A "legendary" hotel in Beijing- European style with Chinese characteristics

From the outside, you might think this was a street in Paris or London.

 However, if you look closer, you'll see it's all a copy of 19th century European architecture.

It is a grand 5-star hotel in Beijing which opened 5 yrs ago, and worth taking a look inside, if only to get an idea of what rich Chinese think is good taste.

As one tripadvisor reviewer said "...This hotel reminds me of the old time world charm palaces. The entrance is spectacular and the atrium lobby is simply breathtaking. The spa was unbelievable...beautiful Roman marble columns with glamourous touches everywhere you look. Really stunning in many ways...."

Another guest said "..The Lobby is MASSIVE with enough marble to cover all of Italy .The unique antique French Chateau Fireplace Mantle is the Lobby eye catcher..."

Yes, so many words could be used to describe the feeling inside...classy, amazing glamour and hype, fabulous, OTT(?), palatial, imperial even....

17-story atrium

Imagine yourself as a European King or Queen as you walk around your palace.

As their website says, "....Imported from Europe, antique furniture and decorations are featured throughout the hotel to create a truly opulent, neo-classical ambiance. Fabrics are rich in texture and colour creating an elegant, and instantly tactile, experience...."

Several antique pieces are on display... they wouldn't look out of place at Versailles or the Louvre!

In the shopping arcade there was even a bridal costume store.......

...which is handy if you happen to be holding your wedding party in the hotel, as this couple were, Chinese style!

The website says, "...the 746 sqm-ballroom replicates the Versailles’s magnificence and Classical taste. Extremely spacious at the height of 6.6 m. the natural and graceful way of decoration exposes the luxurious and unique taste. Nine shining crystal chandeliers add to the splendor even more brightness...."

 

Signatures on the wedding "guestbook", not at all in classical style!

Flavours of North West China

I went to an interesting restaurant near my home a few days ago. It is called Xibei restaurant and those of you who know some Chinese will understand that they serve North West Chinese style food. The food is very fresh, healthy countryside food. The cuisine has more grain-based foods since they grow more grains in the north, so many different types of noodles, pancakes, dumplings and buns are found. There is also the Muslim influence from the sizeable Muslim population in the NW, especially around Xian, Lanzhou and Ningxia.



As soon as you enter you get a warm feeling from the red lanterns and folk papercuts.

And look at the colourful rural patterns of jackets worn by the staff welcoming us at the door.

As they lead us to our table we walk by traditional containers of different kinds of grain.....not just plain old rice but various beans, millet, maize and barley.

It feels as if we have entered a traditional Shaanxi village where the villagers live in caves dug out of the hillside. Here the "cave dwelings" serve as private dining rooms.

Note the "fish" hanging from the window, they symbolise a wish for a plentiful harvest.

Some more harvest produce

We start our meal with some cold starters...cucumber dipped in sauce...

....followed by cold noodles and wheat gluten in hot sauce.

 Bean curd is eaten everywhere, and this type has a special texture and has a soy sauce based dipping sauce.

 

Lamb is a popular meat in NW China and prepared in various ways, roasted, fried, sizzling plate, and stewed.
Even though there is no town by the sea in NW China, they do have freshwater fish. Here is a slow-baked fish dish which is so soft that even the bones can be eaten.

And finally I think you can't guess what this honeycomb like dish is! It comes in its wooden steamer, and is like macaroni...little circles of pasta, made from buckwheat...very good for eating with the spicy food.

That is the end of our NW China meal. You really feel like you are in a rural village but actually you are near the city centre of Beijing. If you want to try the food in its original surroundings, you could take a side tour to Xian (see Jun 2010 blog) and see the terracotta warriors at the same time. Feel free to ask me for more details.

Happy Lantern Festival 2013

Feb 24th is the 15th day of the first lunar month and the first time in the year to see a full moon (if there is no smog!). It is the official end of the Chinese New Year festivities, and is marked by the Lantern Festival. In Chinese, it is called the "yuan xiao" festival, and we all get together as families and eat small sweet dumplings, called yuan xiao, on that day.

One can see many lanterns hung up and children playing outdoors with all kinds and colours of lanterns, some to be floated up into the sky with their personal wishes or new year resolutions.

 

To mark this happy occasion, I have taken some pictures of different designs of Chinese lanterns you can find in the market for home decoration.