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Originally the Ginshan Sheng Miao (Temple of the Golden Mountain God), Yuyuan Garden had been renamed as Cheng Huang Miao (Temple of the City's Gods) in the Ming Dynasty. Since then, the temple had foregone several severe damages, and had each time been properly restored to its former glory. During the latter years of the Qing dynasty, teahouses, street performers, and hawkers formed an extremely lively marketplace in front of the temple. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was thoroughly destroyed. The surrounding marketplace was given a new name, "Yuyuan Bazaar". Yuyuan was again restored and opened to the public in 1981.
Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of two hectares (5 acres) and is built in a style associated with the renowned Suzhou gardens, which are characterized by an exquisite layout, beautiful scenery and artistic architecture. Each pavilion, hall, stone and stream in the garden expresses the essence of South China's landscape design from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
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