CITY GUIDES

City Guide

Beijing

The December 2007-opened
National Centre for the
Performing Arts

IN BRIEF: Beijing’s role as the historical, political and intellectual capital of China has charged its people with a civic pride that borders on arrogance, and – like Londoners and New Yorkers – its residents introduce themselves as coming from Beijing, rather than China.

At first glance, Beijing’s energetic business scene, fantastic dining and throbbing nightlife make it look every inch the Olympic boom town – but take the time to scratch its surface and delve into the old city where you’ll find life is lived at a different pace. No matter whether you meet the city’s earthy, charismatic old self or its brash new persona, you’ll find Beijing welcoming, direct and, overall, fun.

DISTANCE: Traffic permitting, Capital Airport is a 30-minute drive from the centre, a commute that was cut considerably in June with the opening of a new direct train service.

ORIENTATION: Historic and political Beijing is laid out along north-south and east-west axes, with the Forbidden City situated at the point where they intersect. The rest of the city streets form a grid ringed by concentric orbital roads. The CBD and entertainment district is found in Chaoyang to the east, while the financial, university and high-tech districts are to the west.

SLEEP: Constructed in 1901, a recent refit has taken this historic building back to its classy heyday, reborn as the sleek Raffles Beijing Hotel. And it’s just a stone’s throw from Tiananmen.
33 East Chang An Avenue, tel +86 (010) 6526 3388, http://beijing.raffles.com

Opening July, the Park Hyatt Beijing occupies the top floors of a 66-storey tower and will house the city’s highest restaurant.
www.beijing.park.hyatt.com

EAT: As the jewel in the crown of the new “1949 – The Hidden City” bar and restaurant complex, Duck de Chine (pictured on page 49) does a good job of dazzling. Considering the name, it’s no wonder it serves the best Peking duck in all of Beijing.
Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District, tel: +86 (010) 6501 1949

Part chef, part scientist – Blu Lobster’s Brian McKenna uses molecular gastronomy to change food’s form with amazing results.
Shangri-La Hotel Beijing, 29 Zizhuyuan Road, Haidian District, tel: +86 (010) 6841 2211 Ext. 6727

PLAY: Hit Sanlitun bar street for a few liveners and then dance the night away in Cargo, the pick of the clubs standing in the shadow of the Workers’ Stadium.
6 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang district, tel: +86
(010) 6551 6878

SPA: Set in a classic Chinese courtyard, the spacious Zen Spa does day, overnight and weekend treatments that promise to soothe away your city stresses.
House 1, 8A Xiaowuji Road, Chaoyang district, tel: +86 (010) 8731 2530;
www.zenspa.com.cn

DRINK: The No Name Bar started the Houhai scene rolling and is still the best place to soak up the chilled-out atmosphere of this pretty lake area.
3 Qianhai Dongyan, Houhai, Dongcheng District, tel: +86 (010) 6401 8541

SHOP: The high-end shopping at China World and Shin Kong Place malls is pricey even by Western standards – see authentic Beijing at Nanluoguxiang, a street of funky boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafes.

DAY TRIP: Wall-eyed? Head out to the Ming Dynasty village of Chuandixia, three hours west and a large drop in blood pressure from the hectic city centre. Potter through the alleyways of this village that time forgot then ride horses in the hills, eat in courtyard restaurants and get a great nights’ sleep on one of the traditional kang family-size beds (which have small coal stoves beneath them).

INFORMATION: For local entertainment and events listings, see www.timeout.com/cn/en/beijing and www.thebeijinger.com

CONCIERGE TIP: Spend a couple of hours getting lost in the maze of hutong streets near Houhai, the city’s soft underbelly.

Shanghai

IN BRIEF: Swinging Shanghai, Sin City, Paris of the East or China’s economic hub – whatever cliché you employ to describe Shanghai, it won’t do justice to this fascinating city. From the smart colonial architecture of the foreign concessions to the Blade Runner skyline of Pudong, this is a commercial city with one foot firmly planted in a charismatic past, the other thrust into a bright future.

DISTANCE: Shanghai has two airports: ageing Hongqiao, 18km and up to an hour away in bad traffic; and the newer, glass-and-steel Pudong International Airport, an hour’s drive from the centre or a 20-minute zip on the 434km/h Maglev train.

ORIENTATION: The old part of the city lies to the west of the Huangpu River, with the ever-spreading, high-rise Pudong area to the river’s east, both of which are home to entertainment and shopping venues. The Bund, on the western shore (pictured above), and Xintiandi are home to many of the city’s best restaurants.

