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traveler
JAN/FEB 2015
ISSUE 1
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SHANGHAI
SURPRISES
In 2015, China’s largest city will unveil its 632-meter tall Shanghai Tower,
the world’s second-tallest skyscraper. Inspired by a dragon’s tail, it
completes a triptych of super-towers in the modern Pudong financial
district and symbolises Shanghai’s high-reaching ambitions. Whether
it’s this modern metropolis or the stately waterfront mansions of The
Bund (known as China’s Wall Street during the early 20th-century and
now home to fine-dining restaurants, five-star hotels and luxury brand
boutiques) Shanghai continues to delight and surprise. After dark, as the
city sparkles in colorful neon, Shanghai shows its most glamorous side.
Here, we present an insider’s guide to the people and places that make
Shanghai one of Asia’s most memorable cities
By Amy Fabris-Shi
The Shanghai skyline
epitomizes the
vibrant, stylish city
that still has a few
hidden surprises to
delight visitors

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english; Waldorf Club
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4
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Mandarin
Oriental
Opened in 2013 on the Pudong waterfront, MO is
the epitome of residential refinement. Pearl Tower
Suites have windows on two sides framing views of
Shanghai’s iconic TV tower, while the 8,400 sq ft
Presidential Suite is the city’s largest,
with a 540 sq ft marble bathroom and
wraparound alfresco sky terrace.
mandarinoriental.com/shanghai;
Suites from $550
1
Former fashion editor of ELLE China turned stylist to the stars, Leaf
Greener was born in Beijing and now lives in Shanghai. “Beijing is
masculine and Shanghai feminine,” she says of the rival cities.
“People are more polished in Shanghai, but Beijingers are edgier.”
The celeb fashionista has collaborated on fashion films for Chanel
and Furla and she won Lycra’s Mover of Style award in 2014. Leaf
Greener tells us where a stylist shops in China’s most stylish city…
Shop hunting with.. Leaf Greener
WALDORF ASTORIA
SHANGHAI ON THE BUND
Occupying the former 1920s
Shanghai Club on the Bund, the
Waldorf Club Suites are housed
in the century-old neoclassical
building. Step back into bygone
bliss with polished hardwood
floors, a four-poster bed,
mahogany desk and clawfoot tub,
offset with modern amenities
such as complimentary Wi-Fi,
plus river and city views through
the heritage windowpanes.
Suites from $785
Jennifer.hong@
waldorfastoria.com
waldorfastoriashanghai.com/
THE PENINSULA
Inspired by its heritage
waterfront location, The
Peninsula is a tribute to 1930s
Shanghai Art Deco with
a modern twist. Glamorous
celadon-green suites boast river
views, separate kitchen and
dining room, and thoughtful
high-tech humidity controls and
nailpolish dryers. The Astor
Suite is our favorite on account
of its private terrace Jacuzzi
overlooking the Bund and
Pudong skyline.
Suites from $940
ChloeQian@peninsula.com
shanghai.peninsula.com
ANDAZ
Overlooking the low-rise
rooftops of Xintiandi, Andaz’s
timber-walled suites start at
860 sq ft and feature a
Technogym exerciser in case
you over-indulge at the free
minibar. The sculpted granite
bathrooms are a highlight, with
under-floor heating and
color-changing translucent tubs.
The 4,200 sq ft penthouse suite
has a double-height glass
ceiling and hot tub in the private
roof garden.
Suites from $585
Geoff.ng@andaz.com
shanghai.andaz.hyatt.com
THE PULI RESORT & SPA
Beyond the epic grandeur of the
lobby, paved in lustrous black
“Forbidden City” tiles, the
corner Deluxe Suites at this
designer haven offer Jing’An
park views, grey brick and raw
silk interiors, and bathtubs by
the window. Suite guests can
also enjoy Club benefits,
including 24-hour butlers and
complimentary drinks at the
popular Long Bar.
Suites from $730
avon.wong@thepuli.com
thepuli.com
SHANGHAI’S
HAMPTONS
Shanghai residents escape the heat of
the city in the cool, bamboo-blanketed
hills of Moganshan (Mt Mogan), about
2½-hours’ drive from downtown. Pick of
the chic retreats is Le Passage Mohkan
Shan, a romantic, French-owned, manor
house within a tea plantation. Its 40
rooms have antique hardwood floors,
chandeliers and clawfoot tubs. It
provides gourmet experiences at its
classic French restaurant, cellar filled
with French wines and private French
cooking school. Next year, it will open a
deck bar with indoor pool in a 1930s Art
Deco cinema on the mountaintop.
