Extra-large and very shiny motor shows are alive and well in China, if the biennial Beijing Auto Show is any guide (check back on our visits in 2010 and 2012). The 19th edition took place from 24 April to 3 May and broke a new world record by taking over an exhibition space of 380,000 sq m – perhaps appropriate to reflect a vehicle market that has long been the globe’s biggest sales region and is now arguably the most technologically advanced.

Within two huge buildings and 17 halls, there were 1,451 vehicles – including 71 concept cars – and almost 1,000 exhibitors came to set up shop and turn the dial to eleven.

Taking nearly half an hour to walk from one end of the show to the other, Wallpaper* confesses it did not manage to attend all of the approximately 180 press conferences on the mobbed main press day but did manage to capture some of the key unveils – and improve our average step-count considerably.

The biggest stands and loudest fanfare in 2026 were made by domestic Chinese brands – including BYD, BAIC, Chery, Geely, Li Auto, Nio and Xpeng – but many Western, Korean and Japanese brands were also in attendance with key unveils of their own.

Every kind of vehicle typology was on display, from the refreshingly small and cool new two-seater Smart concept, to dozens of svelte electric saloons and sports cars, plug-in hybrid crossovers of every size and badge and hundreds of slightly different takes on the rugged off-roader format, in various levels of homage to a Mercedes G-Wagen, Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler.

Among this overwhelming ‘more-is-more’ collective product offensive there was a smattering of shining stars. Read on for the 2026 Beijing Auto Show Top Ten.

Hyundai Ioniq V

Already wowed by the hunkered-down Hyundai Venus concept revealed just a few weeks prior, most showgoers were shocked to see the South Korean stalwart release a production-ready version very close in character and proportion to the saloon concept – called the Ioniq V – at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show.

The low-slung result, with its slimline lights and bonnet-merging-into-windscreen-at-the-same-angle is stunning in the flesh and while not completely original in the history of car design, does stand apart from the current China market crowd, where it will relaunch the Hyundai brand before hopefully being exported worldwide as an affordable and connected EV and extended range electric vehicle (EREV).

It’s part of Hyundai’s ‘Lead not Follow’ design approach and a calculated risk in the world’s biggest market, but one CEO Jose Munoz is prepared to take, as he said on stage in Beijing: ‘China is where the future of mobility is being defined, and Hyundai intends to help define it, in China, for China, and ultimately, for the world.’

HyundaiMotorGroup.com

Smart #2 Concept

The Smart brand’s original reason for being has seemed like the distant past for some time. To recap, it was launched as a highly efficient city car, with room for two seats and luggage, that was so small – 2.5 m long x 1.5m wide – that two could nestle nose to the kerb without their backsides sticking out into traffic in a space where other drivers could only parallel-park one. But with the #2 unveiled at the Beijing show, that ethos is back.

The concept isn’t quite as diminutive as the original – it’s a little longer, at 2.79m, and a lot wider, at 1.9m – but the proportions are chunkily in keeping with the functional aesthetic of the first one, with neat details throughout and, best of all, a fully-electric production model will follow at the 2026 Paris Motor Show in October. After decades of Smart making bigger and more bloated models, it’s a breath of fresh (and very cool) air.

UK.smart.com

iCar Robox Concept

The Chery Group sprouts new brands like a well-watered rose bush does flowers right now and iCar is one of its more recent. Established as a standalone EV marque in 2023 (and also known as iCaur to stave off Apple's legal eagles), the company started by launching likeable but derivative off-road vehicles like the V23 in 2024.

But the 2026 Robox concept shown at Beijing feels like a step forward in originality with its combination of sloping windscreen and bonnet, more associated with aero-inspired saloons and coupés, unusually paired with a jacked-up body and 4x4 design cues. Currently on sale in selected Asian markets, iCar is another Chery brand that could soon come to the UK and Europe, where it will join successful stablemates Jaecoo and Omoda.

@iCaur_international

BYD Ocean-V Concept

Build Your Dreams, better known as BYD, has been an early export trailblazer within the leading domestic Chinese brands, and its cars are now a familiar sight across Europe. Less familiar, for now, is the Ocean-V concept, which BYD’s PR says, ‘refuses to fall into the usual categories of sedan, SUV or MPV’.

As the statement alludes, the Ocean-V takes inspiration from many vehicles and mixes them up pleasingly with three interior modes – Driving, Cinema and Camping – made possible by flexible seating and novel details including jellyfish-shaped speakers that magnetically attach to many parts of the car for a more personalised experience. More of this please.

@BYD_global

AUDI E7X

Audi in China currently has two faces and identities: one range sporting the famous four rings logo known worldwide and one with just four letters – AUDI in all caps – as an EV sub-brand specifically aimed at younger Chinese customers.

It’s an odd combination to accommodate on one stand, but at the Beijing Auto Show that’s exactly what happened. Of the two approaches, the newer ‘no rings’ AUDI brand seems the more coherent, as showcased by the E7X SUV unveiled for the first time and the ES Sportback.

AudiChina.cn

Peugeot Concept 6

Peugeot is also a Western brand attempting to reboot its Chinese presence by way of its joint venture with local partner Dongfeng. The French marque unveiled two convincing EV concepts: a shooting brake four-door called 6 and a taller SUV named 8 – plus the excellent but more far-out Polygon concept first revealed in December 2025. Of the two near-production concepts, the stylish 6 is most up our street and both are slated for production without too many changes, China first other markets to follow.

Peugeot.co.uk

Geely Eva Cab Concept

There were a lot of robots in Beijing. Chery even has its own sub-brand for robotic products called AiMoga and the recent Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon red-chested champ – known as ‘Lighting’, developed by smartphone company Honor – was also seen scuttling through the halls on press day.

Geely went a step further by deciding to show a robotaxi called the Eva Cab, complete with its own robot. Despite its no doubt 21st-century abilities, the car’s exterior design had a strong whiff of 1980s space-age aesthetics (particularly those wheels).

Global.Geely.com

Hyundai Earth Concept

Another bright Hyundai vehicle especially angled for the Chinese market and shown in Beijing was the Earth Concept. Ruggedly faceted on the outside and sporting interesting see-through blow-up seat bolsters on the inside it seems ready for a seriously futuristic sci-fi adventure.

The company suggests the model could be production-bound for China, perhaps in very similar form to this concept. Here’s hoping.

HyundaiMotorGroup.com

Buick Electra Zenith Concept

US brand Buick has had a strong affinity with Chinese customers for many decades due to long memories of old Chinese leaders once rolling around in snazzy versions as far back as the 1920s and early 1930s. And China is still Buick’s biggest market, so it made sense to show its latest thoroughly future-facing and autonomy-inspired Electra Zenith concept in Beijing where bodywork and side glass colour merge into one uninterrupted and convincing shape.

