A New Year invitation from Shanghai Yuyuan

Yuyuan Garden during the New Year ©Mark Siegemund

When talking about Shanghai, one cannot avoid the Yu Garden. In the memories of Shanghai's post-80s and post-90s generation, Yu Garden is synonymous with the New Year. The shimmering streets, the dazzling array of colorful lanterns, and the enthusiastic calls of snack vendors are all unforgettable memories.

一边吃着小吃一边赏灯，这样度过了一年又一年。而今年在大家还忙着给年前的工作收尾时，豫园的灯光已经悄悄焕新，变得更时尚、魅力、有趣，气质却依旧古典、优雅、有烟火气……

Pride of Shanghai, Hope of the World

With a history of over 460 years, Yuyuan Garden was originally designed by Zhang Nanyang, a renowned master craftsman from Jiangnan during the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era. It features artificial hills, water pools, and dozens of pavilions and towers, boasting scenery that rivals Suzhou's Humble Administrator's Garden.

Historical Yuyuan Garden | Source: Internet

After the baptism of time, Yuyuan Garden still retains its unique character. Although the current scale of Yuyuan is only half that of the Ming Dynasty garden, it still possesses the charm and style of a classical Jiangnan garden, with the lakeside pavilion between the Nine-Bend Bridge showing exceptional ingenuity.

The Nine-Curved Bridge and the Pavilion in the Lake Heart of Yuyuan Garden from the 1990s. Source: Internet

Carrying tradition and nurturing culture, the current Yuyuan Garden is not only a pride of Shanghai but also attracts global aspirations.

In recent years, Yuyuan Garden has hosted numerous dignitaries, including former IOC President Jacques Rogge and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Many distinguished guests visiting Yu Garden (partial list):

2019

During the convening of the second China International Import Expo, General Secretary Xi Jinping chose to receive French President Emmanuel Macron at Yuyuan Garden.

2014

Madam Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, invited the spouses of some national leaders attending the CICA Summit to tour Yuyuan Garden.

1998

Then-US President Clinton toured the Yu Garden with his family.

1986

Jiang Zemin, then Mayor of Shanghai, accompanied Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on a visit to Yu Garden in Shanghai.

The lights of Yuyuan Garden showcase the bustling vibrancy of Shanghai's streets in every smile, constantly polishing this signature card of Haipai culture.

The lights of Yuyuan Garden turn on

Shanghai for Chinese New Year

The Spring Festival marks the transition from old to new, a time to bid farewell to the past and welcome the future. Yu Garden seems to have naturally integrated these concepts into its very essence. For 'Shanghai locals', visiting Yu Garden during the New Year is an established custom. Count the colorful lanterns of various shapes, walk across the Nine-Bend Bridge, enjoy a meal at Green Wave Pavilion, and seek good fortune for the coming year at the City God Temple. Only by concluding the year this way can one feel truly fulfilled.

2020 Yuyuan Garden New Year Lantern Festival

As a national intangible cultural heritage, the Yuyuan Lantern Festival has always been the most well-known and influential interactive event during the Chinese New Year in Shanghai, representing an important humanistic tradition of Shanghai.

This year, when people ascend the highest building, Ninghui Pavilion, to overlook the Yuyuan Lantern Festival as in previous years, they will notice that among the imitation ancient architectural complex outlined with extensive light strips, several buildings quietly display different colors.

Panoramic Night View of Yuyuan Garden

Indeed, just recently, the outdoor lighting of many imitation ancient buildings such as Lvbo Lane, Huabao Building, Yuebin Building, and Yixiu Building has been upgraded. The brand-new night lighting gently illuminates the dense architecture of the old city quarter with brilliance.

Yuyuan Garden Night View

The lighting designer, while fully preserving the historical culture and unique charm of Yuyuan Garden, empowers Yuyuan's night economy with artistic light and shadow, paying tribute to the future through classical aesthetics.

Green Wave Corridor

"Spring water green waves, rich in artistic conception; winding corridors and red pavilions, enchanting poetic charm." The Green Wave Corridor is a building imitating the Ming and Qing architectural styles, located by the Nine-Curve Bridge in Yuyuan Garden. It is one of Shanghai's most favored food landmarks for both Chinese and foreign visitors. With its fresh new decor, the Green Wave Corridor shines alongside the adjacent Lake Heart Pavilion and Nine-Curve Bridge. Elegant and grand lighting transforms this renowned restaurant from old gourmets' memories into a "Shanghai-style beauty."

