Instead of launching right into it, we decided to pen a Haiku to announce our latest news…
Ahem:
A little like sharks
If we stop moving we die.
Hence, Bespoke Shanghai
Yes that’s right: thanks to your ongoing encouragement (and our burning desire for world domination) we are in the early stages of launching a branch of Bespoke in Shanghai, so that you can now enjoy all of the super helpful and exciting services we offer here, but there!
In case you needed a reminder, that includes car hire, lovely, lovely Chinese tour guides, itinerary design and a range of fun Signature Experiences. We’re particularly excited by the latter, as we’ve spent months in Shanghai testing out all manner of expert guides versed in everything from Art Deco to noodles to the 1920s Shanghai Jazz scene.
Here’s a taster of what we’ve been up to…
* Our eldest expert is an incredible 83 year-old who’s seen 14 foreign service postings and lived in Shanghai since the 1980s (oh, and could walk circles around us). A tour with this guide doesn’t just offer a fascinating insight into the last 150 Years of Shanghai History, but offers the chance to meet an incredible individual.
*Shanghai has a fascinating Jewish past. Almost all of the Bund’s major Beaux Arts buildings (including the iconic Peace Hotel) were built in the 1920s by Jews from Iraq (the Sassoon, Kadoorie and Hardoon families, to name a few). What’s more, the entire city became a sanctuary for thousands of Jews during World War II as it was one of the few open ports available to them. In short, you definitely don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy our Jewish Tour of Shanghai. In fact this is one of the most insightful and touching experiences we’ve ever had the good fortune to enjoy.
*Bespoke’s new Shanghai office manager joins us after two years at The Peninsula– the luxury hotel chain founded in 1928 by one of those aforementioned Iraqi Jews – Sir Elly Kadoorie!
*Speaking of the Peninsula, it doesn’t get much better than a stay in this hotel, we reckon. Not only does it boast the best service in town, it’s utterly gorgeous from top to toe. The Peninsula Shanghai even has the city’s only luxury yacht for sunset cruises on the Huangpu River (champagne and canapes included, obvs).
*For art lovers, the Rock Bund Art Museum (right behind the Peninsula), is consistently brilliant. Need help delving into Shanghai’s contemporary art scene? Let our Shanghai Art Expert help you uncover all of the best bits with a tour of The Bund, M50 and more.
* And did you know that Shanghai has the best-preserved collection of 1930s Art Deco architecture in the world? (Europe would have more, were it not for WWI…) We had a blast on our Art Deco Tour diving in and out of buildings and looking up to appreciate the huge variety of motifs and styles that we’d otherwise have walked right past. A true treat for architecture lovers…
*Far from being the dominant force in the French concession, the French only ever numbered around 2,000. Instead it was the 20,000 or so Russians that made the area the glamorous place it was in the 1920s. One of our favorite young experts tells the surprising story of Shanghai’s Russian émigrés in our Russian Tour of Shanghai featuring scandalous tales of fortunetellers and showgirls, spies, communists and Czarist officers in exile – even a hidden treasure trove!
So next time you have visitors or clients heading to Shanghai, just get in touch with us at info@bespoke-beijing.com and we’ll help them design the perfect trip. More news (including the full menu of Shanghai Signature Experiences, our updated website and more) all coming soon!