SLEEP: Occupying the top 34 floors of the 88-storey Jinmao Tower, the Grand Hyatt manages to be both destination and landmark. Its magnitude is best appreciated from the appropriately named Cloud 9 bar on the roof.
88 Century Boulevard, Pudong District, tel: +86 (021) 5049 1234

Opening August, the Jumeirah HanTang Xintiandi will feature 309 luxury rooms, suites and villas, top-end conference and banqueting facilities, a purpose-built wedding pavilion and a Talise Wellness Spa.
www.jumeirah.com

EAT: Celebrity chef Jeremy Leung reinvents Shanghai cuisine in The Whampoa Club’s glamorous Bund setting. Opt for the tasting menu to get a modern flavour of the city.
5th Floor, Three On The Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dongyi Lu, The Bund, tel: +86 (021) 6321 3737, www.threeonthebund.com

Brunch on Mediterranean-style fare at M on the Bund’s outdoor terrace while watching the ships pass on the river below. The restaurant is also home to the city’s best wine list. 7th Floor, 20 Guangdong Lu, by Zhongshan Dongyi Lu, The Bund, tel: +86 (021) 6350 9988, www.m-onthebund.com

PLAY: International talent on the decks and a lively local crowd make Bonbon the sweetest place to head for a good night out.
2nd Floor, Yunhai Plaza, 1331 Huaihai Road, by Baoqing Lu, French Concession, tel: +86 133 2193 9299, www.clubbonbon.com

SPA: Fed up with hotel spas? Head to China’s only qigong institute, which specialises in age-old remedies and has English speaking staff.
VIP Clinic of Shanghai Qigong Institute, 3rd Floor, 218 Nanchang Road, Sinan Lu, tel: +86 (021) 5306 4832

DRINK: People 7 is so hip it hurts and an innovative opening mechanism means it has a door policy that keeps out undesirables. Clue: place your hand in the middle hole, twice. 805 Julu Road, near Fumin Road, tel: +86
(021) 5404 0707

SHOP: The city’s best shopping is in the French Concession district, but if you want stylish new retro threads that smack of swinging Shanghai of the 20s, hit Shanghai Tang in the hip Xintiandi district.
Xintiandi Plaza, 15 Xintiandi North Block, Lane 181, Tai Cang Road, tel: +86 (021) 6384 1601

DAY TRIP: Take a train to Suzhou and wander around this ancient city’s exquisite classic water gardens.

INFORMATION: For local links and up-to-date news, check out www.shanghaiist.com

Divided up by cuisine type, the recently released Shanghai Business Eats 2008 is a user-friendly collection of the city’s best wining and dining establishments for corporate entertainment. www.chinaeconomicreview.com/store

CONCIERGE TIP: Do all your sightseeing in one go with a trip to the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, but leave the observation deck to the tour groups and head up to the 350m high Space Module for a loftier, quieter view.

Shenzhen

IN BRIEF: The fact that this bustling, modern city was little more than a sleepy fishing village until 1980, when Deng Xiaoping made it a Special Economic Zone, bears testament to just how much China has developed in the past 30 years. Though it will never top neighbouring Hong Kong for culture and style, China’s youngest city already has the ex-British colony beaten as a place to do business, and is second only to Shanghai as the country’s wealthiest city per capita. This big and bold city exudes nouveau riche China in all its gaudy glory.

ORIENTATION: The closest thing this sprawling city of over eight million has to a downtown district is Luohu, an area full of hotels, malls and bars next to the Hong Kong border, and Futian, a great place to grab a bite. Shenzhen’s airport is 36km to the west.

EAT: Make the most of the coastal location with a trip to the excellent North Sea Fishing Village Restaurant; it could easily be mistaken for an aquarium on a street packed full of restaurants.
79 Zhenhua Road, Futian District, tel: +86 (0755) 8322 1852

Located on the top two floors of the Shangri-La hotel, 360 has views nearly as spectacular as its European fusion menu – try the sublime ginger-crusted salmon with lemon couscous.
31st Floor, Shangri-La Hotel, 1002 Jianshi Road, Luohu District, tel: +86 (0755) 8396 1380

DRINK: Relax in luxury with vintage vino and the contents of a well-stocked walk-in humidor at Browns Wine Bar and Cigar House: a rare taste of the old world in a glitzy new city.
Portofino, OCT District, tel: +86 (0755) 8608 2379

SLEEP: The InterContinental Shenzhen remodelled one of the city’s oldest hotels, keeping the original facade while adopting a Spanish theme that fits perfectly with the city’s balmy climate.
9009 Shennan Road, Nanshan District, tel: +86 (0755) 3399 3388

PLAY: The pick of Shenzhen’s 30 golf clubs is the world’s biggest – Mission Hills is home to international tournaments and 12 courses, two of which can be played at night.
See www..missionhillsgroup.com for map and shuttle bus details.