GM.com.cn

Geely Galaxy Light Gen II Concept

The second-generation Galaxy Light saloon may have been one of the most conventionally proportioned concepts shown in Beijing, but its detailing and execution were highly accomplished, nonetheless. The broader Geely Group has long owned Western brands including Volvo, Lotus and Polestar but now its specific Geely brand is seeking a higher profile, clearer identity and ambitious sales as it launches in overseas markets. One to watch.

Global.Geely.com

In Beijing's ritzy Sanlitun district, where luxury retail jostles for attention amid the capital’s kinetic sprawl, Christian de Portzamparc has conjured House of Dior Beijing, the Pritzker Prize laureate's third commission for the French house after Seoul (2015) and Geneva (2024). From every angle, the building – head-turning in its outer sheath of gigantic white petals – is his most ambitious: a freestanding temple to fashion that channels the very gesture of couture into architectural form.

Unlike its Korean and Swiss counterparts – which share the same petal vocabulary but emerged from existing streetscapes with two or three facades apiece – Dior's largest store in China stands exposed on all four sides within Kengo Kuma's Taikoo Li Sanlitun North development. This 360-degree visibility presented Portzamparc with both opportunity and dilemma. Early iterations that wrapped petals continuously around the perimeter proved visually overwhelming. The solution? Alternating those signature resin shells – 14 in total, each shaped differently – with soaring panels of handcrafted golden glass tiles whose subtly varied surfaces shimmer and breathe between the sculptural volumes.

Inside House of Dior, Beijing

The petal forms themselves trace their lineage to the Dior atelier, capturing that decisive moment when flat fabric transforms into three-dimensional silhouette through cutting and draping. In Beijing, Portzamparc pushes this vocabulary further, sculpting each 65-foot-tall element to evoke the caryatids of Athens’ ancient Acropolis: graceful, vertical, dignified. Built using resin-casting techniques in a factory located just outside Beijing, the petals spent 18 months in production.

The golden tile panels – a nod to imperial China, where such hues were reserved for royalty – required equally exacting craftsmanship. Their placement creates crucial breathing space, breaking the mass while generating a play of shadows that shifts throughout the day. At night, the building becomes a lantern, petals backlit from within, curves casting elegant shadows across the plaza.

‘This project has taken four years, and it's a dream come true,’ says Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture. That dream rises five stories filled with clothes and accessories: the ground level hosts Monsieur Dior, Anne-Sophie Pic's restaurant in a separate wing with after-hours access; floors one and two present the women's Dior universe; three belongs to men’s.

The top floor presents an OMA-conceived space populated by white toiled mannequins and a dramatic red ball gown. This leads into a soigné set of VIP salons dressed in hand-embroidered dandelion wall panels in yellow and blue in one salon, and gently indented botanical motifs in another, alongside access to an outdoor terrace.

Connecting these dreamy spaces is a circular white staircase that spirals upward, punctuated by a chandelier of clay petals – an intimate echo of the building's larger gesture – that clink softly with the slightest air movement.

Glass vitrines at each landing display miniature Dior creations, while throughout the interiors, works by Chinese artists animate the rooms. Xiyao Wang and Xu Zhen contribute paintings, Hong Hao created special commissions including three artworks in the restaurant that celebrate red as Beijing’s ceremonial colour, while furniture from Claude Lalanne, Franck Evennou, and Gio Ponti punctuates the spaces.

Throughout, Portzamparc's signature preoccupations assert themselves: the porous facade inviting light and views to permeate inward and outward, the commitment to opening constrained spaces, the calibration between solid and void. It is, incidentally, a quality visible across his Chinese work, from the slender columns and apertures punctuating the China National Convention Center to the north in Olympic Green to this Sanlitun venue.

For Portzamparc, whose portfolio spans cultural landmarks from the Philharmonie Luxembourg to the Shanghai Opera House, the Dior commissions represent something both particular and personal. When he completed the LVMH Tower on New York's 57th Street in 1999, Philip Johnson told him, ‘You are very lucky to have a client like Bernard Arnault’, a tacit recognition of an appreciative patron with both resources and the rare willingness to take creative risks. Two decades on, that relationship has evolved into what Portzamparc has described as ‘an architectural style dedicated to Dior’ – a collection united by principle, yet irresistibly responsive to place.

The result in Beijing? A building that mirrors the couture inside by taking something flat and making it sculptural, structural, alive.

House of Dior Beijing, N6 Taikoo Li Sanlitun North, Chaoyang District, Beijing

dior.com

A mesmerising, mysteriously glowing new building has appeared in the heart of the Jiuxianqiao neighbourhood, in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. Welcome to Spark 761, an artificial intelligence computing power park – a specialised data centre to manage the computational resources required for AI functions. Its architects, Chinese architecture firm llLab, worked closely with their clients, Beijing Electronic Digital & Intelligence, to create a space that befits its 21st-century use. The result? A supercomputer building that evolves as AI continues to develop.

Inside Beijing's new specialised AI data centre, Spark 761

Jiuxianqiao is known for its strong design-led character, mixing culture with modern urban planning. The area has a thriving art district, which boasts a variety of contemporary art houses in refurbished, former factory buildings. With the creative industry very much at the centre of contemporary debates around the use of AI – and its opportunities and challenges – Spark 761 makes for an interesting addition.

The building's architectural concept goes beyond traditional data and information storage systems. Instead, it aims to create a futuristic office and computing space that allows a coexistence between people and AI. Eschewing the typical, closed-off data-centre model, this project aims to make the invisible world of AI information visible – and understandable. As a result, the entire structure was conceived with an embedded layer of its own AI ecosystem, which can adapt as it is being used.

This is symbolically represented in the grid-like façade, an interplay of glass and structural systems. It balances opaque areas, designed as an internal space for contemplation, and transparent ‘glass boxes’. The latter typology hosts a variety of spaces such as offices, exhibition halls, and multipurpose rooms.

These elements are meant to expose previously hidden technology and encourage people to interact with it directly, as well as understand it. Passers-by can see the building's inner workings and 'heartbeat', the architects explain.

At night, the physical grid of the building visually fades away, and the ‘virtual’ architectural body is revealed in the form of lights and screens, displaying the luminous glow of virtual information and putting to the fore the building’s computing power.

Spark 761 was conceived as a digital organism, a physical representation of AI technology. By creating an architecture with a layer of digital infrastructure, llLab sought to break the barrier between humans and AI.

