in 1709. A group of merchants renovated the increasingly decrepit grounds in 1760 and in 1780 the West Garden was opened to the general public. The gardens suffered damage numerous times during the 19th century. During the First Opium War, the British army used the Huxinting Teahouse as a base of operations for several days in 1842. During the Taiping Rebellion, the Small Swords Society ran its headquarters in the Dianchun Hall; by the time Qing troops recovered the garden, the original structures had nearly all been destroyed. They were damaged again by the Japanese in 1942 before being repaired by Liangshun Han (Rockery Han) appointed by the Shanghai government from 1956 to 1961. They were opened to the public in 1961 and declared a national monument in 1982. Design Today, Yu Garden occupies an area of 2 hectares (5 acres).The approach to the garden is across a Nine-turn bridge crossing a small pond with a teahouse. The entrance is off the forecourt at the end of the bridge. Yu Garden reflects the garden style of Jiangnan garden architecture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It perfectly blends decorative halls, elaborate pavilions, glittering ponds, zigzag bridges, archways, and exquisite rockeries. Yu Garden is divided into six general areas laid out in the Suzhou style: Sansui Hall (, Sān Suì Táng, lit. "Three Tassel Hall")includes the Grand Rockery (, Dà Jiǎshān ), a 12-meter-high rockery made of huangshi stone, featuring peaks, cliffs, winding caves, and gorges. This scenery was possibly created by Zhang Nanyang during the Ming Dynasty. Wanhua Chamber (, Wàn Huā Lóu, lit. "Chamber of the Ten Thousand Flowers") includes Wanhua Chamber, Yule Pavilion, Double Lane Corridor and Gingko Tree of 400 years old staking out the front courtyard. Dianchun Hall (, Diǎn Chūn Táng, lit. "Heralding Spring Hall")built in 1820, the first year of the Daoguang Emperor; served as the base of the Small Swords Society from September 1853 to February 1855 Huijing Hall (, Huì Jǐng Lóu) includes Jade Water Corridor, Three-Turn Bridge, Nine Lion Study. Yuhua Hall (, Yù Huá Táng, lit. "Jade Magnificence Hall")furnished with rosewood pieces from the Ming Dynasty, shares its name with a mountain near Xinye in Zhejiang. Inner Garden (, Nèi Yuán)rockeries, ponds, pavilions, and towers; first laid out in 1709 and more recently recreated in 1956 by combining its east and west gardens. Each area is separated from the others