Two Mandarin Oriental stays in Beijing offer guests a glimpse into the nation’s past and present – with added luxury. Stephenie Gee checks in
The Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, fans out across 10 alleys of the Caochang Hutong.
Much of beijing is supersized. There’s the monstrously large Forbidden City, a 15th- century imperial palace; the empty expanse of Tiananmen Square; and the 13,171-mile-long Great Wall, the only man-made structure visible from space. However, there’s also the micro: the hutongs – historic, atmospheric alleyways webbed with residential siheyuan courtyard houses with origins tracing back to the Yuan dynasty, when the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan designated Dadu, present-day Beijing, as its capital (the word hutong is thought to be derived from hottog, the word for “water well” in the Mongolian language, around which Mongol communities were arranged). As the city expanded, the hutong network grew, reaching its peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties with more than 6,000. But after decades of development and a programme of rapid modernisation, only some couple hundred remain today.
Throughout the city, a movement to breathe new life into these storied neighbourhoods is preserving the city’s historical and cultural heritage for future generations. Located inside the Beijing Central Axis, the capital’s key cultural artery, the 600-year-old Caochang Hutong stands as a testament to this renaissance. Emerging from an eight-year joint venture between the Chinese government and Mandarin Oriental, its vacant courtyard houses have been transformed into the Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, the brand’s second outpost in the Chinese capital opened last September.
True to the original spirit of hutong communities, the hotel’s 42 suites, which range from 103 to 525 square metres, are interspersed among existing homes scattered across the hutong’s 10 stone-paved alleys where residents still live and small businesses continue to operate. Your neighbours could just as easily be long-standing families who have lived there for generations as they could be fellow travellers. On the way to our room, no. 817 in alley eight, escorted by our butler, I exchanged smiles with friendly locals going about their daily chores like grocery shopping and sneaked curious glances at an elderly gentleman walking his pet cricket in a polished wooden case.
For each of the houses, work by CCD strictly adhered to the principle of restoring the old to its
original state, preserving up to 90 percent of the original structures, not to mention their histories and provenance: these were once the residences of imperial inspectors, Peking opera performers and business owners, or institutions for imperial scholars. Every brick and tile was restored or reused, while doors, windows, rafters and roof sheathing boards were repaired or replaced using traditional methods.
The height of the buildings was based on the original registered schematics, and the palette of grey bricks and tiles, blue-white stones and red bricks coordinates with the traditional aesthetic. As for the double-sloped roofs – made of a wooden framework of beams, rafters and brackets without nails to hold them in place – the design team reinforced the structure, but left the beams exposed to showcase the intricate joinery work that is characteristic of traditional Chinese carpentry.
The private dining room at Yan Garden by Chef Fei.
Inside, heritage meets high design: under century- old wooden ceiling beams are marble-clad bathrooms, plush living rooms furnished with contemporary Chinese art, and beds framed with gorgeous headboards of brass and silk embroidery. Heated floors are installed not just in the bathroom but throughout the villa to keep things toasty and warm underfoot. The inner walls of the houses were converted to floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the room with natural light and courtyard vistas.
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Also present is a surfeit of modern indulgences from Bose speakers and Frederic Malle amenities to nightly turndown gifts, including a fan depicting a custom commission by Chinese artist Xu Bing, which reimagines the English phrase “Unveil Beijing’s Soul” – the spiritual core of the hotel – in his signature square word calligraphy.
The Mandarin Oriental, Wangfujing, Beijing, occupies the top two floors of WF Central.
While the hotel offers a speedy buggy service to whisk you around, I found it much more rewarding to wander the alleyways on foot to reach the communal areas, all of which are similarly woven throughout the district. One alley over in alley nine, Yan Garden by Chef Fei deals in fine Cantonese and Chaozhou specialities such as butter-smooth pork char siu and deep-fried fish maw. Directly opposite in a double-height former fabric factory, Italian restaurant Vicini (“neighbours” in Italian, reflecting the hotel’s vision of fostering community culture) runs from breakfast through to dinner.