‘We had also hoped to give it a chance to truly speak and produce sound,’ the architects said. While the project's constraints prevented this from being realised, they decided the building’s visual language is a substitute.

llLab built Spark 761 to turn the abstract, invisible world of AI into a tangible, evolving environment where people can feel connected to the technology they use every day.

lllab.net

A new Beijing café and bakery adjacent to the city’s White Pagoda Temple is one of many new ventures among large-scale urban renewal plans for the city’s Xicheng District. Known as a hub of the Chinese capital’s ‘citywalk’ trend – the promotion of walkable routes that tour key historical, cultural and commercial sites – the area is tapping into locals’ appetite for café culture.

B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio introduces JM Café, White Pagoda Temple

JM Café, White Pagoda Temple delivers a delicate balance between the district’s historical heritage and recent commercial and residential developments, ‘establishing a sense of place in a broader urban context’, as described by the project’s architects at B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio. The multi-level space is contemporary in essence, but its modest palette of white and grey complements rather than jars with the storied Tibetan pagoda, the largest in China.

As you approach through an alley, a large stainless-steel façade eventually emerges within an open square – a frosted front mirror reflecting incoming and outgoing guests. The coffee shop offers a semi-outdoor space as well as an indoor dining space on the ground floor, which integrates the kitchen and bakery display area alongside an additional alfresco, stepped seating area at the back. Upstairs, a rooftop terrace is equipped with its own, sculptural white ’pagoda’, a mini geometric counterpoint to its historic neighbour.

The layered, fluid interiors at JM Café, White Pagoda Temple deliver a dialogue between the organic textures of stone and brick and the sleekness of stainless steel. Irregular windows and frosted acrylic light boxes fill the space with brightness, while three original wooden structural columns have been transformed into sculptural forms.

‘We expect that this combination of old and new will not only preserve the depth of the city’s history but also become a part of it, providing it with a new landscape and vitality,’ says B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio.

JM Café, White Pagoda Temple is located at No.30, Dongcha, Gongmenkou, Xicheng District, Beijing, China; @blue_architecturestudio

It’s not exactly easy to pinpoint where the Wallpaper* editors will be. From design festivals to fashion weeks and OOO adventures, there’s always something exciting on our team’s calendars. Keep reading to find out where the magazine’s staff members will be heading in the new year.

Wallpaper* editors’ 2025 getaway plans

LA: Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

‘I will look forward to my annual trip to Los Angeles to visit friends and family. I spend the year diligently plotting all the new openings I want to try on a Google Map so I am fully prepped by the time we arrive. I’m already itching to try Camelia, a French fusion restaurant which opened in Echo Park at the end of the summer. I’m also keen to see how the development of Melrose Hill has progressed since my last visit – a couple of notable galleries had moved into the area and there was a pledge to redevelop a disused retail block with new independent shops and restaurants. To get me through the long British winter, I shall be dreaming of fresh seafood at sundown from The Jolly Oyster on Ventura beach.’

Venice & Helsinki: Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director

‘The Venice Architecture Biennale always causes a stir of excitement at the architecture desk, so my biannual visit to the Italian city in May for the vernissage is at the top of my list for 2025. I am also dreaming of a winter trip to Helsinki. I’ve always felt there’s lots to see and enjoy in the Nordic capital, and I have only scratched the surface. I have only ever been for work, so going on a long weekend in a private capacity is also on my list. The reopening of Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall in January just adds to the reasons why.’

Switzerland & Budapest: Hannah Tindle, Beauty & Grooming Editor

‘I’m hoping to travel to Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland in 2025, a spa and clinic that has been running since 1931. (Previous devotees to its ‘CLP method’ include Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo). I also want to visit the Omorovicza spa in Budapest, another institution with a storied past, built on the Rác Thermal Bath, which dates back to the 16th century.’

Naoshima: Jason Hughes, Creative Director

‘In 2025, I’m heading back to Japan, more specifically to visit the islands of Naoshima and Teshima, which sit in the Seto Inland Sea and are easily accessible by ferry from Osaka. Famous for their art and architecture, I look forward to exploring both islands on a bicycle and seeing the works of artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Lee Ufan. I’m planning to stay at Benesse House, a museum and hotel concept, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.’

Australia, Uzbekistan and beyond: Lauren Ho, Travel Director

‘As I live my life constantly on the road, it’s important for me to plan my trips so that I make the most of each region or destination I am in. For 2025, I will be ringing in the new year in Sydney, followed by a few weeks of checking out new hotels in Australia. In late January, I will be heading to Beijing to see the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, the group’s newest property, which unfolds within a 600-year-old hutong complex. This will be followed by a trip to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which I am particularly excited about, and then, I will make my way to Europe, where I plan to explore Greece’s new hotel openings, and will head from Lisbon to the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. While luxury hotels are my passion, at least once a year I like to visit a random destination I have never been to and that most people might not have access to. Finally, by June, I hope to make my annual pilgrimage to Africa to get my safari fix.’

Malaysia: Melina Keays, Entertaining Director

‘In February, I am travelling to The Datai beach resort in Langkawi - one of my favourite destinations in the world. Langkawi is the largest of a cluster of islands off the coast of northwestern Malaysia, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Malacca. I’ve been visiting this wonderful place for decades, and it never loses its allure. Langkawi is a proper tropical paradise; awarded Geopark status by UNESCO, it offers lush rainforests, stunning mountain ranges and white sand beaches.

There are fantastic things to see and do all over the island, which is rich in history and culture, but I could easily spend all my time at The Datai resort itself. It was designed by visionary architect Kerry Hill, who was determined to honour its environment, and set high over Datai Bay. The hotel is melded into its jungle setting, and its beautiful rooms and spaces float amidst the rainforest canopy, with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea. The food at the Datai is superb, and I am particularly looking forward to the delicious Malaysian cuisine at The Gulai House, which is to be found at the end of a candle-lit jungle trail.’

Geneva: Tianna Williams, Editorial Executive

‘For the first week of spring, I will be heading to Geneva, Switzerland, to reunite with my cousin and sister. The location of this annual reunion varies from year to year, from the rolling hills of Shropshire, the coastline of the Gower Peninsula to London’s Hyde Park. I am excited to trade the London smog for crisp Mont Blanc mountain air, warm up with soothing mugs of hot chocolate, and, if feeling brave, take a plunge in Lake Geneva.’

Madrid, Rome, Paris: Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

‘I tend to be quite spontaneous with the locations I travel to, often booking trips or accepting invitations at the last minute. That said, I will begin the new year in Madrid, and a few weeks later, I have a trip planned to Rome to explore the upcoming Hotel Romeo Roma, one of Zaha Hadid’s final projects before she died in 2016. I also have a weekend in Paris scheduled, which is something I make a point to do every year. As for the rest of the year, I hope to fulfil my lifelong dream of visiting Japan.’

