Emilio, an architecture student in Shanghai for the summer has written this week's blog entry. This was his first contact with ancient Chinese architecture. 

This weekend we went to visit the famous classical Yu Garden inside of the Shanghai old town. It was nice to spend an afternoon in the centre of Shanghai and see how the city used to be before skyscrapers were the norm. In the heart of this city in perpetual activity is a quiet spot.  This garden was created by a government official, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Yu, in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying; the garden was built to create a place where you can enjoy a tranquil and happy time. Upon entering the garden, you will face a rockery, called the ‘Great Rockery’. It is the largest and the oldest rockery in the southern region of the Yangtze River (one of the most famous in China), with a height of 50 feet / 14 meters. The best bird’s eye view of the place is at the top of this rockery.