40 Years Hamburg–Shanghai: A New Role for the Yu Garden in Hamburg
From a symbol of sister-city friendship to an international center for Chinese intangible cultural heritage
Guests at Yu Garden Hamburg during the celebration of 40 years of the Hamburg–Shanghai sister-city partnership on September 3, 2026. Photo:
© YUYUAN Inc.
For four decades, Hamburg and Shanghai have been connected by a sister-city partnership that has survived changing political climates, economic transformations and generations of personal exchange. In Hamburg, few places embody this relationship as visibly as the Yu Garden — a piece of Shanghai in the heart of the city.
On September 3, 2026, the Yu Garden took on a new role. As Hamburg and Shanghai marked the 40th anniversary of their partnership, representatives from both cities gathered at the Chinese teahouse for the presentation of the “China Intangible Cultural Heritage Overseas Experience Center.” The initiative is intended to make Chinese intangible cultural heritage more accessible internationally while creating new opportunities for cultural exchange between Hamburg and Shanghai.
From a Symbol to a Living Place of Exchange
For many Hamburg residents, the Yu Garden has long been one of the city’s most distinctive cultural landmarks. Its Chinese architecture and teahouse make the connection with Shanghai visible, but the question has always been how such a symbolic place can also become a living space for exchange.
Get Markus Weile’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
The September 3 event offered one possible answer. Traditional tea culture, Chinese music and craftsmanship brought different forms of intangible cultural heritage to life. Rather than presenting culture only behind glass or through explanation, the program allowed guests to encounter traditions through people, sounds, skills and shared experience.
A New Chapter for the Yu Garden
The event brought together representatives from Hamburg and Shanghai, including Lin Dong, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Hamburg; Hu Junjie, Vice President of YUYUAN Inc.; Chen Qiuyi, President of the Hamburg China Society; and Corinna Nienstedt of the Hamburg Senate Chancellery.
At the center of the ceremony was the presentation of a plaque marking the Yu Garden as an overseas experience center for Chinese intangible cultural heritage. More than a ceremonial gesture, the designation points toward a broader ambition: to use the Yu Garden as a platform where craftspeople, artists, educational institutions and audiences from both countries can meet and develop new forms of exchange.
Plaque presentation for the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Overseas Experience Center at Yu Garden Hamburg on September 3, 2026. Photo: © YUYUAN Inc.
What Comes Next?
The new designation raises an important question: what should a cultural landmark such as the Yu Garden become in the years ahead?
Its potential lies not simply in presenting Chinese culture, but in creating encounters. Workshops with craftspeople, exchanges between artists, cooperation with schools and universities, and dialogue between cultural institutions could turn the Yu Garden into a place where heritage is not only preserved, but practiced and shared.
Forty years after Hamburg and Shanghai established their sister-city partnership, the Yu Garden therefore stands at an interesting crossroads. It remains a visible symbol of the relationship between the two cities - but symbols gain meaning when people use them. The next chapter will be about whether this distinctive place in Hamburg can become exactly that: a living space for cultural exchange.