Nearby, Naked Stables Private Reserve
offers deluxe lodging in treetop villas, or
earth rotundas dotted through the pine
and bamboo forests. Activities include
horseback riding, mountain-biking, yoga
and tea-picking. Book one of the nine
coveted tables at Kikaboni for a modern
European seasonal degustation created
by Michelin-starred chef Stefan Stiller.
In 2015 the Naked management team
will also resurrect The Castle, a
legendary 1920s hotel on the summit.
1. LE PASSAGE
MOHKAN SHAN
Contact julia.zhang@ghcasia.com
Rates from $675 per night
2. NAKED STABLES
Contact marketing@nakedretreats.cn
Rates from $290 per night
1
2
STAY
EXPLORE
SHANGHAI
STYLE
People
watch
The
fashion
designer
Shanghai-born Helen
Lee is one of China’s
young fashion design
talents turning heads at
home and beyond. Her
eponymous label is sold
at Galeries Lafayette,
Lane Crawford and at her
boutique and studio on
Fumin Road. “Shanghai’s
energy and cosmopolitan
mix inspires my designs,”
says Lee, whose “Selfie
Times” S/S 2015
collection uses narcissus
flower motifs and 1920s
silhouettes. Returning
in Spring 2015 is Lee’s
original streetwear label
insh, an abbreviation of
In Shanghai.
GERMAIN TAILOR
“Shanghai has strong
tailoring traditions and is
the perfect place to get a
custom-crafted wardrobe.
French-Chinese company
Germain Tailors uses
fine Italian, English and
Japanese fabrics.”
germain-tailors.com
TRIPLE MAJOR
“Experimental indie concept
store showing international
and local designers
alongside sharply curated
books and accessories. Also
featured is their in-house
label, which sells in hip LA,
Tokyo and Milan boutiques.”
triple-major.com
MISSY SKINS
“Missy Skins is a Shanghai-
based label created by
two cousins with roots in
Mongolia. The brand’s
capsule leather collections
have a strong focus and are
conveniently washable.”
missyskins.com
DONG LIANG
“Discover Chinese fashion
designers at Dong Liang
boutique. Look out for
collections by cutting-edge
talents including Miss Mean,
Chictopia and Ricostru.”
184 Fumin Rd;
+86 21 3469 6926
SHANGHAI
MUSEUM SHOP
“Find excellent souvenirs
at the Shanghai Museum
Store, from repro bronzes
to cool luggage tags and
Chinese cufflinks. There’s
a branch at Terminal 1
of Pudong Airport for
last minute gifts.”
shanghaimuseum.net/en
Tree-lined Fumin Road is a
great place to find
one-of-a-kind fashions and
accessories by local
Shanghai designers. Also
check out Dong Liang, a few
doors down from the Helen
Lee boutique.
helenleefashion.com

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Photos:ScottWrightofLimelightStudio
FOOD & DRINK
BA
CHEF FOCUS
TONY LU
People
watch
The
pastry
chef
How does Ultraviolet, the 10-seat concept restaurant, maintain its
position as the most coveted dining spot in the city? With wildly
experimental dishes and sensory experiences designed to challenge
perceptions of taste. Head chef Paul Pairet unpicks the details of one
of his most innovative dishes. In Tomato Mozza & Again two dishes
are served simultaneously with eight identical elements but radically
different flavors – the ultimate edible spot the difference
uvbypp.ccKim Lyle’s Shanghai story is a sweet
one. The South African Pastry Chef
came to Shanghai in 2010 to help
launch Jason Atherton’s Table No. 1
at The Waterhouse hotel – the first
restaurant in Atherton’s award-winning
global gourmet empire. In Shanghai,
Lyle married Table No. 1’s executive
chef Scott Melvin and the pair went
on to open another Atherton hotspot,
The Commune Social, in a former
British police station. Behind the
sit-up dessert bar, Lyle can be found
– often armed with a blowtorch or
smoking dry-ice canister – conjuring
up artful creations such as crunchy
peanut ice cream with red berries
and salted peanut caramel.
