Month: February 2026

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Architects Architecture Design Developers Hotels Luxury People Restaurants Town Houses

Grand Central Hotel + Grand Central Hotel Belfast

With Th’Angelic Host

How to Get from Belfast to Heaven written by Lisa McGee of Derry Girls fame and directed by Michael Lennox of dynastic renown is a great tourism advert for Ireland and the Six Counties in particular. This Netflix comedic thriller is also worth watching to play spot the filming location. Buildings of South County Down by Philip Smith (2019) contains two: the 1830s St John’s House (a singular shade of grey) in Killough and the nearby 1840s St John’s Point Lighthouse (black and yellow wasp stripes). One of the early scenes is shot in The Seahorse Restaurant of Grand Central Hotel on Bedford Street, south of Belfast City Hall.

The original Grand Central Hotel opened in 1893 on Royal Avenue, north of City Hall. Erected as the 19th century came to a close, it was a five storey plus attics 200 bedroom hotel with a corner copper dome over an octagonal turret. The elaborate Italianate red brick elevations were dressed with stone ornamentation. Sir Charles Lanyon’s son John was the architect. Octogenarians recall it being the venue for important job interviews, special occasion dinners and high society events. The Grand Central was Belfast’s top hotel until it closed in the late 1960s as The Troubles turned the city centre into a no go zone. Castlecourt shopping centre replaced the hotel in the 1980s.

The London equivalents of the original Grand Central are, or in some cases, were: The Grand, Trafalgar Square (1881, Frederick Francis, Henry Francis and James Ebenezer Saunders, interior scooped out to insert offices and façade thinly reinstated in the late 20th century); The Langham, top of Oxford Street (1865, John Giles and James Murray, extended in the late 20th century); The Ritz, Green Park (1906, Charles Mèwes and Arthur Davis, correctly extended 2026); The Savoy, The Strand (1889, Thomas Colcutt, revamped in the 1920s); and The Strand Palace, The Strand (1909, Sir Henry Tanner, rebuilt two decades later, still there today).

In recent years, Hastings Hotels has flown the flag of high end hospitality in Northern Ireland. The collection includes Ballygally Castle (Ballygally, County Antrim), Culloden (Cultra, County Down), Everglades (Derry City, County Londonderry), Stormont (outer Belfast), Europa (inner Belfast) and since 2018, Grand Central (inner Belfast). Europa and Grand Central hold a similar record: the former as the world’s most bombed hotel and the latter as the world’s most bombed office block. Hastings Hotels also has a 50 percent share of The Merrion, one of Dublin’s finest establishments.

Ballygally Castle, Culloden and Stormont all started life as country houses. The Merrion was once a row of townhouses. Europa is the only purpose built hotel in the collection. Grand Central used to be Windsor House. Marcus Patton describes the building in Central Belfast An Historical Gazetteer, 1993, “Tall office block of 24 storeys including two storey black marble podium and attic level, the upper levels being clad in white mosaic panels; with a narrow frontage to Bedford Street but extending back considerably. At 270 feet, this is the tallest building in Northern Ireland. In 1852 a new stone warehouse had been built on this site for Robert and John Workman, linen and muslin manufacturers, by Sir Charles Lanyon. One of the first developments in the street, this was four storeys high with channelled ground and first floors, central first floor balcony, arched tops to third floor windows, outer bays set slightly forward, and chimneys rising above deep eaves.”

Taggarts architects retained Dennis McIntyre and Devon’s 1970s concrete frame and faced the structure with dark cladding giving it a contemporary £53 million facelift. Above the 300 bedrooms (50 percent more guest accommodation than its namesake) is the penthouse level Observatory Bar and Restaurant with its 360 degree panorama of this small city. Cave Hill looms to the north. Harbour and Laganside to the east under the embrace of the Holywood Hills. Twin peaks of St Peter’s Catholic Cathedral to the west. And surprisingly, the view to the south stretches over the city and on to the Mourne Mountains. The view inside is of the beautiful people.

The Protestant United Irishman freedom fighter Wolfe Tone made this entry in his June 1795 diary: “I remember two days we spent on the Cave Hill. On the first Russell, Neilson, Simms, McCracken and one of two more of us on the summit of MacArt’s Fort took a solemn obligation which I think I may say I have on my part endeavoured to fulfil – never to desist in our efforts until we had subverted the authority of England over our country and asserted our independence.” In his 1955 memoir, the great writer Clive Staples Lewis recalled, “County Down in the holidays and Surrey in the term – it was an excellent contrast.” He saw the Holywood Hills as “an irregular polygon” and the Mournes were famously his inspiration for the land of Narnia.

Grand Central Hotel is linked to the past and not just in name. Its seahorse motif symbolises Belfast’s maritime heritage. Curtain fabric pattern is inspired by the flax flower of Ulster’s linen history. The building has not been restored to its former glory – a depressing Civil Service office block. Instead, it has been reimagined as a symbol of the revification of Belfast as a tourist destination. The interior is filled with literary and artistic references. A framed extract from local poet Paul Muldoon’s composition Belfast Hymn (2018) is on a stairwell: “Known too, the best days begin and end at the Grand Central where we counter the cold and damp with oatmeal, ancient grains, entrecôte aux champignons, champ, a flute of gold Champagne.”

Another extract is engraved on the glass wall of the lift: “The flute on which James Galway soared was really made of gold. Some dwell in the House of the Lord and some on the threshold of hotels like the Maritime. Van Morrison and Team summoning from our glow and grime meticulous mayhem.” Paul explains, “I was tempted by the idea of trying to write a new poem about Belfast for several reasons. The first is that, despite my not having lived here since 1986, I still feel very connected to the city. I came here first as a child in the 1950s, usually traveling by train via Portadown … In 1969, I came to Queen’s University as a student, just as things were hotting up on the streets. On July 21, 1972, a date that would become known as Bloody Friday, Smithfield Bus Station was bombed. Smithfield Market was destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1974. By that stage I was at the BBC, where I worked as a radio and television producer between 1973 and 1986. I spent several of those years in an office in Windsor House. Having long been an admirer of the Hastings family and their profound sense of civic responsibility, I am delighted to offer this poem in the spirit of hope and the idea of home they so wonderfully embody.”

A gigantic artwork Still Life Consommé Cup dominates The Seahorse Bar. Born in Lancashire, artist Neil Shawcross spent his working life teaching at Belfast College of Art. His painting – not dissimilar to Chi Peng’s two cups and saucers Scattered Aesthetic and Concrete Depth in the foyer of Waldorf Astoria Beijing – symbolises the return of dining elegance. A mural by Tandem Design hangs over The Seahorse Restaurant. The illustrated mythology represents Sir Arthur Chichester (who established the city in 1611) as a wolf. A seahorse makes an appearance in the mural. Even the staircase has a life size seahorse wrapped round its newel post.

A trawl through the Public Records Office Northern Ireland reveals highly sensitive documents dating from around the War of Independence era. A memo stamped “Secret” dated 2 June 1922 states, “Owing to the recent activities in the city it appears to be very important that the Night Watchmen be armed, and it is therefore hoped that this matter may be treated as urgent … The matter has been discussed with Mr Harrison and Colonel Goodwin, and it is understood that if no regular constables are available, there would be no difficulty in engaging Special Constables for this work. The Minister of Finance has arranged for the building to be closed to the general public from 5.00pm to 8.45am Monday to Friday, and from 1230pm Saturday to 8.54am Monday, and I am directed to request that suitable protection be afforded, and that, if necessary, additional Special Constables be engaged. A plan of the thrid floor of the building is attached. The remaining floors are almost identical.” John Robinson, Establishment Division, Ministry of Finance.

