by Le Concierge Orient
Retrace the rise & fall of the qing dynasty
through china's modern day north eastern cities
Unknown to many, 2024 quietly marked the 380th anniversary of the Manchu’s successful invasion of the Ming empire, the last Han Chinese dominated dynasty in Chinese history. In a blink of the eye the Qing, the last imperialistic power of China, rose and fell like the finite storyline of a Netflix series with the intrigue and drama still fuelling the imagination of the present generation. The surviving edifices in particular are the grand vestiges of the past, and juxtapose greatly with the skyscrapers of the current age.
Across the northeastern expanse of modern China lies one of the most dynamic regions in recent history. Somewhere to the north of Beijing beyond the Great Wall was the birthplace of the Manchu polity, a nomadic offshoot from the earlier Jurchen people that rose in power nearly 4 centuries earlier and had fought for decades to conquer China like their close allies, the Mongols had, centuries before them. The last hurdle for their ambitions was the great wall of China, specifically the entry point of Shan Hai Pass, guarded unsuccessfully by the remnant defences of the decaying Ming dynasty.
The Ming rulers had many great achievements under their belt — they drove the invading Mongols from their capital that is modern day Beijing, raised the magnificent Forbidden Palace right under the rubbles of the Mongol palace, sent a stupendous blue water fleet across the oceans to many corners of the world, and established trade partnerships and suzerainty for China years before the advent of the Western colonisers.
But the minders of this great dynasty were losing ground by the 17th century when the Later Jin (the dynastic name of the Manchu kingdom before their entry into China) had risen steadily in military might and was hellbent to replace it. The Manchu armies broke through Shan Hai pass in 1644 and drove the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, from his throne to his end, hanging from a tree on Jing Hill on 25 April 1644. 10 generations of Manchu emperors ruled China proper until the nationalistic fervour of the early 20th century finally overthrew and ended imperialistic rule. The last line of dynastic royals, from the colourful Shunzhi to the powerless Puyi, finally faced its curtain call and relinquished power on 10 Oct 1911. The Wuhan Uprising had swiftly sent modern China into republicanism, warlordism and foreign invasion.
Thankfully, peace has long prevailed and today we can retrace the steps of history and visit some of the important cultural and historical sites and hotels across 5 northern and northeastern cities in China while pondering the rise and fall of the country’s largest empire and last imperial dynasty.
Shenyang
Shenyang is the modern incarnation of the city the Manchus called home before their successful entry into China. It was a Ming outpost that Nuerhachi, the founding Khan of the Later Jin dynasty, had conquered in 1625 and developed as his bastion of power. Its old name is Mukden, or the Prosperous Capital in Chinese characters, an urban centre largely modelled after the Chinese cities of that age. It is currently the capital city of Northeast China with a population of over 23 million.
Of great historical significance is the Mukden Palace that was the imperial abode Nuerhachi built to symbolise the rising power of the Jurchens. It features over 300 rooms and 20 gardens to arrive at the effect the khan had desired. Today, the palace and museum is an important heritage site that offers insights into the grand ambitions of the earlier Manchu leaders.
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Grand Hyatt Shenyang
The Grand Hyatt Shenyang is the dwelling of choice when visiting the capital of Northeast China because of its stylish designs, comfortable rooms and its proximity to the city’s main attractions — the Mukden Museum is a short ride away and the hotel is close to the gargantuan MixC Shopping Mall, a 125,000 square metre retail mecca packed with the flagship boutiques of Chanel, LV and Dior.
There is a cluster of good restaurants to choose from in this hotel — from Dongbei Cuisine at Xin Feng Tian to hotpots at Cuan and Italian fare and steaks at Il Forno. Its rooms and suites also offer the perennial comforts of a Grand Hyatt and features the inspiring views of the city.
Grand Hyatt Shenyang, No. 288A, Qingnian Street, Heping District, Shenyang, China, 110004
Beijing
The capital city of China’s last two royal dynasties, Beijing is also the capital of modern China. When the Ming emperor Zhu Di moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing, he built the Forbidden Palace that is still the largest palace structure in the world today. Magnificent and invaluably historic, the successive Qing dynasty also ruled from the Forbidden Palace, but extended their presence into the Summer Palace and Yuan Ming Palace around the nexus of the capital. Rites and governance initiated by the Chinese were continued by the Manchus, and the functions of many historic buildings within the palace complex and others like the Temple of Heaven remained until the end of the dynasty.
The external forces that ravaged their way through China from the late 19th century left indelible damages on many of these splendid buildings, the most unbearable being the wanton destruction of the splendid Yuan Ming Palace, emperor Kangxi’s favourite summer residence that he decked with both Western and Oriental architecture. The ruins of the palace remain a stark reminder of the Qing’s failures from its middle period, plagued by leadership crises, succession woes and the rising ambitions of the colonial West.
