Shanghai Archives - Page 11 of 16

Top of Shanghai

April 21, 2016 Shanghai

Viewing platforms, observatories, sky decks: where would the modern Asian megalopolis be without them, eh? Whatever you want to call them, they’re a must for the urban traveler and a game in which Shanghai has some serious form – three crowd pleasing spots (the Jinmao, the SWFC and the Oriental Pearl) compete hard for the tourist dollar in the Lujiazui area alone. Think that’s market saturation? Don’t count on it.

The slinky Shanghai Tower, second tallest building on earth (damn you, Dubai!) is about to launch her very own contender, ‘Top of Shanghai’, to shake things up a little. It’s all still in super soft opening at the moment so unless you’re a member of Team Bespoke (or a Russian free climber with balls of steel) chances are you’ve not enjoyed this particular view yet.

Nanjing Art Deco: Pop-up Talk & Weekender!

April 21, 2016 Shanghai

Bespoke has teamed up once again with the experts from Historic Shanghai for a one-off Nanjing Art Deco Weekender – and you’re invited! After spending much of last year dodging Nanjing’s security guards, invading period movie theaters and scouring lanes for ‘ziggurats’ and ‘sunbursts’ with Art Deco lovers from across the globe for the World Congress, we decided to do it all again for our friends in Shanghai and beyond. Can’t make the Weekender? We’ll also be holding a talk on April 27th. Read on for more…

Candor

December 3, 2015 Shanghai

As you can imagine, the need to keep up with the latest and greatest Shanghai cocktail bar openings is one of Team Bespoke’s favorite things about being a bona fide City Expert, and the fervor with which we relentlessly pursue our mission has been remarked upon by many a cocktail companion. It does help us though, when bars cluster themselves together for our tipsy convenience. We were delighted then, to find Candor nestled literally next door to another 2015 Bespoke favorite, The Flask. One big difference, though, and the clues is perhaps in the name – whilst The Flask has opted for the increasingly ubiquitous speakeasy route (hiding their entrance behind a Coca Cola fridge), Candor is loud and proud with a giant shop front and a bright circus-cum-boudoir theme.

If you like your cocktail to come with a boozy history lesson, co-owner Aaron Feder, previously of El Ocho and Heyday, is your man, and his encyclopedic knowledge of the topic is something to behold. Aaron ran us through the menu with vigor, before suggesting a Genever Old Fashioned. Result! We’d never tried this base spirit, an early precursor to gin, before, but it was perfectly made and proved delicious.

Handmade in Shanghai

December 3, 2015 Shanghai

With gift giving season bearing down upon us once more, we’ve turned to some of the city’s traditions for inspiration. In an online retail obsessed world, finding gifts that are genuinely and unmistakably ‘Shanghai’ is harder than ever. Bespoke opens its little black book to share a few of our favorite traders who are keeping it distinctively and wonderfully local.

Wok — A handmade wok, hammer marks and all.

The Old School Wok

It doesn’t get more handmade than this. The wok-making Cen brothers and their tiny workshop in Zhabei District are well-known in foodie circles and, despite Shanghai’s constant development, they’ve barely changed. The brothers still spend most of the day sitting outside, bashing away – you’ll need to interrupt them to make a purchase. They’re said to be the only people plying this craft in the entire city and whilst we can’t verify that, we do know that the finished product, hammer marks and all, is a thing of great beauty. Prices start at 120 RMB per wok.

Super Sneak Peak: Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao

December 3, 2015 Shanghai

Honestly, we’re not frequent visitors over in Zhujiajiao, one of Shanghai’s closest watertowns – the crazy tourist numbers and indentikit stores mean we’ve been heading further afield. But we’ve just been introduced to something that might help to change our minds.

Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao — An ‘ambassador for ancient Chinese culture’. Stick a roof like this on it and you’re golden.

After much delay, the new Ahn Luh resort is finally ready to swing open its hefty doors in the first week of January 2016. Counting Aman guru Adrian Zecha among its founders, Ahn Luh is aiming to be the first Chinese company to make a name for itself in the world of super luxury resorts. Will they succeed? The gorgeous main building, a 600 year old Huizhou-style structure that’s been painstakingly moved here from Anhui Province, and the promise of a year-round outdoor pool (the first in Shanghai?) have certainly piqued our interest. We’ll be heading over when it’s fully open to find out more.

Rendering Change at The Long Museum

December 3, 2015 Shanghai

Steel Foundryv — Rendering Change at The Long Museum. Picture credit: The Long Museum

We’ve been fans of the Long Museum West Bund from the get-go, its vast halls make for a truly remarkable space and the variety of exhibitions we’ve enjoyed there have been second to none – and that’s before we even get into the eccentric antics of the museum’s owner.

Rendering Change at The Long Museum. Picture credit: The Long Museum

The latest exhibit to open is one of our favorites yet. If you’ve found Chinese ink painting inaccessible in the past, Rendering Change is a rare and wonderful chance to see some paintings from a recent era, all drawn from the private M K Lau collection, and the vast majority were created between 1949 and 1979 as a ‘new China’ emerged. As such, the paintings contain traditional landscapes combined with new themes such as communes, industrial development and political leaders.

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