Shanghai: Smilian Cibic, Editorial Assistant

‘I’m travelling to Shanghai to visit my dad, who has been working there for the past five years. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s been up to. He’s designed his own micro home apartment, which has had quite a stir in the Chinese press. We will then travel together to Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China and then Shenzhen, the tech capital of the world.’

For more Travel content, visit Wallpaper*’s dedicated channel

Many luxury hotels tout their uniqueness, and while they often excel in various areas – be it location, spacious suites, or extensive wellness offerings – it's rare to find one that truly redefines the concept of hospitality. The newly opened Mandarin Oriental Qianmen in Beijing accomplishes just that. The hotel breaks away from traditional norms; for starters, instead of typical hallways and corridors leading from the lobby to the restaurants and guest rooms, it offers an open, interconnected space in touch with its storied surroundings.

Tour Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing

As guests step out of their rooms, which take the form of individual courtyard houses scattered throughout the hutong (or laneway), they are immediately immersed in the vibrant daily life of one of Beijing’s most historic residential areas – neighbours could just as easily be long-standing families who have lived there for generations as they could be fellow travellers.

A joint venture between the government and Mandarin Oriental, the hotel took more than eight years to complete. Joe Cheng, founder of Hong Kong-based design firm CCD, says: ‘The biggest challenge was to strike a balance in protecting the original buildings and the hutong’s charm while making improvements to municipal facilities.’ This included repaving stone alleys, upgrading public toilets, and burying unsightly power lines. ‘We restored and reused every brick and tile of the original buildings,’ adds Cheng, who highlights how 90 per cent of the original structures were retained.

The result is an exceptional display of imperial design, craftsmanship, and traditional living that dates back 600 years to the Ming Dynasty, enhanced by modern elements. Guests enter the lobby through wooden gates flanked by a pair of stone drums leading into a quadrangle siheyuan courtyard. Here, a reflection pond beautifully frames a century-old maple and a Chinese mahogany tree.

The reception room features green inkstone and hardwood timber flooring highlighted by an ebony and brass scholar-style desk, which is set against an impressive eight-metre-long lacquer and cloisonné floral screen designed by artists Shen Jinly and Shi Jun. Contemporary artist Xu Bing has created the hotel’s signature fan, which features his unique square-word calligraphy that reads, ‘Unveil Beijing’s soul’.

Each of the 42 distinct rooms, varying in size and layout, features private courtyards, high ceilings, glass walls, and separate living and sleeping areas.

On the food front, the two-storey Tiao bar has emerged as a popular hotspot, often drawing long queues on numerous evenings. The flagship Chinese restaurant, Yan Garden, helmed by chef Bai, sprawls across a series of courtyard dining rooms, where diners can feast on the likes of crispy pigeon or pan-fried blue lobster. Another venue, Vicini, morphs from breakfast workhorse to refined Italian stallion at lunch and dinner, with an upstairs terrace providing excellent views of the surrounding rooftops.

The wellness centre includes a spa, 24-hour fitness centre, and meditation maze. It’s worth, however, simply wandering the hutongs like the locals do, or exploring nearby Unesco World Heritage-listed landmarks such as the Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City. It’s then that you really get a sense of just how radical the new Mandarin Oriental Qianmen is.

Mandarin Oriental Qianmen is located at No, 1 Caochang 10th Alley, Beijing, China, 100005, mandarinoriental.com

Set in the quaint riverside valley, just upstream of Beijing's Yanqi Lake, Wander Hotel is ready to showcase their fresh renovation, inspired by its native surroundings. Fon Studio took on the task of renovating the three-story farmhouse to deliver a space that utilises the surrounding environment, providing a perfect experience to detach from daily routines and embrace moments of introspection.

Wander Hotel opens its doors in Beijing’s Yanqi Lake

The design team embarked on a three-year transformation journey towards completing a hotel that provides a moment of serenity for those who visit. Delicately integrated into its surroundings, the farmhouse adds symmetry to the cascading views – a striking contrast to the curvature of the river and the meandering Great Wall in the distance.

The building itself features a higher elevation on the northern end, which lowers towards the southern end. The Beijing-based studio removed the walls and floor slabs to create a ‘negative box,’ allowing for a clear view through the elevated height.

The light follows the rhythm of the sun, while the movement of the trees casts shadows onto the windows of the interior walls. The ethereal harmony the building has with the environment creates an engaging spot for children to play.

The location is a stone-throw away from adventurous scenic hikes or relaxing in the courtyard sheltered by chestnut and walnut trees while observing the visiting egrets and squirrels. You can play board games or retreat to the quiet garden-style small terrace for a warm cup of tea.

Fon Studio have prioritised the guests' relaxation by reducing the number of rooms and creating inviting public areas. The nine distinct guest rooms are on the second and third floors to embrace the finest views and present a family-friendly abode. The intricate details in each room – such as tucked away nooks, fun floor carpeting, and the functional furniture design made in recognisable house shapes – embody the playful energy of the hotel.

Nestled within the foot of the mountains, Wander Hotel emulates an unassuming space of relaxation for city dwellers to rely on for a serene escape and indulge in a calming distraction.

fon-studio.com

The Hyundai Motorstudio gallery space in Beijing, which opened in 2017 with a focus on contemporary art, technology and environmental sustainability, is holding an exhibition exploring the discrepancies between network society and individual experiences. This narrative exhibition titled, ‘Play societies: wolves, lynx, and ants’ is open until 16 August and explores information technology, social media, artificial intelligence, and how social relationships are shaped through games.

Following the 2018 Hyundai Blue Prize ‘Creativity’ winner Wei Ying’s ‘Quasi-Nature: Bio art, borderline and laboratory’ exhibition, which looked at biotechnology, the focus for the 2019 award turned to social intelligence. Chen Min and Zhang Yehong, winners of the 2019 edition of this annual award for emerging Chinese curators, are multimedia artists with backgrounds in photography and painting. In curating this exhibition, they have sparked a dialogue around one of the most instinctual behaviours of both humans and animals: play, which forms the innovative and interactive theme for the exhibition.

The exhibition explores this notion in humans, animals and technology, focusing on interactions between humans through sharing technologies such as video games that create group awareness and collaboration.

The curators have divided the exhibition into three allegories: ‘Steppenwolf on the info Superhighway’, ‘The Lynx Refuge Island’ and ‘The Ants Arcade’. These three creatures symbolise humans experiencing phases of development in media technology. Tracing back to the very beginnings of the era of the ‘Information Highway’ and taking us through the development of social media and artificial intelligence, the works look at how these technological advancements affected human interaction through shared digital experiences. One the topics explored is the relationship between elements of social and animal intelligence, such as intuition, and artificial intelligence, presented through algorithms and data.

