Back to the future

By Shi Yingying (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-11 11:02

The new look of today's Langham Yangtze Boutique Hotel Yangtze Hotel in the early Shanghai.

The Langham Yangtze Boutique Hotel looks like a giant white castle from the outside, but feels more like 1930s Shanghai once you step inside the lobby. Shying away from the bright lighting favored by most grand hotels today, the Chinese designers behind the newly revamped Langham hotel have instead opted for dimmer lights and darker tones to add more allure to the stunning interior decor.

Though just a hop, skip and a jump away from the bustling Nanjing Lu, this downtown hotel reeks of nostalgia while serving as a modern-day throwback to a bygone age. While much of the old, traditional look is retained, the immaculate black carpets featuring bright red art-deco patterns, wooden beams, oversized sofas and patterned pillars are an indication of the hotel's here-and-now presence.

"The inspiration behind the concept of reliving the glamor, elegance and fun of Shanghai's golden age is drawn from the parallels of Shanghai today and Shanghai in the 30s," said General Manager Stefan Heintze. "The similarities are uncanny, as both are times when Shanghai was, and now is, one of the most exciting cities in the world."

Built on the foundations of the original Yangtze Hotel in the early 1930s, which first opened as an art-deco masterpiece, it was then designed by renowned architect Li Pan to reflect geometric shapes and motifs.

In keeping with the accent and charm of the 70-year-old building, the owners decided to restore it 18 months ago to reflect its former glory.

"The outside is still very similar. We polished it up and we painted it, and we put some beautiful lights on at night," said Bob van den Oord, the hotel's vice president of marketing. "As for the inside, the lobby is still there. (Shanghainese) Yao Li, who sung 'Rose, Rose, I Love You' in the 1930s, used to be our house artist here, and we're going to recreate the scene of having her (lookalike) singing the same song and walking downstairs."

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