A Minute Sheet dated 2 June 1922 from the Secretary of Ministry of Finance, to the Secretary of Home Affairs is titled Protection of Grand Central Hotel. It records: “I am directed by the Minster of Finance to state that the question of police protection of the Grand Central Hotel has been under consideration, arising out of a request received from the Ministry of Pensions. The building consists of six floors and has two entrances. It is, however, proposed to close all entrances except the main entrance, and convert the rear and side entrances to emergency exits. The protection of this building was recently considered together with all other Government buildings, and doubt was expressed as to whether effective protection could be afforded.”

It wasn’t just members of the public staying eating and sleeping in the hotel. “As you are no doubt aware, a considerable number of people visit the building daily to attend the undermentioned offices: Ministry of Pensions, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Finance (Works and Valuation), Inland Revenue Inspector of Taxes and Post Offices Engineer, and it is not possible to institute a system of passes or interview forms. The provision in the building of sleeping quarters for men offering themselves for recruits for His Majesty’s Forces is a very undesirable feature, and the military authorities are being asked to accommodate these men elsewhere.”

Protection for Grand Central Hotel was estimated at £6,000 per annum. “It is considered that the building is most liable to attack between 6.30am and 8.45am during the time the cleaning staff is on duty, from 12.00 noon to 2.15pm when the staff is depleted during the luncheon interval, and from 5.00pm to 8.00pm when the building is almost deserted except for casual attenders at the Ministry of Pensions Clinics and Inland Revenue Office. An armed Night Watchman is on duty from 9.00pm to 7.00am and a caretaker sleeps on the premises. The technical staff has arranged for alarm bells to be installed and a wire screen to be affixed insider the main entrance, and they are of opinion that the two Constables patrolling each corridor from 6.30am to 9.00pm would provide suitable protection. The matter is, however, submitted for the consideration of the police authorities for their opinion, which will be accepted.”

On a brighter note, the Public Records Office Northern Ireland holds a very meaty menu for Christmas Luncheon in the Grant Central Hotel on Friday 25 December 1964 (25 shillings a head). Honeydew Melon, Pâté Maison, Soused Herring. Rich Brown Game Soup, Scotch Broth. Salmon Mayonnaise, Fried Fillet of Sole Tartare Sauce. Roast Irish Turkey Gammon Cranberry Sauce, Roast Leg of Pork Apple Sauce, Roast Sirloin of Beef Horseradish Sauce. Roast Irish Chicken Bacon Bread Sauce. Cold Buffet: Irish Ham, Assorted Meats, Roast Turkey, Brussels Sprouts, Green Peas, Seasonal Salad, Creamed Roast Potatoes. Fresh Jellies, Plum Pudding, Sherry Trifle, Fruit Salad, Dairy Cream, Mince Pie. Assorted English Cheeses and Biscuits. Tea or Coffee. It’s enough to turn the most dedicated carnivore vegetarian.

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Architects Architecture Design Developers Luxury People Restaurants Town Houses

The River Café + The River Café Café Hammersmith London

The Intangible Asset

Last summer Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn played host to the first retrospective in Britain of the renowned architect Sir Richard Rogers’ work. South of the River Thames, his widow Lady Rogers continues to run London’s most celebrated Italian restaurant. New York born Ruthie opened The River Café with fellow chef Rose Gray in 1987. A decade later it earned a Michelin Star. Not bad for what started out as a work canteen for the architectural practice. Rose died in 2010; Richard, 2021.

The restaurant is on the ground floor of a repurposed storage warehouse called Thames Wharf Studios which is located on one of the many bends in the Thames. Nothing too fancy, nothing too flash. Understated reddish brick architecture backing onto a quiet residential street south of the leafy Frank Banfield Park yet a short walk from the transport hub of Hammersmith.

A reconnaissance is obligatory for lunch so the first visit is to The River Café Café for a £4 morning Americano and £6 pistachio cake. The little sister is on the ground floor of the neighbouring building and shares the same décor: more to come on that. Guests can create their own River Café Café café experience at home: cookbooks and kitchen items are for sale.

Last year Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners moved to The Leadenhall Building in Bank, better known as The Cheesegrater. That skyscraper was of course designed by Lord Rogers. Thames Wharf Studios are due to be redeveloped but the owners, London and Regional and Marco Goldschmied (a former business partner of Richard Rogers), are keen for the restaurant to stay on site. So for now The River Café is still close, but not too close, to the blue ribbon heart of the city.

The food stands out on distraction free white paper covers laid on linen tablecloths. Skipping antipasti it’s straight to primi for Capesante in Padella: seared Scottish scallops with grilled pepperoncino, Chianti vinegar and smashed Delica pumpkin. Secondi is Sogliola al Forno: whole Dover sole wood roasted with cedro lemon, marjoram and a forest of Violetta artichokes. The Dover sole is filleted of course – lunch shouldn’t be hard work. An Amalfi Coast of freshness, Rimini ripeness, very Vernazza. There’s always the excitement of pudding and dolci doesn’t disappoint. Lemon Peel Tart is a slice of Sorrento on a plate.

The restaurant is a rectangular space. On one of the long sides, the zinc bar fronted open kitchen faces towards the road. On the other long side, French doors open onto a terrace which backs onto a public walkway abutting … the river. The pattern free interior decoration matches the tablecloths and vice versa. Two white walls; two green walls; blue carpet; silver seats; and a pink wood fired oven. Not just any pink – Hot Pink, Zandra Rhodes’ Hair Pink, Rogers Pink.

Lunch at The River Café isn’t cheap. Even with a bottle of entry level wine (Chianti Roufina Vendemmia 2023) it’s just over £200 a head for three courses. Special occasion pricing or at least an expensive toast to a random Saturday afternoon in January. But that’s the price to be seen at London’s buzziest restaurant. Everyone is dressed to thrill – or at least almost everyone. A customer in jeans winding his way through the tight clustering of circular tables looks distinctly underdressed. Even if they are Versace jeans.

Television producer and screenwriter Jemima Khan is sitting at the next table with a male companion. She’s just celebrated her 52nd birthday and is looking youthfully suave in a monochromatic Chanel suit and Gucci shades. Fellow guests appear vaguely familiar in that café society last spotted at Annabel’s nightclub way.

An architecture model at reception is a reminder of the restaurant’s provenance.

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Architects Architecture Design Developers Hotels Luxury People Restaurants

Shangri-La Hotel The Shard London + Sky Lounge Sunday Brunch

The Sky’s Not the Limit

Where to, where to? Andaz Hotel, Doha? Armani Hotel, Dubai? Bab Al Qasr Garden, Abu Dabhi? Il Baretto, Riyadh? Jumeirah Muscat Bay, Oman? Reyna, Paris? Sachi Milano, Milan? Wassim Aal Baher, Anfeh? Paris (and everywhere else) can wait. We’re off to the Shangri-La Hotel in London’s most striking cloudscraper. The Hall of Abstinence in Beijing’s Forbidden City already a fading memory, today is all about the bottomless Veuve Cliquot Champagne Sunday Brunch in the Sky Lounge on level 34. No rest for the wonderful. SupperClub Middle East has 700 plus exclusive worldwide offers and Shangri-La is just one of them in the English Capital.

Britain’s tallest building – all 95 storeys of it – is the ultimate vertical town. It replaced a titchy 24 storey office block on this valuable site next to London Bridge. Owned by the State of Qatar (95 percent) and Sellar Property Group (five percent), The Shard contains shops, offices, restaurants, bars, apartments, a public viewing gallery and of course the 202 guest room Shangri-La Hotel which takes up the middle 18 floors. Italian architect Renzo Piano took inspiration from the spires of London churches and the masts of tall ships in Canaletto paintings of Venice. On 5 July 2012, The Shard was formally inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani, Prime Minister of the State of Qatar. Its name should really be pluralised: the exterior comprises eight shards of glass slicing through the air.

