens. This is much like a collection of old structures with very appealing architecture. I didn’t even know that there was such a place here and I was quite excited to see this fancy place. Much of it is already commercialized, I guess it would be a way to pass the time here.

[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/YuyuanGardens.kmz} zoom=19]