British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden on Friday, January 30 as part of his official trip to China, following meetings in Beijing earlier this week. Shanghai marked the second stop of his four-day visit. Despite the rain, Starmer toured the historic garden and viewed lantern displays, and was seen cheerfully using Chinese currency to buy a box of butterfly pastry.

The scene echoed a memorable visit nearly four decades earlier, when Britain's Queen Elizabeth II stopped at Yuyuan's Huxinting Teahouse in 1986. With a history of more than four centuries, Yuyuan has quietly born witness to the passage of time and Shanghai's cultural exchanges with the world. Today, its surrounding marketplace buzzes with folk lantern festivals and time-honored brands, attracting visitors from across the globe.