“Standing at almost 310 metres,” says His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank, “The Shard is one of the tallest buildings in Europe. For me, however, the height of The Shard is only a secondary feature. What is special is the solid and continuing relationship between two nations, Qatar and Britain, which was an important factor in completing this project.” Just into its second decade, the point of The Shard is already as integral to the London skyline as the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. Lunching two years ago in Passionné restaurant, Paris, the waiter and waitress (a couple) excitedly told us about their first visit to London. Where did they head for first? The Houses of Parliament? The National Gallery? The Shard.

The double height Sky Lounge lives up to its name. Fully glazed sloping walls face the ever changing elements while framing views of the Capital far below: Blackfriars Bridge to the west; the City of London to the north; Tower Bridge to the east. Even the bathroom has its own panorama with Southwark Cathedral in the foreground. The three course menu is long enough to satisfy the carnivore to vegan spectrum and short enough not to be hard work on the day of rest. Devon Crab Pancake (avocado, lemon aioli, rainbow relish) and Beetroot Tartare (St Ewe’s organic egg yolk, walnuts, beetroot cracker) are wonderfully light, full of taste and textural contrast. A double buffet follows: The Cheesemonger and Sweet Sensation. Belt bursting Continental and British cheeses vie for attention with irresistible cakes and puddings.

This is our third venture up The Shard. The first was a (very memorable) Royal Town Planning Institute party in December 2019 commandeering the Sky Lounge to crown a year of professional accomplishments. The second (somewhat memorable) was the launch of the Essex Mayoralty Race in December 2025 in the private dining room of Mitie on Level 12. The election was postponed the night before but the breakfast went away anyway. Sunday brunch in the Shangri-La Sky Lounge will soon become a new memory of an elevated afternoon. As winter light glistens over the River Thames in the distance, we raise our crystal Champagne flutes to this 21st century Crystal Palace.

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Art Design

Beaghmore Stone Circles + Alignments Sperrin Mountains Tyrone

The Prehistoric Landscape

Seamus Heaney writes of a “stone circle chill” in On the Spot (2006). The Nobel Laureate Poet was, like most people, fascinated by prehistoric stone circles. He lived a few country kilometres from Beaghmore which lies high in the Sperrins, Northern Ireland’s largest mountain range. This is the darkest nighttime area in the Six Counties, suffering the least light pollution. Beaghmore (Bheitheach Mhór in Irish) means “big place of birth trees”. Dense woodland was cleared by Neolithic farmers and seven circles of stones, 10 rows of stones and 12 cairns were arranged in purposeful ceremonial positioning on the grass and heather clad moorland.

A total of 1,259 stones was uncovered during peat cutting in the late 1930s. Carbon dating places the circles and alignments 2900 to 2600 BC. Some of the stones have chisel marks which may be Ogham, an ancient Celtic secret sacred writing, a system of symbols used for divination in pre St Patrick days. Intrigue and enigma, magic and mystery, nobody knows what Beaghmore Stone Circles and Alignments stand for except for the astrological significance that three of the rows point to sunrise at the solstice and another row is aligned towards a lunar maximum. Millennia later, Bronze Age stones would provide inspiration for Environmental Art practitioners such as the English artist Richard Long. Seamus Heaney writes In A Kite for Aibhin “Back in that field to launch our long-tailed comet” (2010). That would be his last poem.

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Architects Architecture Art Design Developers Hotels Luxury Restaurants

Corinthia Hotel Whitehall London + Crystal Moon Lounge Sparkling Afternoon Tea

Midday Follies

“Love is patient, love is kind.” Corinthians 13:4

The Victorians were radical about town planning. In 1874 the Jacobean Northumberland House just north of the Thames opposite Waterloo in central London was swept away to create Northumberland Avenue. It would be another seven decades before Listing to protect British heritage would come into place. Manolo Guerci records in London’s Golden Mile (2021), “Northumberland House is the westernmost of the Strand palaces, one of the last to be erected and the last to disappear, with a history that spans nearly three centuries.” Tall buildings sprung up along this broad boulevard running from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Embankment. Metropole Hotel would soon become one of the impressive additions to this new townscape.

Francis Fowler (circa 1819 to 1893) and James Ebenezer Saunders (1829 to 1909) are not household names but they were clearly talented architects. Metropole Hotel commissioned by the Gordons Hotels Group was their design. Both men were members of the Metropolitan Board of Works (the forerunner to London County Council) although later removed for corruption. The 600 bedroom Metropole Hotel swung open the doors in 1886 to Savile Row frock coated gentlemen and their Liberty parasol holding ladies. “Meet at the Metropole” became a high societal signifier saying.

The hotel’s proximity to Whitehall Government Offices and the Palace of Westminster meant it was commandeered in both World Wars. In 1936 the building was purchased by the Ministry of Defence and remained in government use until the Crown Estate sold it in 2007. Four years later, the 283 bedroom Corinthia Hotel swung open the doors of the former Metropole building and the adjoining 10 Whitehall Place to Boss suit wearing gentlemen and their Balenciaga bag holding ladies. “Call by the Corinthia” has become a high societal signifier saying.

A storied site history includes Sir Winston Churchill watching the end of World War I street celebrations on 11 November 1918 from the windows of the building. In the 1920s the Metropole was well known for its Midnight Follies cabaret. Spies used one of the rooms and a network of underground tunnels led to government properties nearby. Another room was dedicated to monitoring UFOs. Sir Conan Doyle was a frequent guest: The Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street is named after the author’s most famous literary creation. The press conference in James Bond movie Skyfall is set in the hotel.

Corinthia Hotel is an urban château, an impressive wedge of late Victorian architecture terminated by a bowed corner overlooking Whitehall Gardens. A double height oriel bay window projects over the main entrance on Northumberland Avenue. Pairs of Ionic (not Corinthian!) pilasters with swagged capitals frame the fully glazed doors. The basement and double height ground floor of the main block are faced in white stone; the upper five floors are faced in golden stone. The adjoining block is fully faced in white stone. Francis and James Ebenezer didn’t hold back on ornamentation, designing heavily decorated elevational grids of cornices and pilasters and window surrounds. A double row of dormer windows in the steep pitched roofs (some covered by fish scale tiles) is sandwiched between two storey high chimneystacks.

Afternoon tea is one of the truly quintessential British traditions. Top London hotels like to give it a quirky take and Corinthia is no exception. A chilled bottle of Lysegrøn, a Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, is the original accompanying elixir for the dry curious. As the sommelier pops the cork, a fresh citrus and green tea scent is released. The lively taste has notes of lemon grass and orange peel. There are long lasting hints of Darjeeling and green apple.

Hierarchically uniformed staff lead guests up and into the Crystal Moon Lounge named after the 1,001 crystal Baccarat chandelier hanging from a central seven metre diameter glass dome. “There’s just one red diamond orb,” the restaurant manager points out. “That’s appropriate for Valentine’s Day! We are using red striped fine bone china today too.” Ah, Valentine’s Day, the celebration of romance named after the saint whose remains are in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, Dublin. Romantic gestures will end with the party favour: a red box of English breakfast tea. “Would you like newspapers?” The Financial Times and Telegraph are delivered to the table. So is The Column, the hotel magazine. One of the waitresses is a fellow Emerald Fennell fan. “Wasn’t Saltburn just the best film? I’m off to see Wuthering Heights on my own later. I can’t wait!”

A glass of hot black Alfonso tea is the liquid amuse bouche. And then a neat row of finger sandwiches arrives (crusts are for starlings). Clarence Court egg mayonnaise with truffle on sourdough bread; Secret Smokehouse smoked salmon, nori and lime on brioche bread; and salted cucumber, chilli and coconut yoghurt on onion bread. Turns out coronation pepper is the new coronation chicken. The sandwich selection is bottomless: this is gonna take time. Cancel the matinée!

