She Retreats at 40, Builds a 200㎡ Garden, Raises Flowers and Dogs, Leads a New Lifestyle for Middle-Aged Women

Sept. 20, 2025, 9:59 a.m. Travel

Source: Minshituo ID: minshituo

In a row of villas in Shangjiang, Shanghai

There is a small garden

People passing by often stop

Can't help but stretch their heads to take a look

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In the spring and summer, the plants grow lush

The flowers have climbed over the fence

Extended their heads, particularly beautiful

The bench in front of the gate has become a punching point

Pedestrians like to pass by here

Take a group photo with the garden

75em;">The owner of the garden is Chen Yingying

She lived alone in this 200 square meter villa

Lived for 15 years

She used to live in the downtown area of Shanghai

Accompanied by 2 adopted dogs

In 2003, she encountered the 'SARS'

She worried that she couldn't raise pets in the downtown area

So she asked a real estate agent to look for a house in the suburbs of Shanghai

She saw this house in Shangjiang

The space is large and has a garden

Chen Yingying thought it would be comfortable for the dogs to live here

So she immediately bought it

After moving here, she adopted 3 more dogs

She also opened a Weibo named 'Queen's Unaging Garden'

To record life, so everyone calls her 'Queen'

This villa is her and the dogs' little kingdom

The villa's interior is about 200 square meters

The garden is about 140 square meters

The garden is divided into three parts

30 square meter front garden

100 square meter back garden

And 13 square meter rooftop glasshouse

It's a camellia flower house

The garden's layout and decoration, plant selection

All completed by Chen Yingying herself

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Garden construction

Many of them came from her and her grandmother

She lived happily in her childhood memories in Wenzhou

That was the happiest time in her life

So she wanted to recreate this memory in her current life

The interior of the villa is in a warm yellow tone

And the construction of the garden corridor

The nearby river

All are recreations of the scenes of her childhood life

Regarding the bench 'punching point'

It was originally designed for an elderly neighbor in the area

Chen Yingying's neighborhood lives an 90-year-old grandma

She often walks by the garden during her walks

Very like it, often standing at the door to look

Chen Yingying said: 'She makes me think of my grandmother'

Sometimes she meets her

Chen Yingying will invite her in to sit and chat

But sometimes she's busy in the back garden

Doesn't know if Grandma has arrived

So she puts a bench at the door

Let her sit and rest when she comes

Unexpectedly, it has become a 'punching point' for photos with the garden and passersby

The front garden, before renovation was a garage

Now there is a large table inside

Friends come to chat and eat here

Many flower friends also sent small items

Passing through the living room, you can reach the northern back garden

This is where the dogs liked to be

Not a big area, but it's functional

There's a leisure area, compost area, waterfront platform

And a worm house for insects

75em;">

Chen Yingying's father also likes to grow flowers

Her first gift was a camellia

But the temperature in Shanghai is cold

This flower froze in winter

She felt sorry for her father

So she made a glass greenhouse on the rooftop

Collected various camellia varieties

In winter

Here became a warm secret garden

Chen Yingying was called 'obsessed with flowers'

Every morning, she gets up and runs to the garden to work

Doesn't wash her face, doesn't brush her teeth, doesn't eat breakfast

She still needs to trim flowers, sweep leaves

She spends the whole morning doing this

In the afternoon, Chen Yingying does nothing but sit in the yard to drink tea

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Many people saw Chen Yingying's life

They all envy

But before 40 years old

She always worked hard like a man

But after 40 years old, she doesn't want to do anything

She just wants to pass the time, do what she likes

Chen Yingying almost spends every day at home

Even if she goes out, she often misses home

There is nowhere as comfortable as home

She said: 'This simple retirement life is very happy', 'I want to live like this until I'm 90'

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She Retreats at 40, Builds a 200㎡ Garden, Raises Flowers and Dogs, Leads a New Lifestyle for Middle-Aged Women

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