Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai Hosts Diverse Cultural Events Showcasing Intangible Heritage

Recent Celebrations of Chinese Heritage

Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, a landmark attraction in East China, recently concluded a series of cultural events on November 14, 2025, dedicated to showcasing Chinese intangible cultural heritages. These events drew significant visitor interest, featuring a fair of intangible cultural heritage products. Among the highlights were performances such as 'Gundeng' (rolling lanterns), an intangible cultural heritage originating from Zhejiang Province, and intricate installations demonstrating traditional bamboo weaving skills.

Annual Festivals and Thematic Exhibitions

The garden is also a prominent venue for annual cultural celebrations. The Huazhao Festival, an ancient celebration honoring the birthday of the flower goddess, took place from April 3 to May 5, 2025. This spring festival immersed visitors in tradition with light displays, performances, parades, and floral-inspired installations. Performances included Tang Dynasty-style dances and folk music, while an exhibition titled 'YU Meets HER in Intangible Cultural Heritage' explored the intersection of artificial intelligence and heritage preservation, also highlighting the contributions of female heritage inheritors. Lacquer fan painting, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, was a popular interactive activity during the festival.

Looking ahead, the renowned Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, designated as a national intangible cultural heritage, is scheduled to commence on January 1, 2025, and run until February 12, 2025. This upcoming 30th-anniversary edition will illuminate Shanghai with lanterns themed around the Year of the Snake and draw inspiration from 'Shanhaijing,' or 'The Classic of Mountains and Seas,' a significant source of Chinese mythology. The festival will also feature a special exhibition on Chinese lantern art, presenting masterpieces created by inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from various cities across China.

Enhancing Visitor Experience with Night Tours

Further enriching the cultural offerings, Yuyuan Garden launched its inaugural public night tours on August 8, 2025. This immersive experience integrates modern lighting techniques and dynamic projections with the garden's classical art and architecture. The night tour includes a special exhibition of rarely displayed Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting, brought to life through digital technology.

Yuyuan Garden: A Hub for Traditional Chinese Culture

As a 466-year-old Ming Dynasty garden and a nationally protected cultural site, Yuyuan Garden continues to serve as a vital center for preserving and promoting traditional Chinese culture. Known as 'the finest garden in southeast China,' it attracted a record 2.7 million visitors last year, with international tourists accounting for nearly a quarter of that total. The garden's continuous array of cultural and recreational activities, including exhibitions of flowers, calligraphy, and paintings, alongside its iconic lantern shows, solidifies its status as a dynamic cultural destination in Shanghai.