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The PuXuan Hotel and Spa
The PuXuan is every bit the sensation it sets out to be with its Wangfujing address and classically attuned refinements. There is a splendid library, an alluring tea room, calming courtyards, comfortable rooms and the one-Michelin-starred Fu Chun Ju, the best fine dining Cantonese restaurant this tip of China.
Sharing the same building with the Guardian Art Centre, there is naturally an expectedly well curated wealth of art pieces within the hotel space, from seminal works by Chinese artists Qiu Deshu to Cai Guoqiang. Leisure moments can be spent combing through the literary volumes in the library or learning the creative tea painting techniques inherited from the Sung dynasty in the tea parlour.
The rooftop here offers some of the best vistas of the Forbidden Palace at dusk; from the silhouette of Jing Shan to the imposing shadows of the Meridian Gate, a sky painted purple and vermillion by the eastern sun can create the most magical panoramas of the historic monument.
The PuXuan Hotel and Spa, 1 WangFuJing Street, DongCheng District, Beijing 100006, China
Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing
One of the newest luxury hotels that opened in Beijing in recent years, the MO group has cleverly elected to keep things boutique and comfortable, with only 73 rooms and suites and a level of restaurants and bars pointing towards the Forbidden Palace at a visible distance. Signature MO plushness is evident at every turn and corner, with good service shining through within most branches of operation here. Being in such close proximity to the major cultural spots within Wangfujing is its primary selling point, and being attached to a luxury mall comes a close second. Modern, vibrant and conveniently located, Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing is a great spot to set up camp for explorations in the heart of Beijing.
Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, No. 269 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China
The Peninsula Beijing
An aged beauty that has undergone a thorough facelift within the last 10 years, The Peninsula Beijing is a ravishing hospitality landmark within the imperial precincts of Wangfujing offering distinctive service, inspiring cuisine and plush accommodations with a royal tinge. Remodelled as an all-suite hotel, its interiors have largely retained the design ethos of its branding albeit with a modern, moody edge.
The property is also host to some of the best retail brands in the world and we’ve observed over breakfast how customers were eagerly making a beeline for the Hermes boutique at 9 in the morning. Encapsulated within such glittering elements, The Peninsula Beijing is one of the best spots within Wangfujing to enjoy the imperial splendours of the city.
The Peninsula Beijing, 8 Goldfish Lane, Wangfujing, Beijing 100006, People’s Republic of China
Tianjin
In 1858, owing to a minute incident involving foreign trading ships, the British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku forts near Tianjin. The result of the combined war manoeuvre was the Treaty of Tientsin, which essentially opened Tianjin (Tientsin) to foreign trade. The monarch of the period, emperor Xianfeng was powerless to defend Chinese territories from foreign encroachments. Japan, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium all joined the British and the French in establishing self-contained concessions in Tianjin. These nations left architectural reminders of their rule, which include churches and thousands of villas that survived till today.
When Puyi, the last emperor of China, was finally forced out of the Forbidden Palace in 1924 by the warlord Feng Yuxiang, he moved to Tianjin and lived in two mansions that, though largely demolished, are still historic addresses popularly visited by tourists and history buffs. The city also has a wealth of colonial style buildings on a scale not quite common in mainland China, with the stretches of foreign concessions along the banks of the Haihe River and the Five Great Avenues must-visit architectural spots.
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Four Seasons Tianjin
Raised tall and dripping in eye-catching trappings that include a lobby illuminated by cyclopean chandeliers and flanked by metallic bamboos and lotus accents, Four Seasons Tianjin is a remarkable hospitality address raised with art deco-esque flourishes and bathed in rich brown, golden tones.
The design palette extends to the rooms and suites perched high above the ground that open to magnificent city views. The plush Premier Suite, for example, is 98 square metres and features push button showers and a bathtub parked right next to the city vista. Jin House is a beautifully furnished Chinese restaurant perennially touted as one of Tianjin’s best by the city’s Black Pearl Guide while Cielo offers a mix of Western classics with ever-popular buffet dinners.
Four Seasons Tianjin, 138 Chifeng Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300041, China
Ritz-Carlton Tianjin
The Ritz-Carlton Tianjin stands on a heritage address in the city, rising over a colonial mansion that was once levelled by a devastating earthquake. It was thus raised in a modern-classical style that suits the branding of a RC property exceedingly, especially in a historic city like Tianjin lined by rows and rows of colonial buildings at its core.