Among the 14 Chinese and international artists featured are Chen Xin and Huang Yuwen who have created an artificial intelligence installation using a somatosensory interaction device, multimedia artist Zhang Wenxin who maps out internet innovations in the 1990s, and art game collective Loopntale who bring us into the world of AI agents using with their interactive simulation for smartphone. The exhibition is a true multimedia experience, and sees installations range from the use of AI to interactive games, as well as video and sound digitalisations. 

With information technology becoming ever more prevalent in our lives, particularly in the face of recent restrictions on physical interaction, this exhibition forms a timely dialogue around the sociological outcome of these forces that drive our cultures today.

INFORMATION

‘Play societies: wolves, lynx, and ants’, until 16 August, Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing. motorstudio.hyundai.com.cn

ADDRESS

Hyundai Motorstudio Beijing
E-01 Road, 798 Art Zone
4 Jiuxianqiao Rd
Chaoyang District, 100015
Beijing

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Tea-houses tend to conjure images of musty, hemmed-in rooms overcrowded with shelves of dusty tea tins and jars.

In Théatre, the Shanghai-based Sò Studio has, with consummate ease, ditched all the tired old  tropes to conceive, instead, a light, pastel-hued cocoon that, if you didn’t notice the pots of tea on tables, you might otherwise mistake for a swish spa.

Tucked away on the fourth floor of Beijing’s tony Wangfu Central mall, the tea house reveals itself like a slow-burn, its façade of frosted glass panels and creamy drapes opening into an elongated room divided by floating planters, Cassina furniture, and curved walls. Pairing pastry chef Lily Zhang’s delicately wrought orange chiffon cake and and cherry mousse tart is a menu of some 70 teas sourced from plantations in Fujian, Yunan and Dimbula.

Somewhat unexpectedly, a bijou bar sits at the far end of the tea house – a particularly thoughtful alternative should you find yourself in need of a drink stronger than an oolong.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

404C
4th floor
East Block
Wangfu Central
269 Wangfujing Street

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

The Opposite House – which opened in 2008 to an appreciative crowd in Beijing’s buzzy Sanlitun neighbourhood – has just reimagined its resident bar.

Set on the ground floor of the 99-room hotel, the lofty space is the work of New York-based AvroKO’s Bangkok office – the inspiration, apparently, coming from the modernist studio of ceramicist, Lucie Rie. Certainly, the room has an element of grand Gatsby-esque fantasy, the eye drawn along by the long linear lines of a central communal table that’s flanked by a spice wall, metal mesh panels and copper trim; and furnished with giant chandeliers, and leather club chairs from AvroKO and Stellar Work’s Brightliner collection.

All this serves as a suitably soigné setting for a whimsical drinks menu dreamed up around the Silk Road. Which explains the Genghis Khan Martini spiked with Mongolian kumis (or fermented mare’s milk) and sea salt, and a Canton Mule of wheat vodka and kumquat. A late afternoon service brings an exuberantly stocked drinks trolley at which non-shaken cocktails are prepared tableside.

And should the munchies strike, the kitchen sends out Wagyu sliders, aged San Daniele prosciutto, and Norwegian salmon poke bowls, though, if you ask us, it makes more sense to hightail it for the Peking Duck at in-house restaurant Jing Yaa Tang, and swan back for a post-prandial drink and music. 

INFORMATION

Website

Address

The Opposite House
Sanlitun
Beijing

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A year after the completion of Büro Ole Scheeren’s Guardian Art Center (the new headquarters of China Guardian Auctions) in Beijing, the building’s long-expected hotel tenant has finally been unveiled.

Located on the edge of the historic Forbidden City, not far from the National Art Museum of China and the Wanfujing shopping belt, The PuXuan Hotel and Spa – the fifth property from Urban Resort Concepts – is the work of Shanghai-based MQ-studio who capitalised on the building's layered structure of interconnecting cuboids; The inner courtyard has been turned into a communal sky garden in a poetic tribute to hutong architecture, while at the same time, a series of balconies have been created on different levels, each with a distinct view to the very heart of the city.

An interior that balances past and present has been fashioned with a combination of wood-crafted and artisanal furniture by home-grown brand Shang Xia; antique and contemporary art pieces; five pairs of ‘menduns’ (door posts) that stand at the entrance; and a landscape painting by acclaimed painter Qiu Deshu that takes centre stage.

As a facilitator between global collectors and the auction house, PuXuan houseguests can check in and out round the clock; a private TV channel is available for proxy bidding; and a unique feature has been installed in the 92 guestrooms – a safe large enough to contain a few small artworks. The heritage and innovation of Chinese culture are channelled through all the senses, from the ancient healing techniques used at the UR Spa and bespoke treatments offered by organic certificated tea cosmetic brand Cha Ling to the Cantonese cuisine served up at Fu Chun Ju restaurant and the hotel’s distinctive celebrations of China’s famous beverage in the Tea Room.

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1 WangFuJing Street
DongCheng District Beijing

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The Shangri-La group’s diffusion arm, Hotel Jen, continues its expansion with the opening of its tenth property in the Guomao neighbourhood of Beijing’s central business district.

Occupying the first 22 floors of China World’s Tower B, the hotel has, perhaps, the strongest Millennial footprint of the bunch, featuring a host of desirable perks such as a dedicated co-working space and a gastropub with its own brewery – the only such restaurant in the area.

The Dubai-based design agency Stickman Tribe has created a distinct urban vibe with tons of whimsical flourishes. In the lobby, for example, layerings of materials such as oak, marble, and black metal have been bolstered with a dramatic tree sculpture, that has suspended porcelain leaves, by French artists Barbara Billoud and Genevieve Mathieu.

Surprisingly for a Millennial-minded property, Hotel Jen has committed to both a stellar offering of public spaces as well as very reasonably sized rooms. Here, a muted palette of blonde wood, camel leather, cream upholstery, and grey carpet is punctuated with bursts of colour via a yellow ottoman or rainbow-patterned framed illustrations.

The biggest scene-stealer though, is the Trainyard Gym and fitness centre. Along with an excellent exercise programme that includes mixed martial arts training, the space will tempt even the most lethargic of us, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, spectacular graffiti artwork, midcentury-inspired locker rooms, and n quirky 25m lap pool laid with patterned houndstooth tiles, proving that great design can go underwater, too. 

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No 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue

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Mainland Chinese hoteliers are belatedly discovering the charms of repurposing existing buildings, which adds a layer of historical connection to a destination rather than raising yet another bland steel and glass skyscraper. Case in point is Vue in Beijing.