A waitress presents a white box of plain and sultana scones with organic strawberry jam and blackcurrant and Star Anise jam with Cornish clotted cream. For a moment, it’s like being teleported to a Week St Mary tearoom. The serving staff are all rather wonderful and good fun. Linen napkins are continually folded and laid; the tablescape constantly updated. “More Milk Oolong?” China is having a fashion moment.

Somebody strikes up chords and chromatics on the grand piano: I Can’t Help Falling In Love with You; I Will Always Love You; You’re Too Good to Be True … An unfallen avalanche of sweets appears. The yellow fruit finds a theme in lemon drizzle cake (an Irish country house favourite) and calamansi cheesecake (Philippine lemon). Apple and Speculoos (Belgian and Dutch crunchy delights) gâteau; pistachio and white chocolate cookies; salted caramel and milk chocolate tart; and vanilla religieuse all take the biscuit. In a good way.

“Afternoon tea is our signature service,” explains the Director of Food and Beverage Daniele Quattromini. “The Crystal Moon Lounge is right here in the middle of the hotel. It’s such a unique space. And we’re fortunate to have a designated time and space for afternoon tea. Our Baccarat crystal champagne flutes match the chandelier above. We have three antique trolleys from the 1920s.” A temporary display of photographic portraits by Lorenzo Agius adds familiar faces to the surroundings.

Corinthia Sparkling Afternoon Tea is one of hundreds of elevated experiences available through SupperClub Dining and Lifestyle Concierge. The Abu Dhabi based company offers members an international luxury range of buffets and brunches, tables and trips, midweek getaways and weekend spas. Just some of the other participating hotel groups include Four Seasons, Mövenpick, Raffles, Rosewood, Sofitel, Waldorf Astoria. SupperClub always lives up to its tagline: “Exclusive benefits, curated offers and frictionless bookings all in one seamless ecosystem.”

In Betjeman Country (1985), Frank Delaney writes about the poet and architecture critic Sir John Betjeman. Frank notes, “Outside in the sunlight, Whitehall shimmers impersonally … ‘Just as an old church is the history of its parish in terms of stone, so is Whitehall the embodiment of England,’ Betjeman wrote carefully. ‘The weakness of this analogy is that whereas most churches are open for the public to inspect, it is well nigh impossible to see inside Whitehall.’” The conversion of this secretive office block back to a hotel, 140 years after it first opened to the public, allows access once more to one of the vast stone buildings of this historic quarter. Corinthia Hotel has added personality, reinstating palatial glamour to Northumberland Avenue. The Financial Times review of the newly released film Wuthering Heights is a reminder love doesn’t always reach perfection. Unlike Sparkling Afternoon Tea in the Crystal Moon Lounge.

Upon leaving, the pianist Kevin Lee plays Moon River, keeping the crepuscular mood lit. He quips, “I’ve done the maths. You’re too young to remember this!” Quite the exit.

“Love never fails.” Corinthians 13:8

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Architects Architecture Art Design Developers Luxury Restaurants

Beijing Daxing International Airport + Zaha Hadid Architects

Radial Romance

Zaha Hadid never did get to see the finished project. She died in 2016, three years before completion. It’s yet another star in her architectural firmament or rather starfish in her architectural ocean. The world’s largest terminal in a single building. All 700,000 square metres. Current Studio Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects Patrik Schumacher was the co designer. The six storey airport – four above ground; two below – is arranged around a “central orientation space dome” to quote Zaha. Five aircraft piers radiate out from this vast atrium. The tip of the sixth arm is filled by the railway station plaza. Max eight minute walks to departure gates. Patrik this time, “Echoing principles in traditional Chinese architecture that organise interconnected spaces around a central courtyard, the terminal’s design guides all passengers seamlessly through the relevant departure, arrival or transfer zones towards the grand courtyard at its centre – a multilayered meeting space at the heart of the terminal.”

Disciplined, rigorous and highly intellectual, the design achieves a large measure of lyrical beauty from its deeply sensuous sinuous architecture meets sculpture form. Daxing is one hour’s drive south of Tiananmen Square, just round the corner in Beijing distance terms. It strategically and symbolically terminates the Central Axis of Beijing. This line leads from the Throne Room of the Forbidden City down the middle of the roughly symmetrical street plan of the city. Illustrated brass plates across the airport floor mark the city as compass: 48 kilometres from Bell Tower; 47.8 kilometres from Drum Tower; 46 kilometres from Pavilion of Myriad Springtimes Jingshan; 44.2 kilometres from Tian’anmen Rostrum; 43.3 kilometres from Qianmen; 41.4 kilometres from The Temple of Heaven; and 40.2 kilometres from Yongdingmen.

Under one of the vast mushrooming ceilings, shopping pods include Bally, Boss, Coach, Michael Kors, Montblanc, Polo Ralph Lauren and Jingdong Convenience Store. On the second floor, East Pacific Passenger Lounge provides a dining area, bar, gym, meeting rooms and bedrooms spread over a large oval floorplate. The great outdoors and indoors collide in themed indoor amenity areas: Chinese Garden, Countryside Garden, Porcelain Garden, Silk Garden and Tea Garden. These oases are sandwiched between the double ended prongs at the five aircraft piers of the symmetrical starfish layout.

There are juxtapositions and there’s the cutting edge Zaha Hadid Architects design (glass and metal) backdrop to the traditional Chinese Garden (timber and stone). Visitors could be forgiven for thinking they have arrived in the Forbidden City without ever having left the airport. A pair of exquisitely painted pavilions filled with polished antiques stand proud on either side of a pond. Rockeries and a gazebo complete the Willow Pattern scene. It’s hard to appreciate the full scope and scale of the airport either upon arrival or from the indoor outdoor experience. The sweep of undulating red roofscape – a contemporary bow to historic Eastern architecture – is best appreciated from the window of a China Southern Airlines plane.

Meanwhile back in London, Serpentine Galleries are collaborating with the Zaha Hadid Foundation this year to commemorate her legacy and mark the 25th annual Serpentine Pavilion – she designed the inaugural temporary structure in 2000. A series of lectures and events will fill architecture and design connoisseurs’ diaries this autumn. Artistic Director of the Serpentine Hans Ulrich Obrist says, “We often quote Zaha Hadid’s belief that there ‘should be no end to experimentation’. Zaha’s spirits remains a vital inspiration for our programme.” Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation Aric Chen comments, “Through her boundary breaking life and work, Zaha changed the course of architecture. Her early and longstanding collaboration with the Serpentine played no small piece in this. We’re thrilled and honoured to start this collaboration with an institution she was so close to and one that so deeply shares her commitment to innovation and the public.”

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Architecture Art Design People

Spiritual + Physical Health Beijing

Real State  

A cross rising above the central pediment of an attractive if somewhat anonymous looking two storey rendered building may seem at first glance to be a surprising addition to the skyline just north of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Yet Kuanjie Methodist Church in Dongcheng District is one of an estimated 6,000 registered Christian churches and 15,000 registered ‘meeting points’ for five million believers in China. In 1967 the Bamboo Curtain (the Asian equivalent of Europe’s Iron Curtain) was lifted allowing international exchanges in knowledge and ideas to take place. At the same time a desire for spirituality and a religious search for meaning gained momentum. Ever since, the visible growth of Christianity during the post Mao era has been dramatic.