The club lounge of this Ritz-Carlton is manned by the ladies and gentlemen of the brand renowned for their finesse and although the property is not the newest, nor is it the plushest in town, it is very comfortable and exudes a sense of history taller, shinier upstarts have nothing on. The Chinese restaurant, Tian Tai Xuan, helmed by an experienced Singaporean chef, is a must-visit culinary hotspot in Tianjin.
The Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin, No 167 Dagubei Road, Heping District, Tianjin, China 300040
The St Regis Tianjin
Raised right next to the Haihe River within a striking, angular arch-shape building, the St Regis Tianjin has some of the city’s best river vistas and is within close proximity to the colonial edifices that line the river banks. It is also close to the tourist attractions of the Cultural Street as well as the many scenic spots along the river. The genteel helpful service offered by the experienced butlers of the hotel truly makes a difference for the uninitiated in Tianjin.
The St Regis Tianjin, 158 Zhangzizhong Road, He Ping District, Tianjin, China 300041
Changchun
Between 1932 and 1945 the Northeastern Chinese city of Changchun was governed as Xinjing (new capital) by the Kwantung Army with Puyi installed as the puppet emperor of the Manchukuo, a phoney regime instituted by the Japanese to justify their incursions into China proper. Here the dynastic throes of the Manchus were played out as the dreams of a deposed monarch to revive the empire of his people came to a crashing halt after the Japanese surrendered in 1945. Changchun is today the capital of the Jilin province with a significant focus on the automobile industry. The palace where Puyi and his empress, Wanrong, resided as the regnant heads of Manchukuo still stands in Changchun.
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Shangri-La Changchun
Shangri-La Changchun is one of the city’s earliest luxury hotels to open its doors and is today still the epitome of Northeastern hospitality in the populous capital. Exuding all the flourishes and excesses of a quintessentially Shangri-La property, the Shangri-La Changchun offers well-sized accommodations with an extensive inventory of service-apartment style suites for guests intending to linger longer in the city for business or explorations.
Shangri-La Changchun, 569 Xian Road, Changchun, China, 130061
Dalian
In 1880 the Qing government started a tiny walled settlement called Jinzhou in the northeastern coast of the empire to facilitate mining and other economic activities of the age. Little did they know 140 years ago that this minuscule town would outlast the dynasty and grow into the picturesque port city of Dalian with a population of 6.2 million people and a GDP of USD 120 billion in 2024.
After losing the disastrous first Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the Qing had to sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki whereby Chinese territories including the Liaodong Peninsula were ceded to the Japanese. The successive decades saw many wars fought between the Japanese and the Russian over the peninsula. After the end of World War 2, the Soviets and Communist China cooperated briefly in the development of Dalian. In 1950, the city was presented back to China for total governance. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Four Seasons Dalian
The luxury chain’s latest opening in China is also its most resplendent in recent years. Occupying the top floors of a skyscraper in the harbour front business district, the excellent milieu of this sensational property is unparalleled by any in the city, and quite possibly, the Greater China region. The aspects of this lofty establishment are handsome and thoroughly modern, and despite the cumbersome brand directive to incorporate the facets of the four seasons in the design brief, prolific design studio HBA has raised a vision that stands out with sensuous accents, comfortable furnishings and endless tracts of curtain walls that let in the stunning sea view across the lobby, restaurants and rooms.
Four Seasons Dalian, 45 Zhuyu Street, Zhongshan District, Dalian, Liaoning
The Castle Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Dalian
Very few hotels can conjure a vision of the distant past, like say a medieval castle, and successfully veer it away from the tacky excesses that are more Disney than luxury. The Castle Hotel, a beautiful coastal retreat in Dalian managed by The Luxury Collection, is such a rarity within the genre. Raised in a classical mould that featured roman columns, ornate railings, oil paintings, elaborate draperies and sparkling chandeliers balanced with sensible modern accents across its entire space, there is a genuine classicalism emanating from the property that makes it a dreamy confection when so much could have gone wrong and relegated it to the stuff of nightmares. This dramatic building perched on the cliff is quite a veritable landmark of Dalian.
The Castle Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Dalian, No. 600 Binhai West Road, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning, China, 116023
Shangri-la Dalian
When coursing through the expanse of mainland China the hospitality brand that puts one in good stead is doubtlessly the Shangri-la Group. Like most of the other properties dotting Chinese cities everywhere, this installation in Dalian is centrally located, classically furnished, and features spacious rooms and suites that are designed for lingering. Shang Palace here offers Chinese cuisine with Dongbei flavours and the lobby lounge serves drinks and afternoon tea with live music under the imposing chandeliers the chain is largely known for. There is nothing more comforting than familiarity in faraway foreign lands and within this hotel, the welcome and care extends from check-in to departure.
Shangri-La Dalian, 66 Renmin Road, Dalian 116001 China
