In front of you, in the middle of the pond, is the Huxinting Teahouse, “the pavilion in the heart of the lake”. It is reached by the Jiuqu Qiao, the Bridge of Nine Turnings, always crowded with people.

1From merchants' pavilion to teahouse

This pond was once part of the garden of Pan Yunduan, a senior official who in 1559 began building the Yu Garden to bring comfort to his elderly father. In 1784, a group of cloth merchants put up a hexagonal pavilion here to meet and do business. In 1855 it became a teahouse, and it still is one: it is considered the oldest in Shanghai. Distinguished visitors have stopped here, including Queen Elizabeth II.

During the First Opium War, in 1842, British soldiers set up camp in the pavilion for a few days.

2The bridge that baffles spirits

According to tradition, evil spirits can only travel in straight lines. That is why the bridge turns again and again: anything trying to follow you gets left behind.

The practical explanation is less mysterious: the turns lengthen the stroll and make you see the pond from different angles, a classic device of Chinese gardens. It is also often said that this teahouse inspired the famous English blue willow pattern china; in fact, that design was created in England around 1790.

Inside the Yu Garden, which charges admission, is the Exquisite Jade Rock, a stone full of holes that, according to legend, was meant for the garden of a Song emperor.

3What to look for

  • The nine turns of the bridge.
  • The eaves of the teahouse, like wings about to take off.
  • The carp in the pond.
Old hand-coloured postcard of Huxinting Teahouse reflected in the pond
Huxinting in the early twentieth century.

Documented

The Yu Garden was begun in 1559; the Huxinting pavilion was built in 1784 and has been a teahouse since 1855.

Oral tradition

That the zigzag stops evil spirits and that the Jade Rock was meant for a Song emperor are traditions; the link with willow pattern china is a myth.

Sources and credits

Yu Garden (豫园), official website; Chinese Wikipedia, “湖心亭 (上海)”; Maggie Keswick, “The Chinese Garden” (1978).

Photos:

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