What makes Shanghai China's hottest city? It's
elementary.
Illustrations by McFaul
AS THE SUN RISES ON SHANGHAI, bathing the
waterfront's historic buildings in the most flattering light,
dozens of people gather on the promenade alongside the Huangpu
River to practice tai chi - or qigong, as the Chinese call it.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, qi is the energy, or
life force, of all beings. Its five elements - fire, earth, metal,
water, and wood - must be in perfect balance for a person to thrive
and have energy to soar.
No place in the world right now is thriving like Shanghai; its
energy and growth are unparalleled. Some Westerners attribute the
city's success to China's economic reforms, others to its history
as an international port city. But the Chinese know that some of
the credit should go to Shanghai's qi. Here are 25 places that
exemplify it.
FIRE
Fire represents the heat of summer. It's the most energetic
element, associated with passion, joy, growth, and warmth in
relationships.
Bar Rouge
Bar Rouge is not only the hottest nightclub in Shanghai, it's
ranked among the world's top new bars. Its handblown Murano-glass
chandeliers cast a crimson glow on the city's elite, who come for
the bar's fire shows, its fantastic skyline views, and some of the
best people-watching in town. Twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel,
two of the youngest chefs to earn three Michelin stars, opened Bar
Rouge to complement their adjoining Sens & Bund, the first
Relais & Châteaux restaurant in China. "There's a great energy
you feel here in Shanghai," Jacques Pourcel says. "That energy
makes you want to step up, go ahead, move ahead."
7/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, 011-8621-6339-1199,
www.bund18.com.
Guyi
Ready for an alternative to Szechuan fare? The hot Hunanese cuisine
at Guyi singes nose hairs and sets the standard for pepper power in
Shanghai. Customers willingly wait for a table in order to feast on
chile-laden hot pots and tender, smoky pork ribs, two highlights of
the vast menu at this clean, value-priced venue. 87 Fumin Lu,
011-8621-6249-5628.
Sunday Brunch
Chalk it up to the free-flowing Champagne, but there's no warmer
and more jovial gathering in Shanghai than the Sunday brunch at the
Westin Shanghai. It feels like a family reunion. There's a
supervised kids' corner, live entertainment, and a bottomless
buffet with fresh seafood, Chinese and Western entrées, a vodka and
caviar bar, and decadent desserts. 88 Henan Zhong Lu,
011-8621-6335-1888, www.westin.com/shanghai.
Spin ceramic studio
To drink your share of all the tea in China, snap up a chic tea set
from Spin. This workshop puts a modern stylistic spin on
centuries-old techniques from Jingdezhen, the capital of Chinese
ceramics. Fired at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, the shop's signature
teacups sport bold blue-and-red slashes that slice through the
traditional celadon glaze. 758 Julu Lu, Bldg. No. 3,
011-8621-6279-2545.
Yu Garden Bazaar
With Xiangyang Market shutting its doors, the Yu Garden Bazaar is
poised to become the city's next hot spot for legitimate and
knockoff souvenirs. The Ming-styled marketplace and nearby Cang Bao
Building have always been favorite stops for antiques, chopsticks,
tea sets, and other traditional wares. But expect more whispers of
"DVD? Bag? Watch?" and back-alley stashes of knockoffs as the
displaced Xiangyang vendors find a new home. Find it all (and more)
at the corner of Fuyou Lu and Jiujiachang Lu.
EARTH
Earth symbolizes the late summer, a time of ease, well-being,
abundance, and balance in all things.
Old House Inn
Considered Shanghai's first B&B, this 1930s villa along a quiet
lilong, or narrow lane, offers a comfy retreat from the
bustle of the city. "Our guests get to see what life is like for
the laobaixing (ordinary people of China)," says owner
Vivian Dai. Since there are only 12 rooms - all simply furnished
with wood floors and Ming-style furniture - Dai and her staff
regard visitors as honored guests. 351 Huashan Lu, No. 16,
011-8621-624-6118, www.oldhouse.cn.
People's Square
The city's cultural center, People's Square, attracts Shanghai
residents at all hours to participate in hobbies unchanged for
generations: qigong in the morning, mah-jongg in the afternoon,
kite flying in the evening. The square is bordered to the south by
the Shanghai Museum, showcasing China's history, and to the north
by the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, projecting the Shanghai of
2020. It's the past and future, timeless and timely, captured in
one broad panorama. Renmin Dadao at Xizang Beilu.
