Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, is where past and present (and pandas) converge. Its futuristic cityscape is a vibrant display of architectural advancement with massive LED displays showing digital pandas and skyscraper facades that act as canvases for light shows.
Yet, you can still find traces of a bygone era through century-old teahouses, shrines and courtyard houses. And checking into Upper House Chengdu, perhaps, best embodies this fascinating dichotomy.
Opened in 2015 by Swire Hotels, Upper House Chengdu, formerly known as The Temple House, is a 100-room luxury hotel in the middle of the city and adjacent to 42 serviced apartments named Upper House Residences.
Upon arrival, its intriguing brick entrance gate and tile roofs with overhanging eaves and decorative dragon finials mesmerise, inviting you to step inside to discover what lies beyond.
You can easily find your Zen as you step into a beautifully restored centennial courtyard house from the Qing Dynasty that serves as a serene library and a check-in area.
Do make a point of checking out the inward-facing building again in the evening, as its abundant and intricate latticework comes alive under the warm light, ripe for photo-taking. Despite being on a bustling street, Upper House Chengdu feels serene and secluded.
You'll be back to the present once you enter the sleek and solemn-looking hotel tower. The elevator has no button to close the door, and the idea behind it is that they want guests to slow down and truly enjoy their stay. The tower houses 100 rooms across nine categories, accommodating two to six guests. Staying here starts large with more than 60m² inside a Studio 60 and goes all the way to the 287m² Penthouse occupying the top two floors.
The two-storey sanctuary boasts private balconies on both levels with a jacuzzi on the upper balcony while the lower floor is more spacious with various outdoor seating choices for a get-together where everyone can enjoy an overlooking view of Taikoo Li Chengdu, Swire’s flagship retail and lifestyle development, is adjacent to the hotel for brand-name shopping. More on it later.
You'll want for nothing even if you stay in the entry-level accommodation (unless you're very high-maintenance). The neutral palette makes the living area and bedroom inviting, while the black bathroom with tub and rain shower (why choose?) feels sleek. Little details like Bamford toiletries (pillow mist included), a high-end speaker, a TV hidden in the bathroom mirror and an espresso machine add luxury to your sanctuary.
The absence of private balconies in most room types is more than made up for with floor-to-ceiling windows. Oh, you may also notice what looks like watermarks all over your windows when you look close enough. They are actually tiny bits that form a bamboo forest pattern on the building facade.
Upper House Chengdu offers two dining options with Michelin cred to match its one Michelin Key.
Mi Xun Teahouse holds a Michelin star and Chengdu's only Michelin Green Star for its sustainability efforts and locally-sourced vegetarian Sichuan menu. Expect a farm-to-table menu that features creative and vegetarian renditions of favourite dishes such as Baota rou (pork pyramid) made of white radish instead of pork belly and dan dan sauce with spinach noodles.
Chef de cuisine Steven Tang and his team at Mi Xun have recently introduced the Shanshui dining series, inspired by China’s various seasons and landscapes. With Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan irrigation system in Chengdu being the first muses, he presents an eight-course set dinner menu, paired with wine and tea, that showcases four treasures of Mount Qingcheng: spring water pickles, ginkgo, Qingcheng green tea and kiwi wine. At the same address, you can also find a spa of the same name where you can get pampered and escape to another beautifully restored courtyard.
For a dinner with a snazzy atmosphere, there's Tivano, an Italian restaurant helmed by relatively young head chef Riccardo Baronchelli.
Tuna crudo with marinated courgette (which I mistook for pasta at first) comes with lemon caviar on top. Very savoury and refreshing starter. Capture an appetising shot when a waiter pours mushroom consommé next to the Oven-baked cod served on Jerusalem artichoke puree before you dig in. Save some room for a Black truffle or Seafood pizza made fresh from the mosaic oven, which stands out as a piece de resistance of Tivano's open kitchen.
Start your day with a hearty breakfast of Western and Chinese food at The Temple Café where you can help yourself to food already laid for you or order from an à la carte menu served “half-portion” so you can sample everything. While you can have the usual egg dishes, opt for Sichuan specialities like pork wontons with soup or spicy sauce and noodles with spicy beef. Perk up your first coffee with printed panda latte art in various cute poses.
For late-night chillout, Jing serves creative cocktails alongside live DJ sets.
Do take time to tour Upper House Chengdu and you'll come across backdrops for your new profile pictures. Enjoy a proper swim in the 25-metre temperature-controlled indoor lap pool on the underground floor, which mesmerisingly reflects the concentric circle skylights.
On the same level, the well-equipped gym offers an energising ambience to pump it up with skylights, mirror walls and a garden view. A stylishly cascading staircase near the courtyard reception looks like something out of Dune to me but is actually inspired by Sichuan's terraced farmlands.
You can accomplish your daily 10,000 steps (feasible due to milder weather and overcast sky) and get your urge to splurge satiated in one go with a visit to neighbouring Taikoo Li Chengdu, a low-rise sprawling shopping mall with brands from A(pple) to Z(ara). From high-street stores to high-end tenants like Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Hermès. If you think some of our Mujis are big, check their Muji, which is the brand's largest store outside Japan.
It's quite a fascinating sight to behold where luxury Western brands find homes in traditional-style buildings. Each brand puts on an architectural and interior show for your attention. Even if you're not a luxury lover, you can do cafe-hopping or enjoy a fountain show in front of the Apple store or stunning visuals on a curved naked-eye 3D screen (cute pandas included) above Volvo.
Moreover, after getting yourself retail therapy, you can also visit the 1,600-year-old Buddhist Daci Temple, which is in the same precinct as the mall and the hotel, for some spiritual therapy. Stop by the three large, gilded Chinese characters engraved on the front stone wall to pray and touch for good luck. They are qí, fú and shòu, which mean wish, fortune and longevity, respectively. There are so many more things to experience within a walking radius from Upper House Chengdu, including getting your ear cleaned on the sidewalk.
You can get more of the past-meet-present vibe with a night cruise on Jinjiang River. The 30-minute scenic boat ride passes through illuminated landmarks along the river such as the ancient Anshun Bridge and Hejiang Pavilion. Set against towering skyscrapers on the banks, the way the ancient bridge with its golden roofs and golden undersides reflects on the water ripples is totally mesmerising. The boat also passes under the bridge for symbolic good luck, too and you'll be treated to a mapping projection at the end of the cruise.
For dinner with a show, you have many choices of hot pot meals with face-changing opera (bian lian). Opt for Xiao Long Fan Da Jiang, if you wish to dine in an imperial setting like you're emperor or empress and catch various types of shows from the 300-year-old opera, a long-spout tea pouring performance to a silly dance with Panda mascot.
With Sichuan being one of the three panda hubs of China, it only makes sense to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Basically, visitors can enjoy a lovely stroll among beautiful landscapes and observe cute pandas in their open-air enclosures from a distance. However, don't expect any kind of shows like football or painting, as we do with our elephants; these pandas just exist au naturel. Some resident pandas here have finished their tenures abroad at foreign zoos, as well. You'll also spot some local panda enthusiasts who load all kinds of panda trinkets on their backpacks, like badges of honour. The bonus is that you'll also get to meet red pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys, too.
Lastly, the Upper House experience is coming to Bangkok, which will be home to the world's first Upper House branded residences outside China: Upper House Residences Bangkok and The Wireless Residences By Upper House. The former is a 52-storey tower housing 156 units. The latter is a 71-storey tower with 239 units. They are expected to be completed by 2030.
