The Urban Edit
The fact that the ultra-discerning (and China-sceptic) Monocle founder Tyler Brûlé jetted in for a single day to stay at CHAO says quite a lot about Beijing’s newest hotel.
It may be right in the center of the Sanlitun chaos, but few will have noticed this exciting new space taking shape. Transforming a formerly drab government hotel from the outside in has taken months – and its understated new façade gives little clue as to the sheer scale of what now lies behind.
Ever since we launched our Old City Secrets tour it’s been a favorite Bespoke Shanghai experience, interweaving elements of architecture and history with fascinating personal stories in a part of Shanghai that is all too often overlooked. Led by inimitable expert Katya, who has published an excellent book on this very part of town and has another coming soon, the walk through the backstreets has even convinced numerous long-term Shanghai residents that there is still plenty to discover in the city. Think you know Shanghai? Here are a handful of the route’s most captivating stops that may have you reconsidering.
A perennial Bespoke favorite, the Confucius Market rarely sees many visitors beyond the students that flock here come exam time to pray for good results (worth a try, eh?). But Sundays are particularly special for the weekly book market that begins at dawn and feels like an event from a different era entirely. Don’t come hunting for a particular title – you’ll never find it – but surrender yourself to the serendipity of digging through old recipe books, family photo albums, communist comics and far more besides and you’ll have a ball.
Leafy Jinxian Road in Bespoke’s own corner of the former French Concession is best known for its home-style restaurants and copious amounts of laundry flapping in the breeze. Now, however, in Shake it can claim to have one of the city’s best intimate live music venues too.
Tucked away in a 3rd floor loft, Shake is an small space with a well-stocked bar at the rear, but all the seats set to face towards the stage. Expect live performances of soul and funk at least four nights a week* from a roster of Shanghai’s most-seasoned performers – on our visit the house band’s classic funk set was going down a storm with eager punters, so much so that we wished the owners would clear the decks and include a bit of a dance floor.
Remember when the Park Hyatt opened and we all ooohed and aaahed over its elegant white walls, blond wood furniture and subtle lighting. Shanghai was ready to embrace a future of tasteful elegance and refined sophistication. Well, folks, that was way back in 2008 and guest what – it turns out minimalism was simply a passing fad. Wanda’s new Reign on the Bund hotel leads the new charge of ‘more is more’ venues that reminds us just how much fun unbridled extravagance can be, and then some. Watch out Vegas, Shanghai is coming for you.
Wanda, the Chinese mega-conglomerate, has been busy furiously buying and developing commercial properties the world over, but it’s Shanghai that they’ve picked for their top level, flagship hotel. And when your CEO is Wang Jianlin, the country’s richest man, you don’t do things by halves that’s for sure. It’s very clear that no expense has been spared here – and whilst the building’s exterior has been overseen by none other than British ‘starchitects’ Foster and Partners, it’s the interior design by the company’s own Wanda Design Institute that is very much the star of the show here.
At Bespoke we’ve always put a lot of effort into making sure our vehicles are the best out there. In-car Wi-Fi as standard, besuited drivers, a choice of soundtrack and a bunch of other useful little knick-knacks like phone chargers and umbrellas. But now we’re attempting to up the game further with a couple of sexy new additions to our touring fleet.
From this month onward we’re unleashing a handful of hot red Tesla cars onto the city’s mean streets. Those touring with us will have the option of booking one of these natty numbers to cruise around town allowing then to relax in in the knowledge that not only are they clearly out-cooling the competition, but also that their entirely electric vehicle is giving the city’s sometimes-less-than-perfect air quality levels a bit of a break. Result!