Xintiandi
Chairman Mao would be seeing red. The site of the First National
Congress of the Communist Party, where Mao launched the party in
1921, is now surrounded by Shanghai's capital of conspicuous
consumption. Xintiandi, or "New Heaven on Earth," is the city's
most popular upscale shopping and dining complex. Its restored
shikumen (stone gate) buildings house nearly 100 tenants.
(Sorry, Chairman; Mao suits aren't available.) 181 Taicang Lu,
011-8621-6311-2288, www.xintiandi.com.
The Yongfoo Elite
With a name that translates as "elegance" and "fortune," it's no
wonder that stars and socialites favor this refined Shanghainese
restaurant. The elegant 1930s villa, formerly the British consul's
residence, boasts a stunning East-meets-West interior that mixes
art deco antiques and Gucci couches with Chinese paintings and
calligraphy. The sprawling pine- and magnolia-shaded grounds
provide a degree of privacy lacking in Shanghai's other A-list
venues. 200 Yongfu Lu, 011-8621-5466-2727,
www.yongfooelite.com.
Old China Hand
Reading Room
Photographer Deke Erh is known for his beautiful coffee-table books
about Shanghai architecture. He provides the coffee, the tables,
and books at this laid-back café/library/bookstore. Designed as a
personal study, circa 1930, with soft jazz and shelves lined with
volumes on China, this cozy corner easily beats gourmet-coffee
chain stores hands-down on atmosphere and culture. 27 Shaoxing Lu,
011-8621-6473-2526.
METAL
Metal marks the autumn, when energy consolidates inward, yet
metal's cutting properties symbolize clarity, direction, and
goals.
Lilli's Shanghai
"Shanghai is full of opportunities," says Lilli Makinson, whose
eponymous shop evolved from a linens business into one of
Shanghai's swankiest jewelry boutiques. Designer Tony Cui is a
master at precious metals, turning out gold, silver, and platinum
pieces paired with gems and power stones or stamped with Chinese
symbols for fortune and longevity - both of which this shop has
enjoyed. Suite 1D, Maosheng Mansion, 1051 Xinzha Lu,
011-8621-6215-5031, www.asia-pakowa.com.
Oriental Pearl
TV Tower
From its pad in Pudong (the eastern side of the Huangpu River), the
rocketlike Oriental Pearl TV Tower looks poised for takeoff. Most
tourists come for a skyline view from one of the three glittering
metal-and-glass observation decks. But the Shanghai Municipal
History Museum at the base of the tower is also worth a stop for
its look back at the city's complex and storied history. 1 Shiji
Dadao, Pudong, 011-8621-5879-1888.
Shintori Null II
The industrial-chic dining room of this Japanese restaurant draws
frequent comparisons to the film Blade Runner. A gleaming
stainless steel open kitchen lies center stage, while Ginsus fly at
the sushi bars flanking the airplane-hangar-size room. The
pan-Asian menu is representative of the fusion fetish among
Shanghai's restaurants; Peking duck rolls served Vietnamese style
vie with nigiri sushi and foie gras. 803 Julu Lu,
011-8621-5404-5252.
Grand Hyatt Shanghai
The 88-story Jin Mao Tower, China's tallest skyscraper, is a
shimmering glass-and-steel exclamation point on the Pudong skyline.
Symbolic of Shanghai's push ever farther, ever higher, the
futuristic tower is home to the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, the highest
hotel in the world. The 56th floor is a conduit for international
commerce, as executives wine and dine over steaks at the Grill and
close deals over drinks in the Patio Lounge, which provides a
vertiginous view through the hotel's 33-story atrium. Jin Mao
Dasha, 88 Shiji Dadao, Pudong, 011-8621-5049-1234,
www.shanghai.grand.hyatt.com.
Fabrique
Along with its sister properties in Paris and Tokyo, Shanghai's
Fabrique is a prime stop on the international DJ circuit. The
chrome-and-aluminum bar and decor reflect the neon and video
projections at play on the dance floor, as well as the stunning
silhouettes of the models and media moguls sipping Shanghaitinis. 8
Jian Guo Zhong Lu, 011-8621-6415-0700, www.fabrique.com.cn.
WATER
Water embodies winter, a season of stillness and rest. Yet it's a
highly concentrated element, full of great potential and energy
awaiting release.
Three On the Bund
This watershed development resurrected the reputation of the Bund,
or waterfront, as the milieu for the moneyed set. With Armani's
flagship China store, the Evian Spa, and restaurants by
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, David Laris, and Jereme Leung, this
dining and shopping destination has become Shanghai's premier
address and boasts enough star power to equal the lights
illuminating the mile-long Bund. 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,
011-8621-6323-3355, www.threeonthebund.com.
