Here is some more information provided by Lei Ting on the Chinese Classical Garden series.
1. Chinese Classical Garden I – Hill Admiring Hall in the Yuyuan Garden(Yuyuan in Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Garden)
The first ultra high relief silver medal minted by Shanghai Mint
Released by: Shanghai Mint
Year of release: 2010
Designer and engraver: Yu Min
Description: The Yuyuan Garden is one of the "Four Top National Cultural Markets." It is the only Ming Dynasty style garden in Shanghai, located in the Yuyuan Tourist Plaza, bordering the Town's God Temple. It is considered to be the best among the five top gardens in the lower Yangtze River Valley area. It embodies the Ming and Qing Dynasty classical garden style of condensing a large perspective into a limited space, characterized by architectural structures of complementing the realistic with the impressionistic, contrasting the big with the small, and alternating density with sparsity. The garden is a cultural site under special protection of the government, as well as a national 4A tourist site.
2. Chinese Classical Garden II – Lan Ting (Orchid Pavilion)(Lan Ting in Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchid_Pavilion_Gathering)
Released by: Shanghai Mint
Year of release: 2013
Designer and engraver: Yu Min
Description: The obverse of the medal features the architecture of the Chinese classical garden, with the inscription "Charming beyond Description" by Liu Shutang, the Governor of Zhejiang in the Qing Dynasty. In the middle are paragraphs from the Preface to the Lan Ting Poem Collection written by Wang Xizhi. The reverse design imitates the ancient scene of floating wine cups along a winding stream around Lan Ting, engraved with the characters 曲水流觞 (floating wine cups along a winding stream) in the form of a seal by the reputed modern calligrapher Lei Yu, and the characters 兰亭 (Lan Ting - Orchid Pavilion) written by Emperor Kang Xi.
3. Chinese Classical Garden III – Summer Palace/Corridor, Summer Palace/Xiequyuan (Summer Palace in Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace)
Released by: Shanghai Mint
Year of release: 2014
Designers and engravers: Zhang Chunye, Dong Huizhen, Zhao Qiang (Rocky Zhao)
Description: It was the first time that the minting technology of double-side deep dish with high relief had ever been used on Chinese coins/medals. Summer Palace/Corridor has the long corridor in the Summer Palace on the obverse, and a panorama view of the Summer Palace on the reverse. Summer Palace/Xiequyuan has the landscape of Xuequyuan on the obverse and a panorama view of the Summer Palace on the reverse.
4. Chinese Classical Garden IV – Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace)(Yuanmingyuan in Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Summer_Palace)
Released by: Shanghai Mint
Year of release: 2014
Designers and engravers: Zhang Chunye, Dong Huizhen, Zhao Qiang (Rocky Zhao)
Description: Yuanmingyuan in the Chinese Classical Garden series is not unlike "only after our repeated calls did she appear" (line from an ancient poem - translator). The medal is simply fabulous, with ultra high relief on a 40 mm surface. It is highly collectible.
The Yuanmingyuan medal can be characterized as "wonderful scenery with 12 lunar animals; western copperplate enhanced by Chinese fine brushwork; garden of all gardens, living only in memory."