For their 5-star debut, the owners, who already run a chain of 3-star properties, commissioned Singaporean-based studio Ministry of Design to transform a cluster of 1950s buildings located in Hou Hai’s hutong neighbourhood into an 80-room boutique hotel.

The different architectural styles – among them, ornate roof eaves, gargoyles and plain brick walls – have been harnessed under an overarching palette of dark charcoal greys and gold, while lattices inspired by Chinese screens link the different volumes into private balconies and gardens.

There are unexpected moments, not the least of which are giant wireframe rabbits, yellow Ming chairs in irregular shaped guestrooms, and Barcelonan chef Ignasi Prats who sends out into the metal and wood trussed dining room that’s set in a former warehouse building, paella and suckling pig. Meanwhile, the rooftop bar features a Jacuzzi and bucolic views of Hou Hai Lake, though history buffs might venture off to nearby Prince Gong’s mansion and Soong Ching-ling’s former residence.

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No. 9 Yangfang Hutong

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Located in the bowels of U-Town, a mid-end shopping mall in Beijing’s East Third Ring, the salon is a marked departure from Lily Nail’s other outlets in the city and Shanghai. For this stage set that is so reminiscent of Matt Damon’s botanical lab in The Martian, we have Arch Studio to thank.

Lead designer Han Wen Qiang has transformed a rectangular space into a curvilinear white cocoon that’s lit by a solid curling curtain slash chandelier that drops from the ceiling. A wall of white perforated steel extends from the entrance into the interiors, drawing the eye along a sinuous sightline that curves towards a curved wall lined with irregular arches. Flanked by six monolithic cream-hued treatment chairs, these transition the glossy white space into a more textural raw concrete space that displays the bottles of nail varnish and colour.

Han’s boldest move comes in the form of the opposite wall, which he has turned into a vertical garden festooned with bird’s nest ferns, devil’s ivy, and maidenhair ferns.

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4019B
4F U-Town Shopping Mall
Chaoyang District

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The Longxiaobao restaurant group has ambitious plans to open 50 locations in China over the next three years. Which should keep Christina Luk of Lukstudio happily busy for a while. The Shanghai-based designer won so many plaudits for her sophisticated take on the traditional noodle shop in the Noodle Rack restaurant in Changsha, Hunan that she was tapped to take on Longxiaobao’s flagship eatery in the Kengo Kuma-designed Sanlitun SOHO complex in Beijing. 

The entrance of rusted steel and copper plate details opens up into a long space that is sectioned off into three distinct dining areas by metal grid frames. The rawness of the space is accentuated by exposed concrete floors, grey slate floor tiles and wooden tables.

The first section comprises of canteen like rows of long tables that cater to busy execs slurping through a rushed lunch of rice noodles with beef; the second, framed by white china pots, incorporates banquettes for more convivial gossip; while the third is anchored by Luk’s quirky installation of white draped loops that represent strands of freshly made Chinese noodles – a rather clever nod to the restaurant’s MO. The latter conceit is carried on in the upstairs dining room where, strung through with exposed light bulbs, it also doubles up as wispy see-through screens that separate tables.

ADDRESS

Shop 1-122
Sanlitun SOHO

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Robot3 Design’s brief for Shan Café was simple enough: to turn a nondescript office space in Beijing’s Jingyuan Art Center into a two-level café selling coffee, simple pasta dishes and pastry. 

The problem was that the ceiling height of the first floor is barely four metres which, as lead designer Pan Fei points out, is high for a single storey, but not high enough for two. The solution was to dig down a meter in the centre of the space and then build a mezzanine over it.

The result is a light airy space that Pan says is meant to evoke the sensation of being in the countryside, particularly apt given that the building is at the foot of Beijing’s ancient Fragrant Hills. The metaphor is amplified by the judicious use of raw brick and unvarnished timber, and the insertion of a faux log cabin that hovers over private nook with banquettes and hides the staircase to the second level. The open plan is demarcated into smaller cozier nooks with hollowed out trellises, and layers of planter boxes that provide alternating flashes of green and natural light.

‘For this project, the owner had two requirements: low cost, and interesting,’ Pan says. “‘To control the budget, we used very simple and natural materials. To be interesting, the cabin beside the stairs is made of pine sticks. We put the sticks in order one by one.'

ADDRESS

No. 5, Tangjia Village
Jingyuan Art Center
Chaoyang District
Beijing

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Bao (filled, steamed buns) are enjoying something of a newfound popularity on Western shores, but in China - its country of origin - this common street food is being elevated to restaurant fare. 

The latest opening to epitomise this movement, is Beijing’s Yangyang Baozipu. Here, the capital’s version of the bun is served amongst a theatrical space designed by Lee Hsuheng and Zhao Shuang of local design firm Golucci International, who have made bao a literal concept for their blueprint of the restaurant. This is most evident in the rounded layered ceilings, which bear a heavy resemblance to the traditional stacked circular bamboo steamers used to cook bao, and even feature linear slots which imitate the gaps through which steam would escape. 

Tall shoots of bamboo act as pillars throughout the room, which is punctuated with China’s favourite hue — red — seen everywhere from the walls to sporadic stools. In a space with the capacity to serve popular cuisine to 120 diners, Yangyang Baozipu could have been easily slipped into themed vulgarity, yet considered touches such as walls lined with grey brick salvaged from an old factory prevent it from doing so. Terrazzo flooring, rattan pendant lighting, and bamboo screens sectioning off intimate nooks each inject the space with a sophisticated ambience. Dumplings have never been so sexy.

ADDRESS

Luhua Road, Daxing District

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Now in its fifth year, Beijing Design Week strengthens its presence in the city through a series of projects that become integrated with the lives of locals, while at the same time allowing visitors to experience the city’s most quintessential areas.

A design exploration that looks at innovation, cultural and social integration, architecture and urbanism within the city’s most traditional contexts, the maintains a research-based outlook. At the core of the week are two initiatives which discreetly take over Dashilar and Baitasi, two separate hutong areas of Beijing in need of renovation. Several projects (some of which have been going strong for a few years) distributed through these two areas acted as simulators and pilots for proposed life-enhancing solutions. ‘We didn’t just want to come in and showcase things,’ says Beatrice Leanza, the Italian-born director of the event for the past four years, ‘but to simulate what new services could be needed here.’

She cites Baitasi, a developed area around the White Stupa Temple in the west part of the city centre, as the best example of her team’s work. ‘The developer of the area asked three architects to think about [a] methodology of renovation for courtyard houses that could be potentially applied on a large scale,’ she explains. The renovations suggested through these projects are not luxury transformations of the humble courtyard houses, but more realistic improvements of their current state. They propose contemporary living settings and conditions to the still very raw building in the area, which also spurred a first batch of related research programmes.