Guangzhou

IN BRIEF: The rest of China jokes that the only things with four legs that Guangdong gastronomes won’t eat are the table and chairs. But it is precisely Guangzhou’s dogeat-dog, anything goes attitude that made it China’s economic powerhouse centuries ago. The Romans are said to have visited this port in the second century, the first in a long line of foreigners to come here to trade in what is now not only the gateway to China, but also the world’s factory and workshop.

ORIENTATION: The city is divided east to west by the Pearl River and most of the city’s cultural sights lie in the northern half, with the renovated colonial concession of Shamian Island providing a leafy oasis on the waterfront. The new shopping and entertainment hub is in Tianhe, a hop east on the small metro network.

EAT: Set in a colonial villa in the centre of Lihuahu Park, Tang Yuan’s location is hard to beat. Give the ecologically unsound shark’s fin soup a miss in favour of another Cantonese staple – dim sum.
Lihuahu Park, Dongfeng Xi Lu and Renmin Bei Lu crossroads, tel: +86 (020) 8668 8863

The upscale French fare found at appropriately named riverside restaurant La Seine includes classic dishes such as tenderloin and escargot – yes, the Cantonese eat snails. Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Road, Ersha Island, tel: +86 (020) 8735 2531

DRINK: Sports bar and expatriate social hub The Elephant and Castle has a daily happy hour and is thankfully a lot less rough around the edges than its London namesake.
363 Huanshi Dong Lu, tel: +86 (020) 8359 3309

SLEEP: Opened in April, the Grand Hyatt has a magnificent top-level restaurant and rooms with a tycoon’s-eye view across the CBD. A sky bridge connects the two towers, inviting comparison with Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers.
12 Zhujiang West Road, Pearl River New City, Tianhe District, tel: +86 (020) 8396 1234

PLAY: As the city’s biggest club, Yes has room to pack in the crowds that flock to see the biggest names in clubland.
Second Floor, Liuhua Plaza, 132 Dong Feng Xi Lu, tel: +86 (020) 8136 8688

Chengdu

IN BRIEF: Thankfully much of China’s fifth largest city, Chengdu escaped relatively unscathed from May’s devastating earthquake – a miracle when you consider that it is home to 13 million people. The region is still reeling at the level of devastation, but the city is sure to return to its languid-paced (yet traffic-intensive) lifestyle, perfectly suited to the humid, sultry climate. Particularly popular with visitors, the giant panda research centre reopened a day after the quake. All hotels can arrange trips.

ORIENTATION: Chengdu is laid out like a dartboard with Tianfu Square at its bull’s-eye and orbital roads ringing the city. The railway station is to the north of the city, the airport to its south-west, the CBD is south of the centre and the big hotels and restaurants south of that.

SLEEP: Sofitel Wanda Chengdu is probably the city’s most luxurious hotel and its concave glass tower has river views, a spa, three excellent restaurants and four bars. One for the expense account.
15 Binjiang Zhong Road, tel: +86 (028) 6666 9999
www.sofitel.com

EAT: For haute cuisine, head to the restaurants at the big foreign hotels. If it’s comfort food you crave, make a beeline to Grandma’s Kitchen for cooked breakfasts and burgers.
73/75 Kehua Bei Road, tel: +86 (028) 8524 2835

Combining stunning architecture with the fiery flavours of traditional Sichuan fare, Huang Cheng Lao Ma will take your breath away both literally and figuratively.
20 Nan Xiang Duan, Erhuan Lu, tel: +86 (0)8513 9999

PLAY: The city’s biggest club is Babi – drink Chivas Regal with green tea while “shaking dice” and nodding your head along to high-energy dancefloor fillers.
Hollywood Plaza, Zijing Bei Lu & Erhuan Lu (second Ring Road), tel: +86 (028) 6605 9955

DRINK: In the year since it has opened, library-cum-cafe-bar-restaurant Bookworm Chengdu has become the social hub of the city’s expatriate community.
Section 4, 28 Renmin Nanlu, tel: +86 (028) 8552 0177, www.chengdubookworm.com