Huabao Building

Huabao Building is the most magnificent and luxurious among all the ancient-style buildings in Yuyuan Mall, and it is also a true "treasure" building. Before Taobao was launched, this was the real place for Shanghainese to "hunt for treasures." Huabao Building, with its rich layers, is delicately highlighted with golden and pale purple lighting, creating a grand overall atmosphere that is truly eye-catching.

Yuebin Building

Yuebin Lou | Source: Internet

Climb to the top of Yuebin Building. The flying eaves and bracket sets nearby glow with flowing colors, while the towering skyscrapers of Pudong Lujiazui in the distance shine brilliantly. Between them lies Shanghai's old city quarter, a network of bustling alleys with a century-old history. Classical and modern times interweave here, as if stepping into a 'corner of history'. Lighting becomes its accessory; the lights at the eaves outline its silhouette, enhancing the atmosphere of Yuyuan Garden at night.

Yixiu Building

Yixiu Pavilion

"Yi" means to draw, absorb, or gather. Yi Xiu Pavilion symbolizes the act of placing all beautiful things of the world within it; only through night lighting can its beauty and mystery be truly revealed. The flying eaves, dougong brackets, lattice windows, and railings of Yi Xiu Pavilion are hidden within the structure of a Western-style building. The designer used lighting to vividly depict the architectural details, creating the most spectacular night view in Yuyuan Garden.

Use a good light

Reshape a world-class commercial landmark

Since 2020, Shanghai Yuyuan has established a new positioning for the Yuyuan commercial district based on "Guochao" (China Chic). While preserving traditional classics, Yuyuan has incorporated more new content, new models, and new experiences. The upgrade of architectural lighting is an important part of Yuyuan's overall renewal.

豫园内原有建筑照明采用的是线条灯勾勒出建筑轮廓，这种照明方式在今天看来已略显老旧，不仅难以区分建筑的光影层次，表现力较差，也无法凸显豫园夜景的氛围感。

Yu Garden before night view enhancement

Therefore, the lighting design team reasonably planned the illuminated areas based on the building's cultural characteristics and artistic features, using different light intensities and colors to create layers of light and shadow contrast, thereby naturally producing modeling at night. Artistic decorative details such as upturned eaves, bracket sets, and winding corridors are effectively rendered, further shaping the overall nighttime atmosphere of Yuyuan Garden.

Yu Garden after night view enhancement

In this Yuyuan Gardens nightscape lighting upgrade project, Sanan Optoelectronics/SHYLON partnered with RDI Rui International Lighting Design to revitalize the ancient charm of Yuyuan Gardens using professional design and high-quality outdoor luminaire.

来自芯龙光电/SHYLON的 SL1232 系列中的 Mini 投光灯为夜色中的豫园增添一抹亮色，带领游客领略夜豫园的活色生香、绚丽之美。

SL1232 系列中的 Mini 款被应用于豫园建筑照明

芯龙光电/SHYLON的SL1232系列投光灯内置 Superhigh光学架构和 Zoomneo色彩算法，兼顾小体积和精准混光的优点，能以层次光影渲染出豫园内不同建筑各自的特点。同时，该产品曾获包括2021年德国红点奖在内的多项国内外设计奖项，受到业内人士的高度认可。

SL1232 Floodlight Red Dot Award Certificate

Special Thanks:

Owner: Yu Garden Culture & Commerce Group

Design Unit: RDI International Lighting Design

Construction Implementation: Shanghai Xinju Electromechanical Equipment Co., Ltd.

Dongdao Lighting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Partial Lighting & Systems: Shanghai Xinlong Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.

Celebrating the New Year in Yuyuan Garden is an inseparable sentiment for Shanghai residents. Amidst continuous change and innovation, the Haipai culture embodied by Yuyuan Garden has become increasingly profound, destined to become a classic and eternal legacy.

As night falls and the city lights begin to glow, walking through bustling streets filled with crowds, amidst flickering light and shadows and smiles rippling on faces alike, one wanders with full anticipation for the New Year, embarking on a new year woven with warmth and romance under a sky of countless lights.