This summer luxury hotel brand Shangri-La will open the doors to its latest property, erected in the birthplace of Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Designed with Confucian principles in mind, the hotel in Qufu is located about two hours from Beijing, within walking distance of the Temple of Confucius, the Mansion of Confucius and the Cemetery of Confucius, and expresses the three key principles of Confucian philosophy — order, harmony and hierarchy.
All three are UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites.
Sleek, symmetrical Chinese patterns repeated in ceiling reliefs and marble floors, for instance, are meant to convey hierarchy and harmony, while guests are greeted with two full-grown trees planted in the middle of the lobby and lush, green garden pavilions.
Outside, the hotel is supported by eight large pillars and conveys Chinese tradition with pavilion-style porte-cochères covered in red lacquer panels.
The hotel restaurant Shang Palace will serve authentic Cantonese regional cuisines and re-invent recipes from the Kong family, descendants of Confucius.
The 211 guest rooms will open August 1 and feature complimentary WiFi access.
Interested in staying at other historically important hotels in China? Try the Astor House Pujiang in Shanghai, which hosted Albert Einstein (ask for room 304), Queen Victoria and Charlie Chaplin.
Raffles Beijing has also played host to Richard Nixon, playwright George Bernard Shaw and Charles de Gaulle.