Evian Spa
Shanghai is a city that works hard and plays hard. It's no
surprise, then, that its spa scene has blossomed in recent years.
Evian Spa sets the standard for sybaritic bliss, with a
Zen-garden-like atrium and supple white leather Eames chairs in the
relaxation room. The minimalist white-and-glass palette of the 14
treatment rooms symbolizes the purity of Evian water, which is used
in the spa's teas and several treatments. 2/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi
Lu, 011-8621-6321-6622, www.threeonthebund.com.
Propaganda Poster Art Center
Propaganda posters spread party-line messages to the masses from
the 1950s through the '70s. Millions of posters were printed, but
scant hundreds exist today. Yang Pei Ming has made it his personal
mission to preserve these posters before their artistic and
historic lessons are lost to posterity. His personal collection of
3,000 provides the basis for the Art Center, the only
propaganda-poster museum in China. 868 Huashan Lu, Room BOC,
011-8621-6211-1845.
Pudong Shangri-La
The Pudong Shangri-La's new tower has cemented this riverside
property's popularity with business travelers. Spacious rooms have
oversize desks with broadband and fax machines and unparalleled
Bund views. The Adam Tihany-designed Jade on 36 Restaurant &
Bar pushes the culinary creative envelope, while Yi Café offers an
extraordinary daily buffet. The Chi Spa's 11 suites are sinfully
indulgent, with huge soaking tubs and treatments drawing upon the
five elements of qi. 33 Fu Cheng Lu, Pudong, 011-8621-6882-8888,
www.shangri-la.com.
Wang Bao He
Shanghai's culinary delicacy is hairy crab, served in all its glory
at Wang Bao He. The restaurant, dating to 1744, is Old Shanghai,
its decor all wood with red accents. But the big wheels who keep
New Shanghai turning fill the private dining rooms, toasting deals
over the restaurant's 50-odd crab dishes and potent Shaoxing wine.
603 Fuzhou Lu, 011-8621-6322-3673.
WOOD
Wood represents spring fever, a fertile time of heightened
creativity, vigor, and expression.
239
Ebullient Peruvian restaurateur Eduardo Vargas enjoys a devoted
following rivaling that of Shanghai's celebrity chefs. After
winning international praise for his tapas bar, Azul, Vargas
followed up with 239, which serves modern cuisine family style. "I
partner with first-class chefs who are as passionate about food as
I am," Vargas says. The partnerships work; 239's tables are booked
solid with patrons sampling seafood pot stickers, pumpkin
tortellini, and the irresistible chocolate lava flow cake. 239
Shimen Yilu, 011-8621-6253-2837, www.239shanghai.com.
Taikang Lu
This former factory district has evolved into the Soho of Shanghai.
Studios, boutiques, cafés, and galleries line the rambling lanes
and sell handicrafts as diverse as Tibetan silver jewelry, Danish
fashion designs, and intricate embroidery from China's Miao
minority. Lane 210, Taikang Lu.
Hu & Hu Antiques
Marybelle Hu worked at Sotheby's in Los Angeles and Taipei's
National Palace Museum before partnering with her sister-in-law,
Lin, on their wildly successful furniture showroom in Shanghai.
Their high-quality wooden pieces - altar tables transformed into
computer desks, wedding cabinets turned into entertainment centers
- reflect China's ancient culture yet are designed for the here and
now. 1885 Cao Bao Lu No. 8, 011-8621-3431-1212, www.hu-hu.com.
88 Xintiandi
Shanghai's first boutique hotel, 88 Xintiandi has capitalized on
its trendy address and carved a niche among business travelers. The
53 stylish suites all have kitchens, broadband access, and subdued
wood decor. Guests have access to Alexander City Club's extensive
gym as well as the members-only Club by the Lake, perfect for
business dinners before hitting Xintiandi's bars for a nightcap.
380 Huangpi Nanlu, 011-8621-5383-8833, www.88xintiandi.com.
Suzhou Creek Art District
The burgeoning modern art scene along Suzhou Creek reflects
Shanghai's remarkable transformation as vividly as the city's
skyscrapers. Studios such as ArtScene Warehouse and ShanghART
Gallery specialize in contemporary artists whose works celebrate a
freedom of expression their predecessors could only imagine. 50
Moganshan Road, Building No. 4, 2/F, 011-8621-6277-2499,
www.artscenewarehouse.com, 011-8621-6359-3923,
www.shanghartgallery.com.