Khiok-khng Yeo is a brilliant academic bridging the gap in Western language led theology to reach a Chinese audience. He seeks to translate his understanding of God and humanity into the indigenous philosophical language of his own country. In What Has Jerusalem to Do with Beijing? Biblical Interpretation from a Chinese Perspective (2018), he filters Christianity through a Chinese prism: “Scripture does not contain syllogistic arguments for the existence of God; rather, it assumes that God exists. The scriptural tradition presents evidence for the existence and nature of God as an encounter with the living God. This tradition is in harmony with Chinese theology, especially when adapted to the yin yang model that speaks of the dynamic, bipolar nature of things.”

“These ‘both-and’ aspects of God are clearly seen in the concept of the Triune God. God is both the yin and the yang,” Khiok-khng contends. “The Trinity is incomprehensible and will always remain a mystery. But the term Triune seems to speak of ‘is-ness’: distinctiveness and relatedness. Note that interrelatedness is not only evident among the Trinity, but also obvious between the Trinity and the world … The Chinese method does not assume or assert its superiority, validity or comprehensiveness over traditional or contemporary methodologies of the West or the East. It seeks only to show the translatability of the Christian truth through the employment of the yin yang philosophy.”

He sets out the tenets of yin yang. Cosmology is more important than anthropology because anthropology is part of cosmology. Reality is change rather than being. Reality is relatedness: yin and yang are mutually inclusive. It’s all about reading the Bible culturally and reading the culture biblically. And a universal acknowledgement that, “For those who believe are entering into God’s rest where God’s presence meets them where they are. It is with every step to the mountaintop and down into the valley of darkness that they encounter God, one another, and themselves. Rest is not inactivity, but instead the untiring activity of that constant encounter with the presence of God.”

Yin yang is better known as one of the foundations of Chinese medicine. Tong Ren Tang Chinese pharmaceutical company was founded in 1669 to serve the Qing dynasty. It uses the philosophy of yin yang to diagnose, treat and balance opposing bodily forces. Dr Linda Chan explains, “Nothing in health is totally yin or totally yang. Relative levels of yin yang are continuously changing in the body. Normally this is a harmonious change but when yin or yang are out of balance they affect each other and too much of one can eventually consume and weaken the other.”

On a midweek winter’s morning, yin yang in action is taking place in Ri Tan Park to the east of the Forbidden City. Ri Tan, the Temple of Sun, was built in 1530 which was the 9th year of Jinjing in the Ming dynasty. It is one of five temple sites across the Capital. In the 1950s Ri Tan was classified as a 21 hectare public park, a green heart of the Chaoyang District. Colourful pavilions atop grey rockeries surround miniature lakes. A group of locals are practising Tai Chi Walking. This exercise is to consciously shift weight to maintain balance and internal flow. The full (yang) leg supporting weight is balanced by the empty (yin) leg which is weightless and ready to move. Arms are stretched out to maintain connection with the body’s centre and improve balance while guiding energy flow.

The philosophy even applies to the national drink of jasmine tea. Its warming yang character balances the cooling yin nature of the usual green tea base to improve digestion and create a harmonious spirit.

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Architecture Art Design Developers Luxury People Town Houses

Forbidden City Bejing + Lavender’s Blue

You Look Like a Beautiful Shaolin Kung Fu Monk

To start an article with a diction caution is rare but before imprecision and overuse dulled its impact there was iconic. And if anywhere owns that adjective it’s the Forbidden City, the world’s largest collection of ancient timber buildings. There are no fears of syntax slips with the highly audible and highly knowledgeable Mandy Wong, China’s leading travel expert, who’s about to condense several millennia of history into a four hour exclusive private tour.

But before a shallow dive into history, some governmental context. Purposeful sweeping change is no accident under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. While many factors have fuelled China’s economic success, his long term planning and a governance model combining strategic five year development plans with flexible adjustments remain among the key drivers, allowing policymakers to efficiently respond to emerging challenges. Western leaders take heed. Steady transformation is closely linked to the authoritative philosophy of President Xi’s The Governance of China. First published in 2014, the latest iteration is Volume V which has been translated into 40 languages.

The publication is a major theoretical innovation integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s national and cultural needs. Volume V is a compilation of 91 of President Xi’s spoken and written works from 27 May 2022 to 20 December 2024. The President delivered a parliamentary speech on 16 May 2024 on The Promotion of High Quality and Sustainable Tourism. He opened by noting since the launch of reform and opening up of the country in 1978 and especially following the 18th National Congress of 2012, China’s tourism sector has enjoyed burgeoning development.

“We should pursue innovation while leveraging the traditional role of tourism, improve the quality and efficiency of the industry, and integrate its development with that of other sectors,” he stated. “Efforts should be made to improve and modernise the industry and strengthen the sector so that it can raise the quality of life, boost our economy, develop our spiritual home, better present the national image, and facilitate mutual learning among civilisation.” President Xi urged central departments and provincial authorities to strengthen their commitment and dedication to fostering high quality sustainable tourism through intensive collaboration for tangible results.

On 28 October 2024, the President made a parliamentary speech on how to Build China Into a Cultural Powerhouse. “Cultural heritage is a compelling witness to the splendid Chinese civilisation and also a precious treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors,” he explained. “We should have a profound respect for history and love for our culture. We will undertake the systematic protection of cultural heritage under unified supervision and prioritise protection, sound utilisation, and minimal interference.”

Nowhere embodies that diktat requiring unification of supervision, prioritisation of protection, sound utilisation and minimal interference in relation to a historic asset than the Forbidden City. In 1994 the Chinese Government gave workers a second day off each week and so the weekend began. There are 1.3 billion or so people in the Middle Kingdom and today, Saturday, it feels like they have all descended on the ancient heart of the Capital. “Aubergine”! Chinese people say “qiézi” when posing for a photograph. It’s easy to end up saying enough aubergines to fill a field such is the exchange of capturing captivating beauty. But with 74 hectares and close to 1,000 rooms, there’s space for everyone.

President Xi gave a speech on 17 July 2023 at the National Conference on Eco Environmental Protection as recorded in The Governance of China Volume V, confirming, “The blue skies initiative is a top priority in the battle against pollution.” Yesterday and today and the day after were and are and will be blue skyed. “I don’t like the greyness of London in winter. Beijing is like Spain in January!” says Mandy. Except for the minus degrees temperature.

“There were 24 generations in total of the Ming and Qing Dynasties!” she declares at the entrance to the Outer Courtyard. “This really is the forbidden place. Only royals and staff were allowed to enter: everyone else was kept out. The moat is frozen now but in summertime you will see people boating on it. In 1367 the first King built a Forbidden City in Nanjing but he was scared of losing Mongolia so started building the Beijing Forbidden City in 1406. It was very fast building. The whole place was completed 14 years later in 1420. The following year Beijing became the Capital of the Ming dynasty. 14 Ming 10 Qing!”

Mandy blazes through the Outer Court into the Inner Court. “The Imperial colours are red and yellow. Red is lucky; yellow is supreme power. Green is earth; blue is heaven. Symmetry is so important in Chinese culture. Man and woman. Light and darkness. Even the stone animals. We always like balance. There are no trees in the Outer and Inner Courts to make them super safe. Kung Fu fighters could jump very high or hide behind trees. There are 18 layers of bricks under the paving so no tunnelling. Look! There are baby dragons on the roof.”

“Look!” demands Mandy again. “There are also pixiu on the roof. The pixiu is a powerful Chinese mythical creature resembling a winged lion. This creature is revered in Feng Shui as a potent guardian of wealth. It has a big open mouth and a big belly but no bottom: it eats a lot but there is nowhere for the food to go. That represents money not being wasted. The dragon is man; the phoenix is woman. There are no phoenixes and there were no women in the Outer Court.”

