Gay Shanghai Shanghai City Guide

Curation by Yasmina Rodríguez, words by Gina Samarotto

As heady and exotic as they come, Shanghai is a city able to sate even the deepest wanderlust cravings. Shanghai, or Hu for short, serves as the most influential mecca for international trade, commerce, economy and all things finance in East China - if not all Asia. It’s a city of indulgence where you can feed your love for art and architecture, whet your gourmet palate, spend a morning selecting a custom-made wardrobe and an afternoon immersed in rich, ancient culture. Magically orphic, in this Asian city the most important things to have on hand are an appetite for ardour, a yearning for style and a keen sense of adventure. Smaller than one might expect given the city’s behemoth size, the Shanghai gay community continues to come out of the shadows and into its own. And while public displays of same-sex affection may be more common than they once were, don’t expect to find many rainbow flags flying over the city. Be assured though, as both a gay destination and icon city, the ties between Shanghai and the LGBTQ community weave themselves into tapestry worthy of exploration.

The best hotels in Shanghai

China’s love affair with luxury reaches new heights in Shanghai, and nowhere is this more evident than in the extraordinary calibre of the city’s finest addresses. Tucked into a cluster of lovingly restored 1930s shikumen townhouses in the Xuhui District, Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li offers the voyager who craves absolute privacy an experience unlike any other in the city. Each of its stone-gate villas rises across several storeys, complete with its own private courtyard, entertainment room and rooftop terrace, so that a stay here feels closer to residing in an exclusive, high-society enclave than checking into a conventional hotel. Guests are looked after by dedicated Capella Culturists, dine at Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire — the three-Michelin-starred chef’s first mainland China restaurant — and unwind at the Auriga Spa, all within walking distance of the boutiques and cafés of the fashionable Heng-Fu Landscape Area and the laneways of Tianzifang.

Furthermore, for those drawn to the drama of Jing’an, The PuLi Hotel and Spa pioneered the very idea of Zen luxury in Shanghai and remains unrivalled at it. Polished black stone floors, richly textured wall coverings and a serene, neutral palette create an atmosphere that borders on meditative, while the hotel’s 105-foot Long Bar sweeps the length of the lobby overlooking Jing’an Park beyond floor-to-ceiling glass. A 25-metre heated indoor pool, an extensive spa menu and the Michelin-starred PHÉNIX restaurant round out a property that feels worlds away from the frenetic energy of the district just outside its doors — Nanjing West Road, the Réel shopping complex and Jing’an Temple are all a short stroll away.

The Puli Hotel

Meanwhile, high-octane Italian glamour awaits on the North Bund at Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai. Occupying the uppermost eight floors of a soaring tower and seamlessly connected to a beautifully restored 1916 neoclassical chamber — once the city’s Chamber of Commerce — this property pairs dramatic floor-to-ceiling views of the Bund and Pudong skyline with a 2,000-square-metre subterranean spa finished in matte black granite. Guests can sip cocktails at the jewel-like Bvlgari Bar on the 47th floor, dine on Italian fare from Il Ristorante — Niko Romito, or browse fine jewellery in the adjoining boutique; the atmosphere throughout is one of pure, unabashed indulgence.

Finally, design purists should look no further than Upper House Shanghai, formerly celebrated by in-the-know travellers as The Middle House. Set in the Dazhongli neighbourhood of Jing’an, the property continues to deliver flawless, near-monochrome minimalism courtesy of Milanese architect Piero Lissoni, who paired bold Italian furniture lines with subtle Chinese artisan touches throughout its rooms, residences and jade-green, theatrically lit lobby. An indoor pool, an extensive spa and three distinct restaurants — including SuiTangLi’s playful reinvention of Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghainese classics — make this the definitive choice for the design-obsessed traveller, all just steps from the shopping of HKRI Taikoo Hui.