China 1st site, Shanghai: Yu Gardens

China in a nutshell? There's a lot going on in China. It's civilization stretches back thousands of years and those ancient influences are still seen and felt. The last century has seen tremendous upheval and many of the ancient elements were severely damaged or destroyed out right. Recently, China has regrouped and begun to renew itself. Sometimes by reconstructing what was old, sometimes by constructing something all together new. It is not unusual to see all of this in a short span of time, or distance in China and an excellent example of this is the Yu Gardens in Shanghai.

A massive complex, covering an entire city block in the old city, Yu gardens has everything. It's most impressive structures date from the Ming Dynasty, more than 600 years ago. It contains an ancient religious center, shut down during the Cultural Revolution, reopened as a jewelry store, now restored to its religious purposes. At its center is a classic example of a Ming garden with water features, sculptures and a teahouse. It could be a place of great serenity except for the massive crowds with which you are sharing the space. Those crowds are not attracted only by the Gardens ancient beauty.  No, built into the complex and occupying every square meter surrounding it, you will find an enormous bazaar, offering almost anything you can imagine buying in China.

Want classic Chinese art? It's there. Want a T-shirt of Obama dressed as Mao? It's there. From the exquisite to the tacky you can find it at Yu Gardens and when you are feeling peckish they have that covered as well.  There is a buffet with what must have been more than 100 choices (all Chinese) or nearby, street food if you dare. It was all there - a microcosm of China.