A sign along a stone terrace states: “Usually filled with water, these bronze and iron vats were used to protect the Imperial Palace from fire. Between Xiaoxue (Light Snow) and Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) in solar terms, the vats were wrapped in cotton cloth and covered with a lid. When necessary, charcoal would also be burnt underneath to prevent the water from freezing. The earliest vat now preserved in the Forbidden City was cast during the Hongzhi reign (1488 to 1505) in the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644). Ming vats are simple yet elegant, with plain iron rings on the sides and a wider upper body with a tapered base. Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) vats feature rings held by side knobs with the faces of beasts, a large belly and a smaller mouth. At present there are over 200 bronze and iron vats in the Palace Museum, including 22 gilt bronze vats flanking the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe dian), the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe dian), the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing men) and the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong).”

She relates, “The Emperor had one official wife and hundreds of concubines. He would take a private tour around Shanghai and south China looking for beautiful versatile young ladies who were talented at calligraphy and music and bring them to live in the Imperial Palace. The East Palace in the Forbidden City was where the concubines all lived.” Beyond the red roofs the 21st century raises its head on the skyline. Citic Tower designed by New York practice Kohn Pederson Fox and London practice Farrells in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design is just over half a kilometre in height making it the tallest building in the Capital. There’s a historic link: its gently curving shape increasing in area to the base and top is based on a zun, an ancient Chinese wine holder.

A sign inside one of the pavilions states: “Hetian jade is the central pillar of Chinese jade culture. It comes from the vast and geologically complex terrain of Xinjiang, where archaeological evidence shows that jade has been used for over 4,000 years. Its earliest known use was in artefacts such as jade axes unearthed at the ancient Loulan site in Ruoqiang County, marking the initial phase of jade culture in the region. After the mid western Han dynasty, jade from Hetian began flowing into central China. It would dominate jade craftmanship for the next 2,000 years. From the 26th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1761) onward, Hetian jade began entering the Qing court as yearly tributes in both spring and autumn, and became the main source of jade in the Imperial Palace. The production and use of Hetian jade wares made an unparalleled advance, sparking another development boom in Chinese jade culture. The collection of the Palace Museum bears witness to over 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation and stands as a testament to centuries of cultural exchange and integration. In celebration of the Museum’s centennial, this exhibition selects representative pieces of Imperial Hetian jade wares of the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) from the Museum’s collection. Divided into five sections – Origins of Jade, Ritual Jade, Elegance of Jade, Ingeniously Crafted Jade, and Jade Ornaments and Dining Wares – the exhibition aims to illustrate the rich jade culture of the Qing dynasty, while highlighting historical interactions, exchanges and integration among China’s diverse ethnic groups, strengthening awareness of their shared national identity.”

“That red door has 81 knobs on it,” observes Mandy. “Nine knobs across by nine knobs down. Nine is for longevity in Chinese culture. Nine by nine is 81 is eight plus one is nine. We like the number eight: it means food fortune; you’re gonna get a lot of money. The number six means your life will flow easily like water.” Beyond the Outer and Inner Courts lies a tranquil garden. “This is an outdoor museum not a park,” she corrects. “That’s a young boy talking to a bird using bird noises. It’s a Red Flanked Bluetail – that’s a lucky bird. That brings luck! This is a very special occasion. You’re very lucky!”

Chinese cultural official and scholar Xheng Xinmiao served as the Director of the Palace Museum (as the Forbidden City is now formally called) from 2003 to 2012, shaping the preservation and display of the architecture and collection for future generations. In 2005 he said, “The collection of the Palace Museum primarily consisting of artefacts from the Qing Imperial Palace is both a historical testament to the ancient civilisation of China and a shared treasure of humanity. From 1945 to February 2005, a total of 682 donors contributed more than 33,400 items from their personal collections to the Palace Museum. Their generosity reflects their deep love for this land and exemplifies the noble virtue of serving the public. Among these donations are national treasures that have significantly enriched the Palace Museum’s collection, making its range of artefacts more systematic and complete. On the occasion of the Palace Museum’s 80th anniversary, the Jingren (Great Benevolence) Honour Roll of Donors was established in the Palace of Great Benevolence (Jingren gong) to engrave the names of these donors to display their finest contributions, highlighting their deeds and promoting their spirit. May this tradition of generosity endure as a profound blessing for the Chinese nation.”

On 19 January 2026 seven Chinese Government Departments including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a national plan to systematically promote the country’s cultural and linguistic heritage, setting clear targets for 2030 and 2035. Local governments, schools and institutions are encouraged to incorporate language and cultural development into regional planning, urban management and campus activities. Universities are urged to offer public cultural courses such as in Chinese calligraphy. The exquisite hand painted signs over the entrances to the buildings in the iconic Forbidden City are the ultimate symbol of China’s cultural and linguistic heritage.

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Art Design Developers Hotels Luxury People

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Beijing + Zijin Mansion Restaurant Beijing

The Short Now

It’s only 11.30 in the morning and already the restaurant is filling up with the bold and the beautiful, some solo, some plural. We’re in good company. The omnipresent winter sun is flowing into the second floor dining room through louvred windows, simultaneously highlighting and shadowing the beautiful interior like a giant weathervane. In the bowed corners of the quatrefoil shaped space quatrefoil shaped chains hang in front of hand painted silk depicting colourful birds.

In Chinese culture the quatrefoil shape or persimmon stem, symbolises good luck, fortune, prosperity and harmony – like so many things do! Quatrefoils appear again on the deep pile carpet and on the ceiling of the double height foyer directly below. We’re lunching in Zijin Mansion, the Michelin star restaurant in the epic Waldorf Astoria Beijing, beneficiaries of good luck, fortune, prosperity and harmony.

Chef James Wang is celebrating a decade of working up a storm in the hotel. He explains, “Inspired by traditional Cantonese cooking techniques and concepts, Zijin Mansion selects seasonal ingredients and combines them with local dietary culture, presenting traditional and authentic exquisite Cantonese delicacies for diners.” Signature dishes which we will enjoy include Zijin Metropolitan, a rich soup with South African dried abalone and fish maw. It’s the very essence of Hakka flavours.

Feeling dry curious we have a glass of Pinot Noir Sparkling Grape Juice. And then a couple of dozen courses. Yes! Lit to the left: old masters, new mistresses. Appetisers such as Marinated Abalone with Mushroom XO Sauce. Main courses include Panfried Boston Lobster with Basil, Onion and Scallions. Puddings include Double Boiled Coconut Milk with Chocolate Bird’s Nest. We’re eating the menu. All of it. The Chef knows all about delivering refined simplicity while highlighting a respect for the ingredients. Haute cuisine of China on a plate. Or rather a lot of plates, bowls and stands. We’re getting it.

Our bill per head arrives. Amuse bouche 0 RMB. Amuse Bouche 0 RMB. Sparkling Water 136 RMB. Pinot Noir Sparkling Grape Juice 196 RMB Michelin Set Menu 988 RMB. Subtotal 1,320 RMB. Service charge 15 percent. Total 1,518 RMB. That’s roughly £160 per person for a world class leisurely three hour meal so while not exactly bargain basement it does connect to that old Chinese saying, “Cheap things are not good; good things are not cheap.”

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Architects Architecture Art Design Developers Fashion Hotels Luxury People Restaurants

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Beijing + Suite 918

Far Beyond the Banks of the Yellow River and If It Were Not So

Chinese script raises writing to an art form. Chicagoans Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture’s bronze façade superframe elevates elevation to sculpture. Its eye catching appearance instantly catapulted the Waldorf Astoria to the top of Beijing’s galaxy of five star hotels upon opening in 2014. The architecture never looks better than when all aglow at sunrise and sunset in winter. A shining beacon. Nine bedroom floors have rows of full height rectangular bay windows set into a grid. The bay windows are not uniformly placed but rather are tuned to differing angles and orientations to maximise outlook and natural light penetration. Gordon calls this concept a “compound eye”.

