Brief information on Ou Yuan  

Established in the Qing Dynasty, Ou Yuan was the residence of Shen Bincheng, a prominent official of the period. He purchased the site and invited a notable painter to design the garden. Ou Yuan took the partial tone of Ou in Chinese, which means “double” and indicates the notion of the couple.

Ou Yuan is surrounded by a canal on three sides and faces a street to the front. It consists of a large mansion and has three-row-houses built in the middle with two gardens set on either side, to the east and west. East Garden is the site of the courtyard before its reconstruction, emphasising rockeries and waters. The primary building in the garden, named Chengqu Caotang has always been renowned as a pleasant place for the host to entertain guests.  West Garden focuses on study rooms and pavilions. A limestone rockery greets visitors approaching the entrance of West Garden. Behind the Old House with Woven Curtains are a study and a book depository.

Ou Yuan was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Ou Yuan if you plan to visit Ou Yuan and have language problems.

   

Hours: 8:00-17:30
Address: No. 7, Xiao Xinqiao Lane
Transportation: take bus No. 701
Admission: CNY 30