Travel back to the Ming dynasty at Beijing’s new Mandarin Oriental hotel

Many luxury hotels tout their uniqueness, and while they often excel in various areas – be it location, spacious suites, or extensive wellness offerings – it’s rare to find one that truly redefines the concept of hospitality. The newly opened Mandarin Oriental Qianmen in Beijing accomplishes just that. The hotel breaks away from traditional norms; for starters, instead of typical hallways and corridors leading from the lobby to the restaurants and guest rooms, it offers an open, interconnected space in touch with its storied surroundings.

Tour Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing

(Image credit: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)

As guests step out of their rooms, which take the form of individual courtyard houses scattered throughout the hutong (or laneway), they are immediately immersed in the vibrant daily life of one of Beijing’s most historic residential areas – neighbours could just as easily be long-standing families who have lived there for generations as they could be fellow travellers.

A joint venture between the government and Mandarin Oriental, the hotel took more than eight years to complete. Joe Cheng, founder of Hong Kong-based design firm CCD, says: ‘The biggest challenge was to strike a balance in protecting the original buildings and the hutong’s charm while making improvements to municipal facilities.’ This included repaving stone alleys, upgrading public toilets, and burying unsightly power lines. ‘We restored and reused every brick and tile of the original buildings,’ adds Cheng, who highlights how 90 per cent of the original structures were retained.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)

The hotel’s signature fan created by contemporary artist Xu Bing

(Image credit: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)

The result is an exceptional display of imperial design, craftsmanship, and traditional living that dates back 600 years to the Ming Dynasty, enhanced by modern elements. Guests enter the lobby through wooden gates flanked by a pair of stone drums leading into a quadrangle siheyuan courtyard. Here, a reflection pond beautifully frames a century-old maple and a Chinese mahogany tree.

The reception room features green inkstone and hardwood timber flooring highlighted by an ebony and brass scholar-style desk, which is set against an impressive eight-metre-long lacquer and cloisonné floral screen designed by artists Shen Jinly and Shi Jun. Contemporary artist Xu Bing has created the hotel’s signature fan, which features his unique square-word calligraphy that reads, ‘Unveil Beijing’s soul’.

Each of the 42 distinct rooms, varying in size and layout, features private courtyards, high ceilings, glass walls, and separate living and sleeping areas.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental)

On the food front, the two-storey Tiao bar has emerged as a popular hotspot, often drawing long queues on numerous evenings. The flagship Chinese restaurant, Yan Garden, helmed by chef Bai, sprawls across a series of courtyard dining rooms, where diners can feast on the likes of crispy pigeon or pan-fried blue lobster. Another venue, Vicini, morphs from breakfast workhorse to refined Italian stallion at lunch and dinner, with an upstairs terrace providing excellent views of the surrounding rooftops.

The wellness centre includes a spa, 24-hour fitness centre, and meditation maze. It’s worth, however, simply wandering the hutongs like the locals do, or exploring nearby Unesco World Heritage-listed landmarks such as the Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City. It’s then that you really get a sense of just how radical the new Mandarin Oriental Qianmen is.