Grey granite as a background material recalls the charcoal bricks of historic hutongs and creates a strong backdrop to the superframe. Standalone corner fins are an elegant solution to housing utilities. The bronze will change colour as it ages – a fitting metaphor for the ever evolving city and its constant flow of frenetic stimuli. The first three levels of the hotel are visually treated as one super plinth: full height louvred glazed panels are uniformly divided by the vertical components of the superframe. This is literally transparent architecture. The Hutong Courtyard behind the 12 storey 170 bedroom main block was designed by Ma Bingjian, the Director of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Design Institute. Inspired by Ming architecture, it provides more luxurious accommodation.

Michael Krauze, Director of Operations at the Waldorf Astoria Beijing, welcomes guests: “We offer a sanctuary just steps from the Forbidden City where Beijing’s superior heritage meets Waldorf’s legendary elegance. Every space is a journey that blends the ancient soul of the Capital with contemporary sophistication. A sincere and elegant service is deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the city. Our interiors designed by Yabu Pushelburg balance bold contrast with timeless tradition. Every detail reflects exquisite craftmanship creating an atmosphere of refinement. This philosophy extends into every element of our service from checkin to the care of personal concierges, we’re always ensuring every detail is seamlessly arranged.”

Anyhoo, that’s the formalities over. What’s that blast of Channel V music coming from corner Suite 918 on the ninth floor? High above St Joseph’s Church and The Gundam Base on Wangfujing Avenue and Beijing Yintai Jixiang Office Building on Ganju Hutong and Peet’s Coffee in the Macau Centre there’s a non stop party taking place. Lobby, makeup room, drawing room, bedroom, lobby, Aesop goodies filled marble bathroom … it’s like living in a multi compartmented silk and lacquered cabinet. There’s the temptation lurking to never leave best in class Suite 918. By day five bay windows frame the city; by night five bay windows frame the party. The viewer becomes the viewed.

Who needs to venture out to an art gallery when you’re staying in the Waldorf? One of the many strikingly original important artworks hangs in the ground floor Long Gallery – an interior boulevard of desire. A sign next to Abandoning the Precision of Shape by Liu Xiaodong states, “A stunningly evocative oil on canvas painting of the Forbidden City, evoking a timeless dimension where the viewer of the piece is requested to think about the image’s common sentiment in our memory and to question the way we view the outside world.” The artist emerged as a leading figure in 1990s Chinese Neo Realism and has continued to successfully tread the line between figurative and conceptual art ever since.

The Palace Servant by Ling Jian is a powerful showstopper at the end of the Long Gallery. An oil and acrylic painting of an outsized androgynous face has piercing eyes and wedding dress red lips pursed ready to speak and more. In Peacock Alley – a lounge named after the walkway between the original Waldorf and Astoria Hotels – Scattered Aesthetic and Concrete Depth by Chi Peng is a mixed media abstract combining craft and art telling the history of painting on materials other than canvas. An ink on ice paper artwork hangs in the entrance foyer: the two twin teacups and saucers of Shao Fan’s Integrated with the Universe speak of the Taoist concept of being integrated with this world. In a first floor lobby, a cluster of vitrines display Waling Artist in the Wild by Yang Maoyuan. Using classical marble busts as prototypes, he rounds off features and polishes the edges of heads in a conversation about the Chinese philosophy of beauty and harmony.

An absolutely flawless effortless seamless peerless airport to car to suite journey is partly to blame for us not ever wanting to leave. Suave concierges in black and tan uniform rush to open car doors, entrance foyer doors, lift doors, suite doors and later come laden with cake and fruit and bear buddies to welcome in the night. Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the hours, seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as they gaze.

Leave the suite leave the suite leave the suite. Ok, but only for breakfasting downstairs in Brasserie 1893. A Bear Buddy’s Breakfast Menu on our table lists Golden Toast Boats (buttered toast served with maple syrup and berry cream), Crispy Fried Double Layer Milk Roll (served with chocolate sauce, shredded coconut and roasted pistachio) and Dragon Onion Rings. Tempting but nothing beats Tofu Pudding (yellow fungus and egg sauce, spring onion, chilli oil) and Fried Dough Sticks with Soy Milk. That, plus hawthorn strip and snow leopard melon cubes. Red Velvet Croissant (looks like it’s wrapped in streaky bacon outside; burst with cream inside), celery and grapefruit juice, and coffee with sugar crystals of course round off the morning’s sojourn. Sino French cuisine at its finest. This is our winter of content.

Zijin Mansion is the Michelin starred restaurant in our hotel but that’s another story on another storey.

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Architecture Art Design Town Houses

Siheyuans + Hutongs Beijing

Earth Angel

Walking along hutongs is one of the great cultural experiences of Beijing. They are narrow lanes or alleys winding between grouped single storey courtyard houses called siheyuans that allow tantalising glimpses into the residential quarters of locals. The paraphernalia of daily living lines hutongs: laundry, lanterns, flowerpots, chairs, bicycles and the ubiquitous mopeds. A blurring of public, private and shared space adds to their unique charm. Some hutongs include cafés, shops and public conveniences abutting the houses.

The history of hutongs dates from the Yuan dynasty (1271 to 1368) and they remained popular throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 to 1911). In 1949 records suggest there were around 3,250 hutongs in Beijing, many of them concentrated around the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts. In 2003 only circa 1,500 and that has reduced to about 1,000 such is the demand for development land for multistorey apartment and office blocks. Finally, the Chinese Government has realised their architectural, cultural and tourism significance and hutongs are now protected.

There never were hutongs beyond the Second Ring Road, a highway which traces the line of the city walls demolished by Chairman Mao Zadong in the 1950s. Beijing was a low rise walled city for centuries, the single storey network of siheyuans along hutongs. The flat skyline was only interrupted by landmark barbicans, pagodas and temples.

The courtyard layout of siheyuans, many with cloistered loggias, provides shelter from sweltering summers and icy winter. Grey walls and grey tiled roofs give these inward looking houses an enigmatic appearance. The charcoal colour of the walls comes from the firing technique of spraying water on bricks in a closed kiln. The angularity of the ground floor massing contrasts with the distinctive sloping roofs. Flying corner eaves are not just visually attractive: they are effective for drainage as well.

Plain grey walls are relieved by colourful ornate entrances to grander siheyuans. Chinese architecture is as much about symbolism as beauty and functionality, and entrances are no exception. Shi shi (a pair of stone lions) often guard front doors. The male lion on the right will have his right paw resting on a ball which is for protection and wisdom. The female lion on the left will have her left paw resting on a cub which is for guardianship and compassion. A screen wall just inside the entrance is to block the direct flow of negative energy and provide privacy.

Air conditioners clinging to elevations, some in decorative metal boxes, are the most visible concession to modern comfort. These days siheyuans on hutongs are hot property with a cool cache. On a cold winter’s morning, a group of men are sitting on the pavement outside a siheyuan seemingly oblivious to the minus degrees temperature.

On 27 May 2002, President Xi Jinping addressed the 39th group session of the 19th Chinese Communist Party Central Committee: “China’s long, extensive and profound civilisation is one of the distinctive qualities of the Chinese nation. It underpins contemporary culture and creates a spiritual bond among all people of Chinese descent across the globe. It provides valuable resources and inspiration for China’s cultural innovation.” Beijing’s hutongs vividly illustrate that distinctiveness while their continued use and, in places reinvention, is a marker of cultural innovation.

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Architecture Art Design Developers

St Joseph’s Catholic Church + Wangfujing Church Beijing 

A Colossal Hope

“We live in a word based universe. That’s the key of the logos for me. This universe is not simply a product of natural unguided forces. It is a product of a rational Creator,” says mathematician and theologian Professor John Lennox. “As you get nearer the end hope should get brighter.”