communesocial.com
TOMATO COULIS
WITH MOZZA
1. Salted tomato pulp – exists at
the transition of savory and
sweet, so offers great scope for
an avant-garde twist on a
traditional Italian Tomato Mozza
2. Tomato rocks – formed by
nitro-freezing the tomato then
breaking it by hand
3. Cheese wafer – made
with Parmesan
4. Raspberry marinated in
sherry vinegar
5. Mozza – enhanced with
goat’s cheese and olive oil
6. Oregano – fresh oregano
was used instead of traditional
basil because it has a strong
savory perception, as opposed
to fresh mint on the sweet dish
7. A brined olive
RED BERRY COULIS
WITH MOZZA
1. Sweet tomato pulp
2. Raspberry rocks
3. Caramel wafer – looks just like
the cheese wafer, but illustrates
the treachery of appearance. The
taste is completely different as
this version is made with sable
crumb rather than Parmesan
4. Raspberry
5. Mozza - mozzarella’s form,
color and texture could suggest
it’s sweet. Here, it is combined
with sugar and crème fraiche
6. Mint – tiny mint leaves were
used, the same shape as the
oregano. When the dish is
executed to perfection, it is the
only way to visually differentiate
between the plates
7. A sweet olive - candied olives
are popular sweets in China
Bear Weng and Allen Hsu are behind
the bronze bar at Shanghai’s hippest
new craft cocktail lounge, Flask. But
locating it is a little tricky; the
seductive bronze and concrete
speakeasy can only be accessed
through a vintage Coca-Cola machine
in a retro-styled diner.
People watch
The inspired
mixologists
Bear Weng’s favorite
cocktail is the Scotch and
lemongrass Robin Hood Roy,
which is served in a flask
hidden within a hollowed-
out antique book.
432 Shanxi South Rd;
+86 21 3368 6108
Weng honed his craft in his native
Taiwan and is one of China’s young
mixology masters popularizing craft
cocktails with Chinese characteristics.
“In our fast-changing world,
international boundaries are blurring
and we are constantly trying new
ingredients to create an inventive
cocktail adventure,” says Weng.
His twist on a classic Manhattan with
Rittenhouse Rye adds interesting new
dimensions with sweet osmanthus,
longan and jujube infusions – its taste,
well it has been likened to a cigar.
“For a dessert with a
Shanghai twist try
The Commune Social’s
Osmanthus panna
cotta with sour red plum
granita, inspired by the
intoxicating osmanthus
scent that floods the
city each autumn”
Kim Lyle, pastry chef,
The Commune Social
SHANGHAI’S FIRST CELEBRITY CHEF
Mainland Chinese chefs are rarely known outside their kitchens. Tony Lu is a
notable exception. The Shanghai chef began his career wok-frying vegetables
in a Cantonese kitchen. Today, aged 38, he oversees five acclaimed Shanghai
restaurants, one of which was named 26th on San Pellegrino’s Asia’s 50 Best
Restaurants 2014 list. Judges described villa-restaurant Fu1015 as serving
“pitch-perfect traditional Shanghainese cooking”.
In 2013, Mandarin Oriental Shanghai chose Lu to be Chef Consultant at Yong
Yi Ting, one of the few five-star hotel restaurants in the city dedicated to local
regional cuisine. His menu masterfully updates classic Shanghai dishes – such
as chilled hairy crab with vinegar jelly and ginger sauce – and chimes well with
the sommelier-selected wine list. His latest restaurant, Fu He Hui, focuses on
high-end Chinese vegetarian dishes in an alluring three-story Zen space with
incense-scented private dining suites. Here, Lu combines locally-farmed,
seasonal produce with haute culinary techniques. Think pigeon-egg scramble
with black truffles and whole fresh morels.
mandarinoriental.com/shanghai
ANATOMY OF A DISH

4. EXPLORE
SHANGHAI elite
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JAN/FEB 2015
ISSUE 1
131
Clockwise
from above:
Farine for coffee
and pain au
chocolat; a
cocktail from
Spanish bar
el Coctel; jewlry
boutique OOAK
Beyond the futuristic urban
skylines are downtown
neighborhoods with a charming
heritage feel. A throwback to
Shanghai’s Concession era –
when the city opened to
international trade following
defeat in the 1843 Opium War
– the former French Concession
is Shanghai’s chicest borough.
Avenues are lined with
100-year-old platane trees
imported from Paris, with
trendy cafés, boutiques and art
galleries tucked away in historic
garden villas and art deco
terraces. Wukang Road, Fumin
Road and Anfu Road are lively
streets to begin the exploration,
but getting lost in the winding
lanes and happening upon
hidden gems is recommended.
Fashionable locals perch
on the rustic terrace bench
at French bakery Farine
(farine-bakery.com) for pain
au chocolat and cappuccino.
