Located in the Old City of Shanghai, Yuyuan Garden was constructed in 1577. I always find it interesting to visit sites like this in the middle of large metropolitan cities. While the garden itself is beautiful and impressive, classical Chinese gardens are meant to help you relax and escape from the world. Of course, these gardens should be open to the public, but it seems like something is lost when the garden is packed with tourists - like me! If you're going to Shanghai, it's still pretty hard to visit the city and not stop by one of its most famous tourist destinations, and once you make your way further into the garden, you can occasionally find moments of respite from the other tourists.

A place for reflection inside Yuyuan Garden.