Religion is the hurrah of the unoppressed creatures, the heart of a loved world, and the soul of soul felt conditions. It is the opium of the people. And why not? Subversive solace of the higher kind along this fleeting avenue. St Joseph’s Church (also known as the Wangfujing Church) has had an eventful past. In the 12th year of his reign, 1655, the Sun Zhui Emperor of the Qing Dynasty granted two Jesuits missionaries a courtyard. The Italian Father Louis Buglio and the Portuguese Father Gabriel de Magalhauens built a church on the site.

In the 59th year of the reign of the Kang Xi Emperor, 1720, the church and its outbuildings collapsed during an earthquake but they were rebuilt the following year. In the 12th year of the Jia Qing Emperor, 1807, the church library and most of the outbuildings were destroyed in a fire. The Emperor then ordered the church to be demolished and just one outbuilding remained as a prayer house. Bishop Louis Gabriel Delaplace raised overseas funding to erect a new church in 1884. During the Boxer Rebellion, on 13 June 1900 history repeated itself and the church was demolished. So far so not so good.

The Jesuits rebuilt St Joseph’s in 1904 in an uplifting Romanesque Russo French style. It’s constructed of stone as grey as the brick of the adjacent Ganyu Hutong. Why have one belltower when you can have three? A fearfully and wonderfully made domed acoustic trinity. The first half and more of the 20th century continued to be pretty rocky. The church was closed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution but then in a change of fortune the Beijing Municipal Government under Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping funded its restoration a decade later. St Joseph’s has been an active church and tourist attraction ever since reopening on Christmas Eve 1980. At Sunday morning Mass, a full congregation heartily sings in Mandarin, facing a white baldacchino (replicated outside) below crystal chandeliers. Words matter. Zànměi zhǔ!

“The anchor point in the end is that the logos became human and we beheld His glory: a human being in which God encoded himself in Christ,” says Professor John Lennox. “The hope for the future depends on the events of the past. There’s a new world coming. And it’s going to happen.”

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Architecture Art Design Fashion Hotels Luxury People Restaurants

The Peninsula Hotel + Jing Restaurant Beijing

Peking Pie

“Jing” has multiple Mandarin meanings including peacefulness, reverence and essence. And as it turns out, marvellous restaurant. Welcome to The Peninsula Hotel where no man is an island.

It’s a bit like eating in a super posh Westfield if you’re a Londoner or Macy’s for New Yorkers. The lower and much lower ground floors of The Peninsula form one of Wangfujing District’s finest luxury shopping malls for well dressed interiors and citizens. Basement Level I: Arc ‘Teryx, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Jenny Packham, Louis Vuitton, M L Luxia, Minotti by Domus Tiandi, The Peninsula Boutique and Zilli.  Basement Level II: Baxter, Domus Tianti, Giorgetti, Henge, Living Divani, Oluce, Onno, Poliform, Promemoria and Salvatori. Jing Restaurant is on Basement Level I. Its little sister Huang Ting Brasserie is on Basement Level II.

We’re celebrating life in a rather literal way having dodged the ubiquitous duvet clad mopeds which swerve and keep going rather than stop at pedestrian crossings. All those inflight Baduanjin exercises on China Southern Airlines possibly made us more supple at dodging oncoming traffic. At this rate we’ll be up for some postprandial synchronised dancing later in Ri Tan Park. Front of house, or rather front of retail unit, beckons us to the bar. A card awaits: “Dear guest, welcome to Jing. Before starting a gastronomic journey we invite you to enjoy one glass of apéritif at the bar. Bon appetit! Jing team.” The apéritif is a Kalimotxo which originates from Basque Country and is a combination of red wine and cola. A bottle of Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups, Montlouis Sur Loire Remus, 2023, swiftly follows.

Hand painted wallpaper and gigantic circular semi transparent silk embroidered screens cocoon guests in luxurious surrounds. French born Chef de Cuisine William Mahi is redefining modern French cuisine with Basque and Asian creativity. Mang-mang sik! He teases out the essence of food sourced from the China Sea, Chongqing farms, Sichuan Lakes and Yunnan Mountains with precision, sincerity, refinement, purity and harmony. We get around so what are our cornerstones of a beautiful meal? Easy. Hervé This defines three out of four of them in Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavour, 2002. All non calorific.

Champagne: “When we hear the unmistakeable sound of the cork popping off a bottle of Champagne, we stop talking and look closely at what happens as it is poured into our glass. If the foam subsides slowly, if the frill of bubbles is delicate and persistent, and if the liquid is effervescent, the wine is considered to be of good quality.”

Truffle: “The black diamond! An immense amount of ink has been spilled in singing its praises. No food writer fails to mention its appearance on a menu, and no chef neglects to feature it when he aims for stars. In Europe there are 10 sorts of truffles, which is to say mushrooms of the Tuber genus. The black truffle, also called a Périgord truffle, is harvested principally in Spain, France, and Italy, but its gastronomic qualities vary from region to region.”

Foam: “Low in fat because they are essentially made of air – foams came to prominence with the rise of Nouvelle Cuisine in France in the 1960s and then gained broader popularity as a consequence of the growing interest in lighter foods on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, with the advent of molecular gastronomy … they are very fashionable among gourmets.”

Caviar.

Dom Pérignon. Champagne, tick. A waiter appears with a bread trolley and gives a performance of firmly slicing the freshly baked offering while pointing out the yeast jar on display. The staff to client ratio is high although it is a random Wednesday lunchtime. Piped easy listening jazz contrasts with the formality of service. Sweet pea tarte amuse bouche. The Brie Truffle (Normandy Brie D’Isgny, Yunnan black truffle, pear). The black stuff, tick. Spider Crab Tart (spider crab, shiso, sea urchin, basil oil, oxalis flower, citrus confit, crab foam, horseradish, dill flower). “The crab consommé has been simmered for 24 hours,” the waiter explains. Foam, phew. Scallop Blanc de Noir (pan seared scallop, brown butter, pear). Ya’an caviar and chive salmon tartar amuse bouche deliver the fourth cornerstone of a beautiful meal.

The dining space as subterranean capsule. Underworldliness. A sanctuary of taste. Who needs windows when you’ve priceless contemporary art to admire? Chi! Chi! Chi! Such is the importance of food that while Europeans count heads per population, Chinese count mouths. Spinning plates: Maître d’ Oliver Huang and his waiting staff are as deft and elegant as ballet dancers, effortlessly weaving round the tables with extravagance of grace and posture in a timeless duration of curation for this is not mere service.

Edible flowers are scattered over one course. Ah! Could this be our fifth cornerstone of a beautiful meal? Fig walnut toast with brie truffle mascarpone followed by a glass of Americano egg foam tick two of our current cornerstones once more. Peartree and cinnamon clove ginger tea is the ultimate palate cleanser. The waiter dons white magician’s gloves for handling the silverware – a drawer full of cutlery appears and disappears throughout the meal. The stiffly starched linen tablecloth covering the round table as big as the silk screens is regularly hand vacuumed. Steaming hot hand towels keep our hands clean.

Protein forward Chinese truffles come from the foothills of the Himalayas where they are harvested at an altitude of about 2,000 metres. The main production areas are Yongren County in Yunnan Province and Panzhihua in Sichuan Province in very southwest China. They are planted at least a dozen centimetres below ground. The Chinese truffles have a bumpy dark brown surface covered in low scales displaying an inverted pyramid form with a square base similar to the Périgord truffle. Lunch in Jing is all about gourmet satisfying fashionable molecular gastronomy.

Oh and for good measure, “Bei” like “Jing” also has multiple Mandarin meanings including preciousness, treasure and north. Jing relishes in preciousness of cuisine in an artistic treasure trove north (east) of Tian’anmen Square. Nothing too tenuous there.