Shanghai Zhiwuyuan

Somewhat inconveniently located in the southwest part of town, the city's premier and largest garden provides a pleasant reprieve from the urban hustle, but is not worth a special trip unless you really like your plants. The extensive grounds, covering 81 hectares (200 acres), are divided into different sections featuring peonies, roses, bamboo, azaleas, maples, osmanthus, magnolias, and orchids (considered the best in China). There are also a garden of medicinal plants and a greenhouse dedicated to tropical plants, but the hallmark section is the Penjing Yuan (Bonsai Garden), which requires a separate admission (¥7), with hundreds of bonsai displayed in a large complex of corridors, courtyards, pools, and rockeries. There are restaurants, exhibition halls, vendors' stalls, and several children's playgrounds dotted throughout the park. The park is extremely crowded on weekends.

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