Artyzen New Bund 31 Shanghai is a gateway to the city’s vibrant new cultural hub
- The creatively designed hotel is the ideal base for visitors to explore the arts scene and urban lifestyle of Shanghai’s buzzing Qiantan area
Shanghai is known as one of the world’s major industrial and financial centres, and it has become a world-class city for residents and tourists alike with its unique East-meets-West cultural heritage. And while the city’s famous Bund has long drawn visitors with its skyline, entertainment and nightlife, a new area is now emerging as a cultural hotspot.
Qiantan, which translates as “new Bund”, is being developed as a major cultural hub by municipal planners, bringing about a vibrant arts community with a growing number of museums, art galleries and cultural centres. Located on the east bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai’s Pudong district, Qiantan is a well-connected area for visitors. It is a 40-minute drive from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and can also be accessed via three metro lines.
And in the heart of Qiantan is the Artyzen New Bund 31 Shanghai, a hotel by the Artyzen Hospitality Group that makes an ideal base from which visitors can explore the area’s burgeoning arts scene.
Leading by design
The boutique hotel features an interior design that reflects Shanghainese aesthetics, created by Neri&Hu, a Shanghai-based architectural design firm known for incorporating local contexts into its projects.
The contemporary design brings in elements of nature inspired by ancient Chinese gardens. The guest rooms and suites include monolithic structures, metal fixtures suspended from high ceilings, textured paint work in shades of blue, pink and green, and custom-made wooden furniture, complemented by black-and-white artworks made by artists from China, Singapore and Japan.
The hotel’s dining area, Shanghai Modern, consists of an indoor restaurant, a tapas bar, an outdoor terrace and a secret garden where guests can savour a fusion of Asian and Western flavours.
An emerging cultural hub
The Artyzen New Bund 31 Shanghai is adjacent to the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center, Qiantan’s new cultural landmark that is part of a wider plan to turn Shanghai into the performance capital of Asia. The hi-tech venue includes a multipurpose theatre that seats 2,500 people and a black-box performance space with capacity for 1,500 people.
Since opening in October last year, the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center has welcomed international stars including Taiwanese singer-songwriter David Tao, opera legend Placido Domingo and British classical singer Katherine Jenkins, with the latter two taking part in the 2023 edition of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
The venue has also hosted popular international productions such as Disney in Concert and The Sound of Music, as well as Shanghai Fashion Week events including the 2024 autumn/winter runway show for The Bridal by the Atelier, a couture design studio that is based in Shanghai and led by fashion designer Jimmy Choo.
Also near the hotel is Tsutaya, the renowned Japanese arts and cultural bookstore. Shanghai’s largest branch of the store is located just minutes away by foot in the sprawling Taikoo Li Qiantan shopping complex. Like all Tsutaya bookstores, this one is designed to be a lifestyle space that encourages visitors to browse and linger, with bookshelves arranged in a circle beneath a huge skylight. It also houses themed product booths and a cafe.
Shanghai Museum East is a 20-minute walk from the hotel. It houses a permanent collection of Chinese art that includes ancient bronze works from various ruling dynasties. The museum also hosts special exhibitions, such as a display of 200 pieces spanning 50 years of work by jewellery artist Wallace Chan, which can be seen until October.
Urban landmarks
In addition to these cultural attractions, several other points of interest are within easy reach of the Artyzen New Bund 31 Shanghai. NYU Shanghai, China’s first Sino-US research university, is less than 10 minutes away by foot, as is Qiantan Leisure Park, an urban oasis set on the riverside that offers walking and cycling tracks along with family-friendly play areas.
A 20-minute taxi ride takes visitors to the picturesque Yu Garden, a popular Shanghai landmark that dates back to the Ming dynasty. Originally built for a prominent Shanghainese family, the historic garden became a gathering place for many of the city’s well-known calligraphers and painters. Some of their works are still present within the garden’s maze of pavilions and halls.