Setting the city abuzz

9. Yu Garden

As Shanghai's most renowned tourist site, Yu Garden has just completed one of its biggest renovations in history. The 53,000-square-meter garden, which receives upward of 6 million visitors every year, has redesigned its upper space to feature leisure activities such as tea-tasting sessions and has introduced more vendors selling delicacies from East China.

Following the garden's major renovation, its 118-year-old soup dumpling eatery, Nanxiang Mantou Dian, now sports brighter, modern and more spacious interiors. The food offerings have also been expanded to include new appetizers, desserts and a selection of teas that can be paired with the eatery's signature dumplings. The management of Yu Garden has also worked with culinary associations from neighboring provinces and cities to design a new 2,000-square-meter food court that is scheduled to open later this year.