The interventions in both neighborhoods include outdoor furniture and installations in public spaces, displays of research and conceptual methodology, and some practical renovations for public and residential buildings. The latter offers a fascinating spectrum of hutong life and its potential, including ’s Courtyard House Plugin in Dashilar (a mobile solution to temporarily expand the limited space of the houses’ interiors) and 's Split Courtyard House in Baitasi, which efficiently redesigns the house’s interior structure while offering a good quality of life and space. Other hutong-focussed initiatives include local architectural practice ’ exhibition on the history of the neighborhoods and research on various restoration solutions.

Elsewhere, other installations – such as the micro-architectures inside the and commercial complexes – celebrate Chinese life.

Beijing Design Week is an important series of conversations that elevate the socio-cultural role of design and offers a platform to build on, encouraging an international exchange of ideas and concepts to give new life to the city and the people that pass through it. 

One of the first casualties of Beijing’s relentless modernization drive has been the loss of the city’s ancient hutongs. Happily, canny entrepreneurs are now scrambling to snap up these graceful courtyard houses and repurpose them without losing too much of the architectural DNA. Backed by a crack team of restoration specialists from Hebei, Han Wenqiang of Arch Studio’s conversion of a compound of five crumbling hutong houses, some of which pre-date the Qing Dynasty, into a modern teahouse is masterly. The narrow alley entrance opens into an airy sequence of light-washed rooms alternately framed by glass dividing walls, slatted screens, and original timber and brickwork. The kitchen can be rented out by amateur home-chefs for private dinners, though we’re happy to just sit in the shade of the bamboo courtyard and sip white and rare teas served in delicate Nogime Temmoku tea bowls from the Song Dynasty.

ADDRESS

25 Dongsi Shiyitiao Alley
Dongcheng District
Beijing

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The latest hotel to up China’s architectural ante comes courtesy of the Kempinski group. Located an hour’s drive from Beijing, the property is housed in a spherical structure that rises from Yanqi Lake. ‘The circle is symbolic as the beginning in traditional Chinese culture, while the entrance is shaped like a fish’s mouth, symbolising prosperity,’ says its architect Zhang Haoi Ao, of Shanghai Huadu Architect Design Company. The interiors - by international interior design firm DiLeonardo – compliment the structure’s contemporary aesthetic and the building’s curved form affords each of the 21 floors an extra 25 per cent of natural light. The 306 guest rooms and suites offer views of the lake or the Yanshan Mountains, while the hotel’s nine bars and restaurants, offer a range of Chinese regional cuisine as well as international dishes. The pick of the bunch for a pre-dinner cocktail is the top-floor, glass-roofed View’s bar, offering perfect lake vistas.

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Yanqi Lake
Huairou District
Beijing 101407
PRC

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Following the restoration and opening of the Temple Hotel (see W*152), the new Temple Restaurant is the next phase of extensive renovations to a 600-year-old temple in the heart of Beijing's hutongs, behind the Forbidden City. Australian architecture and design firm, Hassell, has given the space a modern spin. The man behind the eatery is Maison Boulud's Ignace Lecleir, whose restaurant menu of contemporary European fare includes dishes such as seafood tartare with cauliflower velouté, suckling pig with caramelised apple compote and salted caramel tart.

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No.23 SongZhuSi
Shatan Beijie
Dongcheng District
Beijing
100009 China

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In order to maintain its position as the most dramatic-looking hotel in Beijing's bustling Wangfujing district, architecture firms AS+GG and RTKL designed the Waldorf Astoria with a striking bronze exterior that will change colour over the years. Inside, esteemed design firm Yabu Pushelberg has created a space that feels like a discreet mansion. As well as an impressive collection of contemporary art, the interior houses 171 spacious guest rooms that follow a modern Western layout with Chinese design touches, such as silk-panelled walls and oriental rugs on wooden floors. As a reference to the past, two new traditional style courtyard residences designed by Ma Bingjian, the director of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Design Institute, have been built in the historical alleyway behind the main tower. Connected to the hotel via an underground passage, and to be opened later this year, both 'Hutong Villas' have four rooms, one of which is also home to a swimming pool and 16-seat cinema.

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5-15 Jinyu Hutong
Dongcheng District
Beijing
China

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Beijing has a reputation for tearing down its past. But the eight-room Temple Hotel near the Forbidden City is a rare survivor. Once a Qing Dynasty temple, it was turned into a factory by the Community Party before falling into disuse. It has now been renovated by Belgian investment banker Juan van Wassenhove and Chinese partners Lin Fan and Li Chow, who reused original wood and tiles where possible and consulted the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage to ensure authenticity. The complex features event spaces, an art gallery and a restaurant. But we're most excited about the hotel and its mix of temple-inspired architecture and contemporary elements by Ingo Maurer, Sandeep Sangaru, Harrison Liu and Hermès brand Shang Xia.

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23 Shatan North Street
Beijing
China

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Beijing Design Week might be a youthful three years old but it has already found a distinctive voice. And in a city transforming at the hurtling rate of the Chinese capital, it's no surprise to hear it talking about urban planning. Maps and architectural drawings cropped up everywhere in the myriad of events - whether they were lining the walls of the hutongs of Dashilar or the carriages of a train in the design district - symbols of the designers' attempts to reshape, restore and make sense of Beijing's complex cityscape.

Unlike at many a design week, visitors weren't greeted by endless exhibition halls lined with gleaming new furniture. 'Beijing Design Week is less of a temporary showcase of finished products than [an exploration] into contextualised perspectives for design in a 21st century city,' said creative director Beatrice Leanza. 'It's about bringing together makers, thinkers and government planners to 'challenge what design can do for a living urban ecosystem in contemporary times'.

Nowhere are these challenges more complex than in the lively but crumbling neighbourhood of Dashilar, where the centuries-old hutongs - once home to the city's first teahouses, opera theatres and opium dens - are facing an uncertain future. Here, the ongoing regeneration efforts of Beijing Dashilar Investment Limited (part of the state-owned Guang An Holding) have been given a kick forward by the launch of a collaborative project with Beijing Design Week. 'Dashilar Pilot' saw leading local and international designers and architects corralled together to contribute ideas for raising the living standards in these narrow streets.

One of the big hits among the proposals peppering Dashilar was the 'Micro Hutong', by Zhang Ke of Chinese practice Standard Architecture. Fashioned from plywood and glass, his artfully stacked cube rooms might not offer much in the way of privacy, but they are a thoughtful idea for small-scale housing in cramped spaces.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong-based British designer Michael Young unveiled a model for a new public toilet; French designer Matali Crasset showed her dynamic proposal to connect two peculiar hutongs; and Japanese designer Kenya Hara has conjured a graphic identity, map and app for the area, bringing coherence to its maze of streets.

