Yu Garden

This is Yu Yuan Garden (which translates into garden of happiness) in Shanghai. It dates back to the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century, although ming is not how I would describe it these days. It was very pretty, but a bit crowded.

The buildings themselves are relatively new but still very impressive to look at, especially against a backdrop of skyscrapers. The whole area is surrounded by streets, alleyways and courtyards piled high with stalls selling touristy bits and pieces. It was massively over priced and haggling was a necessity. I tried to buy a shot glass for someone I work with who collects them. She started off at 160 RMB (£16) to which I just laughed. "But sir it is real gold, very nice". "Don't be ridiculous," I said. "It is a cheap piece of yellowy metal crudely glued to a piece of shoddily moulded glass." I managed to get her down to 15 RMB in the end.

The flight home was just as easy as the flight out. We really loved Shanghai and definitely want to go back one day. I highly recommend it to anyone coming to China.