Across the courtyard, Leo
Gallery (leogallery.com.cn)
shows contemporary art
exhibits. Shoppers can head
for edgy boutiques such as
S2VS (menswear, s2vs.com),
Platane (home accessories,
platane.cn), OOAK (jewelry,
theooak.com) and Madame
Mao’s Dowry (China gifts,
madamemaosdowry.com).
After dark, well-dressed
locals gather in atmospheric
restaurants and cocktail
lounges. Lost Heaven
(lostheaven.com.cn) is a hip
spot for spice-infused dishes
from southern China’s Yunnan
province, while Spanish bar el
Coctel (el-coctel.com) and live
jazz lounge JZ Club (jzclub.cn/en)
are sophisticated spots to end
a Shanghai night.
One of the best ways to
explore the former French
Concession is by vintage
motorcycle sidecar;
Shanghai Insiders offers
tours with a city expert
as your rider.
insidersexperience.com
The world’s first Shang Xia Maison has
transformed a colonial villa on HuaiHai
Road. Mainland China’s first homegrown
luxury fashion brand, backed by
Hermès, renews heritage Chinese
crafts in a collection that spans fashion,
furniture, decorative objects and
jewelry. Pieces include eggshell
porcelain tea sets encased in woven
bamboo strands and hand-felted
cashmere coats. The whimsical
showroom, designed by Kengo Kuma,
is encased in layers of diaphanous
white tulle, an exquisite showcase of
new China chic. shang-xia.com
Painter Ann Niu was born in
Shanghai and lived in Japan,
Korea and San Francisco for
15 years before returning in
2000 to establish her studio.
Hailed as one of the most
influential Chinese women
artists of her generation,
her works appear in major
collections including Shanghai
Art Museum and HSBC Private
Bank. Describing her style
as “primitive abstract
contemporary painting”, her
canvases are often scrawled
with tiny Chinese calligraphy
strokes. “I often contemplate
how to preserve our culture’s
ancient roots and I’m most
inspired by the old masters’
works – but my thoughts also
try to keep up with this rapidly
changing city and the details
of everyday life.”
“Visitors should experience
the South Bund, which is
closest to the waterfront.
Head to The Waterhouse at
South Bund hotel for dinner
or a drink, and Yaang Life
for lifestyle gifts.”
waterhouseshanghai.com;
yaanglife.com
Recently
launched in
the French
Concession:
New York
menswear
label s2vs
LIVING
CRAFT
COLLECTION
AREA FOCUS
FRENCH
CONCESSION
People watch
The artist
Shanghai has one of the largest
collections of Art Deco buildings in
the world. American historian Patrick
Cranley co-founded Historic Shanghai
in 1997 to raise awareness of – and
protect – Shanghai’s cultural heritage.
He’s currently leading preparations for
the 2015 World Congress on Art Deco,
which Shanghai will host for the first
time in November 2015. Travelers
can also join him on monthly themed
walking tours of the city’s finest
gems – including the Bank of China,
below – peppered with colorful tales
of Shanghai’s 1920s golden age.
People watch
The local
historian
DON’T MISS…
A TCM TREATMENT
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
involves dramatic therapies – fire
cups, needles, skin scraping.
Body & Soul Clinic provides all
the treatments with certified,
multilingual doctors in the plush
surroundings of the Qin Spa at
Four Seasons in handy downtown
tcm-shanghai.com
fourseasons.com/shanghai
COMING
SOON...
Shanghai has no shortage of
five-star palaces by the world’s
finest luxury names – and
more are on the way.
Be first to stay at J Hotel
(jinjianghotels.com/
upcomingHotel), which will
be Shanghai’s loftiest lodging
when it opens in late 2015.
It is situated on floors 84 to
110 of the 632-meter Shanghai
Tower, the world’s second
tallest building, which is
designed to resemble a
twisting dragon’s tail.
Set to follow in 2016 will be
W Shanghai (starwoodhotels.
com) on the North Bund;
Bulgari Hotel & Spa
(bulgarihotels.com) beside
Suzhou Creek; and The
Shanghai Edition (edition-
hotels.marriott.com), part
of Marriott’s new-generation
brand conceived by
Ian Schrager.
A sibling to Swire’s hipster
hangouts The Opposite
House in Beijing
(theoppositehouse.com)
and The Upper House in Hong
Kong will also make its home
at Dazhongli, a Xintiandi-style
lifestyle enclave across several
downtown city blocks on
Nanjing West Road.