Yuyuan Gardens was built 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan, the son of a high ranking official for the recreation of his ageing parents. Yuyuan means happy and Pan spent 20 years creating a space for the happiness of his parents.
Yuyuan Gardens fell into disrepair after the decline of Pan’s family and was purchased by rich merchants in 1760. The garden was restored to its former glory but suffered damage again during the Opium Wars. In 1956, repairs and restorations were undertaken and it was opened again to the public in 1961.
The Yuyuan Gardens covers an extent of five acres. It has the oldest and largest rockery in China and three halls, the Cuixiu Hall, the Sansui Hall and the Dianchun Hall. Other buildings include the Yule Pavilion and the Wanhua Chamber. Visitors can view Ming dynasty style rosewood furniture in the halls. A 400 year old maidenhair tree planted by Pan stands in front of the Wanhua Chamber. The highlight is a large rock called the jade rock. It is a 3.3 meter high rock with 72 holes positioned in such a way that water or smoke sent into one of the holes comes out through all the holes at the same time. The Yuyuan garden has pavilions, corridors, bridges, streams and courtyard to make it a calm and relaxing sanctuary within a busy section of the city.

Located in front of the Yuyuan Gardens, the Yu Market, also known as the Old Town Bazaar has shops selling an array of Chinese handicrafts and textiles. At this market visitors will be dazzled at the array of products that can be purchased at a bargain.
The location of the Yu market was once a residential area near the Yuyuan Gardens. Later it became a place of trade for traditional arts and crafts and remains so till today. The Bazaar covers an area of over 50 hectares with 3000 shops and nearly 10,000 vendors selling second hand goods in addition to antiques and handicrafts. Nearly 60,000 tourists visit the market every day to haggle over a price and buy traditional Chinese food, shoes, jewellery, textiles, jade and wooden chopsticks, watches, clocks and caps.
Yu market is particularly attractive during spring when the city celebrates the lantern festival on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, during which the market and the Old Town are decorated with lamps and lanterns. Traditional music is played adding to the festive atmosphere. This is also the busiest time of year at the market when the prices charged by the traders are higher than usual.

This Taoist temple dedicated to Cenghuang, the guardian God of the city of Shanghai, is its most popular place of worship. The temple is surrounded by a large shopping area where visitors can purchase a range of products at bargain prices.
The temple became the city God temple in 1403 during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty. It grew famous as a place of worship during the Qing Dynasty and was expanded during the Daoguang era. It was at this time that the large market grew around the temple. It was converted into a jewellery shop by the communists and in 1994 was returned to Taoist clergy. Between 2005 and 2006 the structure was completely restored and consecrated by Taoist priests and the worship began again.
The temple has a small courtyard in front of the main entrance and halls dedicated to the Gods. The main hall is dedicated to Huo Guang and his large statue dominates the northern side. There are smaller halls dedicated to minor guardian gods and the gods of wealth, literature and knowledge. The temple is the venue for traditional festivals including the Lantern festival, the tea ceremony and the Double nine Festival. The temple is an active place of worship where visitors are outnumbered by worshippers.

The Peach Garden Mosque is the largest active mosque in Shanghai. It was here that the Shanghai Muslim Association was founded. The building called the Mosque of the Small Peach Garden was founded in 1917. The present building dates back to 1927. The structure was constructed with donations from the Muslim community. The foundations were laid in 1925 and the building was completed two years later. The peach garden Mosque has an inner courtyard surrounded by outbuildings. The main hall can hold several hundred worshippers. It has two green cupolas at each end. The center has a pavilion with a crescent emblem. Only male worshippers are allowed in the main hall and women are allowed in a separate smaller hall. It has a minaret for the Islamic call for prayer. The building has a West Asian Islamic architectural style. Today, the Peach Garden Mosque is the headquarters of the Shanghai Islamic Association. The municipal government has declared the building as a protected cultural relic. The structure suffered damage during the Cultural Revolution but has now been restored. Visitors can see the mosque between 8 am to 6 pm on all days of the week. The building is crowded on Fridays which is the important day of prayer for the Muslim Community.

Known as the School Palace, the Confucian Temple was once the highest institution of learning in Shanghai. It is dedicated to Confucius, the great Chinese thinker and founder of the Confucian culture and code of conduct. The Shanghai Confucian Temple was built between 1368 and 1398. It has 28 buildings covered with exquisite stone carvings. There are three well preserved courtyards surrounded by halls that were once used as classrooms. There are carved stone bridges built across tranquil ponds within the courtyards. The main part of the complex used to worship Confucius is the Dacheng Hall. A large bell weighing 1.5 tons is located at the southeast part of the main hall. A bronze statue of Confucius stands in front of the main door of Dacheng Hall. In the Northeast part of the temple, is a second hand book market. The market was built like the book houses that thrived during the reign of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Every Sunday, book traders come to buy, sell and exchange old and rare books at the venue. A temple fair is held at the end of the year including a bell tolling ceremony, contests for young people and performances by folk dancers.

The Fazangjiang Temple is one of the four important Buddhist temples in Shanghai. The others being the Jade Buddha, the Longhua and the Jing An Temples. It is a major city attraction because of its unique architecture. The Fazagjiang Temple, located in the Old Town was built in 1924 by the Tiantai Ancestor called the Xingci Master. It occupies an area of 0.4 hectares. It took five years to build and is unique because unlike other temples it has a tower. The entrance door is located in the west unlike other Buddhist temples where worshippers enter from the South. Some parts of the structure have architecture with a unique art deco resemblance. The Fazangjiang Temple recently underwent extensive restoration. New doors were installed in the main hall. A large modern statue of the Sakyamuni is now found in the hall sitting on top of a lily. There are two gilded walls with images of Arhats. Other walls have golden sculptures of the Buddhist trinity. There is a small shrine dedicated to the God of the Underworld in Buddhism, Dizang Wang. The modern Fazangjiang Temple is an active place of worship thronging with worshippers, visitors and black robed chanting monks.