Located on the hutong’s perimeter, cocktail bar Tiao melds hutong lore and charm with innovative mixology, distilled into a menu packed with poetic interpretations and drinks crafted from local ingredients. Just around the corner is the lobby, which houses the Maple Lounge where afternoon tea is served, and connects to The Spa, comprising a Chinese tea house, fitness centre, Qiyuan Healing Space for auditory therapies, steam and sauna room, and three treatment rooms.
But really the best part about the Mandarin Oriental Qianmen is its commitment to giving back to its biggest asset: its locale. From street cleanings to the maintenance of public toilets, the hotel provides an extensive range of municipal facilities and services to uplift the living environment for all residents in the hutong. This investment in the local community is at the core of what makes a stay at the hotel so special. As with most other things at this exceptional property, its presence in the local community goes beyond the surface. Instead, what guests receive is a genuine cultural immersion – and a rare opportunity to experience just how warm and welcoming the Caochang Hutong neighbourhood truly is.
Its sister property, the Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, translates this integration ethos to another space. Occupying the upper two floors of the WF Central luxury retail centre just off Wangfujing Avenue – the Beijing equivalent of Hong Kong’s Canton Road, tourist hordes and all – the bijou 73-room hotel is the work of global firm Hirsch Bedner Associates, which took its cues from the property’s location not far from the Forbidden City, while keeping to the Mandarin’s signature approach to contemporary luxe.
Rooms draw inspiration from the area’s cultural heritage.
Just a short 15-minute drive from the Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, the busy street disappears as we’re ushered through a bright sky-lit courtyard-inspired space – where dark stone surrounds a central water feature in homage to the area, Wangfujing, translating literally to “prince’s mansion well” – and into the compact residential- like lobby. Here, embroidered cobalt and gold panels, timber walls, dark lacquered shelves and earthy rugs mimic the reception rooms of old aristocratic mansions. Hanging overhead, a crown of three koi chasing one another by Frank Gehry serves as a light fixture, creating a dramatic modern focal point countering the more traditional elements.
This being a boutique property, the public spaces are pleasingly concise. Throughout the hotel, walls and floors of heavy stone and windows looking out onto pockets of tranquil gardens bring the outside in, reviving the special qualities of traditional Chinese courtyard houses. On the fifth floor, past the soaring double-height Library lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stocked with novelties and a total of 60 books covering a variety of crafts, a preprandial cocktail on the MO Bar terrace, accompanied by magnificent sunset views over the Forbidden City, sets the mood for dinner either at the casual-dining Asia-inspired Café Zi or the Mandarin Grill + Bar.
The former specialises in imaginative Cantonese favourites from seafood to stir fries and dim sum. The latter, on the other hand, serves up elevated steakhouse classics – think king prawn cocktail, lobster mac and cheese, wagyu beef tomahawk finished with a bourbon flambé and baked Alaska – in a masculine steakhouse setting courtesy of designer Adam D. Tihany, who paired chevron-patterned wood flooring with burgundy semi- circular banquettes and black and white photography by Chinese photographer Jin Shisheng and French artist Louis-Philippe Messelier.
While the hotel might be small, the rooms are anything but, starting at 55 square metres, with bespoke flourishes that nod to the past and tradition but reinterpret them in a contemporary language. Tactile materials, like the buttery-soft leather door and wall coverings, textured wallpapers, and walnut wood and brass details, form a rich base for furnishings like the four-poster bed that references those favoured by the Qing Dynasty princes, and local artwork including pieces by the photographer and digital artist Yao Lu.
Floor-to-ceiling windows frame sprawling views of the Forbidden City and shed a natural light over the property’s signature blue-green hues, which are revealed through the carpet’s pattern, inspired by ancient Longquan celadon and the spring water wells of Wangfujing. In the bathroom, a marble relief engraved with stylised clouds resembles the Forbidden City’s stone carved stairway. Bringing you thoroughly into the modern world, however, are the high spec amenities: blue Wedgwood tea sets, Vera Wang glassware, Ploh goose down bedding, Dyson hair dryers, Diptyque toiletries,Marvis toothpaste and Toto toilets.
But the ultimate refuge comes at the spa. You can swim a lap in the light-filled 25-metre indoor pool or, better yet, indulge in the two-hour Emperor’s Longevity, which takes place on a bed of warm quartz sand and combines Xiuyan jade together with ancient Gua Sha meridian techniques. Living like a royal, 21st-century style.
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