Dashilar Pilot is helping drive forward the concept of 'nodal' regeneration in the area. 'It is not about gentrification, but about giving local residents examples of how to restore and reuse the buildings,' says Neill Mclean Gaddes, who works as a consultant for the cultural arm of Guang An Holding. The ideas might not be radically new, but the project is unique in the way it brings together those that plan and those that dwell.

The Dashilar neighbourhood was just one stop on Beijing Design Week's 'Design Hop' series of exhibitions across the city, which also took visitors to the former factory districts of 798 and 751 D-Park. In the fledgling design district of 751 D-Park, the power plants have been refashioned into design studios, while industrial tanks are now exhibition spaces. One of the most compelling events, however, took place in the carriages of a train stationed inside the power plant. Here, beautiful illustrations from books published by the Tongji University Press lined the walls, exploring urban metropolises through drawings, illustrations and photographs.

Beijing Design Week's flagship event was the 'Smart Cities' exhibition at the Chinese Millennium Monument. Here again, remapping and reconfiguring cities was top of the agenda in the designs put forward by studios and universities from ten different countries.

As a stage for exploring ideas for urban regeneration, there are few places as apt as the sprawling city of Beijing. Its own design community's idiosyncratic way of rethinking neglected spaces - be it power plants or crumbling hutongs - is awe-inspiring in itself. Add international designers to the mix and the dialogue gets even more fascinating.

There is a good deal of pressure that inevitably accompanies a follow-up effort. With that in mind, we eagerly headed back east to the second annual Beijing Design Week to see what its creative scene had up its sleeve. Touting a schedule of events that promised to be bigger and better than the year before, Beijing Design Week was poised to pull in the crowds for a second time running.

One of this year's big hits was the launch of a new fringe area, Cao Chang Di (CCD) - a unique village of creative and artist studios, which counts Ai Wei Wei among its many tenants. Under the curatorship of Beatrice Leanza and product designer Li Naihan, the area, which will continue to develop its design credo in years to come, delivered a strong debut, with an impressive selection of locally-based designers turning out new work especially for the event. Presentations took place within the compound's distinctive red brick buildings that are of Wei Wei's design, which are worthy of the journey to the outskirts of Beijing alone.

Among the memorable collections was the product design debut from Beijing-based architecture studio Micro Macro, run by Fuksas alumni Sara Bernadi and Andrea D'Antrati. Beijingers since 2010, the pair took inspiration from five archetypal Chinese furniture pieces - the alter table, folding screen, hanging lantern, tea table and stool - to create a contemporary collection made from construction steel, glass and concrete. In contrast to the roughness of the materials, each piece possessed a delicate quality, thanks to a fine treatment. 

Another prominent collection came from Dutch transplant Henny van Nistelrooy, a Royal College of Arts graduate, who continued his explorations with woven textiles to create new geometric designs. His manipulations of fabrics are executed without a single cut so that no material goes to waste. The designer also worked with local woodworkers to develop one-off furniture frames, including a bench and a screen, to complement his handcrafted work.

Across town, there was the return of Dashilar Alley, a cluster of pop-up shops and exhibitions in a hutong located on the fringe of Tiananmen Square. Occupying a larger area in the neighbourhood than before, this area offered an eclectic mix of work, from a public pavilion created by the Campana Brothers to an exhibition showcasing the breadth of Chinese zine culture. A whimsical pop-up café by multidisciplinary studio Jellymon offered gourmet versions of classic Chinese condiments and the typical street treat, jian bing (savoury crepe).

The strongest point of Beijing Design Week, however, is undoubtedly its ability to take advantage of the varied architecture and landscape of its home, from the abandoned industrial buildings that dominate its main design hub, 751 D-Park, to the winding, more intimate alleys and factory structures of Dashilar. Beijing Design Week's union of creative past and present bodes well for its promising future.

Already home to a thriving art scene and many a starchitect's creation, Beijing upped its cultural ante last month by holding its inaugural design week. In true Chinese style, the ambitious 9-day event was spread over numerous locations around the mammoth city, and shone a light (despite the persistently hazy skies) on its eclectic fusion of past and present.

The main hub of the event was 751 D-Park - a striking cluster of disused boiler towers, railroad tracks and chimneys, which once served as a gas power plant, and has become the go-to location for creative events. Located just north of the famous 798 Art District, the park housed exhibitions from a slew of participating countries, most notably The Netherlands' Dutch Design Generator, and offered some insight to the state of Chinese design. Local design heavyweights, like Harrison Liu and Song Tao presented unique adaptations on traditional motifs in their pieces.

Across town, Beijing Design Week also orchestrated a series of pop-up shops and exhibitions in Dashilar Alley - one of the city's many hutongs, emphasising the value of these heritage areas to locals and visitors alike. The result was a charming hybrid of the city's most influential design and lifestyle businesses, such as Wu Hao, Lost and Found and even Ab Rogers' fictional 'Ernesto Bones' exhibition, all situated in modest courtyard houses located next to existing residences, neighbourhood eateries and shops, dating back to another time.

The week also saw the opening of Beijing's first design centre, known as the Liang Dian (which translates as 'Spotlight'.) Located in an ex-computer assembly factory, the renovated 8-storey building provides studio office space and a gallery for a community of architects, lighting designers and young talent. The inaugural exhibition was of 'Chinese Stuff', which translates the idea of 'super normal' into the Chinese lexicon and celebrates both its wackiness and beauty.

For its first project, Swire Hotels - the hospitality arm of the Hong Kong property developer - has aimed high, by appointing celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to oversee its masterplan.

The result is a slick emerald-hued glass cube that suitably fits the Sanlitun neighbourhood’s growing reputation from seedy expat hangout to hip fashion hub. Contrasting wooden antique entrance doors lead the way into a lofty atrium lobby, where a mix of traditional and modern artworks - from pieces by Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng to ceramics from Hong Kong-born Fiona Wong - are curated on a quarterly basis.

Upstairs, the guest rooms are simple and understated; decked out in natural wood, floor-to-ceiling windows - that look out onto the shopping district - flood an open plan sleeping, living and bathroom space with light. 

The area’s newfound status as Beijing’s fashion epicentre means there is no shortage of shops, restaurants and bars to keep you busy, but we recommend booking a table at Jing Yaa Tang, one of hotel’s three restaurants, where the deliciously crispy Beijing roast duck - the city’s best-known specialty - wins hands down.

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Taikoo Li Sanlitun North
No. 11 Sanlitun Road
Chaoyang District

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