January / February 2019 The Transformation of Guangzhou into China’s MOST LIVEABLE CITY 广 州 GUANGZHOU PAPER MAGAZINE would like to wish all its readers a prosperous and HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! WeChat: Paper online: PAPER MAGAZINE PAPER www.neo-ads.com/paper Janary-February 2019 04 cover story 25 cotchin Find out how Guangzhou transformed into one of China's most liveable cities as we take you on enlightenment living facebook.com/NeoPaperMagazine a journey inside the arts and cultural heartbeat of South China! 26 yummy instagram.com/NeoPaperMagazine 28 cheers 08 city window 30 cru twitter.com/paper_neo 10 arts & events 32 mice 12 fortune Contact 34 living Tel: (8620) 8365 2811 14 jetsetter Email: [email protected] 35 out n about Chief Operating Officer: LC Chau 36 destination Director: Italiana Granni Consulting Director: Allan Au 38 supremos Editing Consultant: May Guan The Corporate Executive Officer & Chief Editor in Chief: William C Development Officer of Prince Hotels & Guest Editor: Ben Chu Resorts, Mr Jiro Amikura unveils his plans for Financial Controller: Takuto bringing the best of Japanese hospitality to Marketing Director: Alex Leung, Shirley Tse South China. Marketing Manager: Ambro Chow, Purple Liu 40 education Creative Director: Rita Shi Publication Co-coordinator: Nana Get your cameras ready for a visual feast. We witty wine Photographer: bring you on an art tour of Florence, the art Leona, Purple, Hiroly capital of the world! 41 bulletin 45 diary Contributors: 18 auto Allan CW Au, Anna G, Gregory Louraichi, GiGi Chik, Jessie Huang, John Chu, 20 muse Kenny Tan, Kee Lee, Lena Liu, Peter Fenton, 22 eureka Roy Moorfield, Sukanya Mukherjee, Yuyao.K., Han Peiyi, Rain L. 23 fighting fit 24 athlete 04 THE TRANSFORMATION OF cover story cover PAPER MAGAZINE PAPER GUANGZHOU INTO CHINA’S MOST LIVEABLE CITY Guangzhou’s transformation into a prosperous first-tier city was nothing short of amazing. In its economic heydays when China first opened its doors to the rest of the world, it was proudly dubbed the “factory of the world” for the sheer volume of goods that it produced and shipped to the rest of the world. Yet, even as the Cantonese have accumulated enormous wealth and riches through their business acumen and frenetic pace of getting things done, its burgeoning vibrant arts and culture scene has sprung up over the years to offset the hustle and bustle of urban life and in its process, transformed Guangzhou’s culture and endowed it with a more liveable lifestyle. CANTONESE FOOD CULTURE REIGNS SUPREME Shanghai may boast of being Mainland China’s financial hub and Beijing may be the undisputed political centre in the North but Guangzhou is undoubtedly the Culinary Capital of China. Foreigners who are used to bulldozing things through and pushing aggressively to get things done will be amazed by the Yum Cha culture which is deeply embedded in the Cantonese way of life and even the way they conduct business and trade. While you are trying to seal the latest deal and tempers might get a bit heated, you can count on the time-honored tradition of discussing things over a Yum Cha session to diffuse tensions and resolve matters calmly, and what better way to cool down than to partake in a culinary journey in togetherness with your business partners or even loved ones. Jiang by Chef Fei, located amidst the elegant environs of the classy Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou, is a Michelin-starred restaurant which has not only perfected the craft of traditional Cantonese cuisines and dim sums to delight your taste buds but to also help you fully immerse in the Cantonese culinary culture, with its solid wood floors, patterned carpets and exquisite Oriental artwork blending seamlessly together to give you probably the most unforgettable Yum Cha experience of your life. Over at Huan Shi Dong, Yuexiu District, LN Garden Hotel’s The Peach Blossom offers you a Cantonese fine dining journey which is laced with references and symbolisms from the legendary Chinese classic, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. Paintings of characters such as Kong Ming and Guan Yu dot the elegant walls of the restaurant as foreigners and locals alike partake in the Cantonese culture of “feasting” to celebrate or commemorate a joyous or more formal occasion. The Cantonese art of fine dining is truly enlivened by the historical and cultural art pieces depicting the heroes and scenes from the Chinese classic, and there is nothing truly more exciting than experiencing both culinary and cultural heaven both at the same time! GUANGZHOU ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS: BLENDING HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE WITH MODERNITY Every modern and liveable city will lay claim to an architecturally significant landmark as a symbol of its status. Guangzhou’s blend of traditional and modern architecture tells a story of both its past and its present. Every architecture interacts with the dweller, with its stone walls and décor like art pieces echoing the rich culture and interesting tales behind the transformation of Guangzhou. The Zhenhai Tower, which now houses the Guangzhou Museum is a symbolic architecture masterpiece which has survived through the turbulent Ming and Qing Dynasties, and as a provincial cultural relic emblematic of Guangzhou’s cultural past, it is now a fitting home to artistic and cultural artefacts to showcase the beauty and richness of the Lingnan culture. For Cantonese-inspired Folk Art, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, which traces back to as far as 1894, is renowned for its medieval Chinese- styled architecture, a befitting resting place to exhibit wood carvings, stone carvings and pottery from the masses of the past. After you have acquainted yourself with Guangzhou’s rich history, you take a journey of its modern enclave, the artistic Guangzhou Opera House in all its grandeur and splendour, and most importantly, to promote Guangzhou’s vibrant arts and cultural scene. The white spaces in this stunning architectural masterpiece by the late Zaha Hadid creates an abundance of space, both literal and metaphorical, to inspire your creativity and let your imagination run wild as you enter the grand auditorium and enrich your cultural and artistic senses with world-class performances such as Chicago The Musical or Kinky Boots. And after you soak up the electrifying yet culturally-enriching performances, you exit the building to return to your urban lifestyle, and you feast your eyes on the ever-rising Canton Tower, with its mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colours to enchant you and also remind you of Guangzhou’s modern prosperity and its status as the cosmopolitan crown jewel of the Pearl River Delta. For weekend escapades, run away to Shamian Island to embrace the French architectural influences, a journey into the colonial past of Guangzhou, but also to see the beauty of life as the stunning architecture and layout become idyllic backdrops for couples posing lovingly for their matrimonial photos. GUANGZHOU PAPER 06 cover story GUANGZHOU ART SPACES AND EVENTS APLENTY They say that the arts are a reflection of how far society has progressed and for the Cantonese, with their wealth, their demand for the arts have never been higher. All around the city, sprawling art galleries and spaces have sprung up to attempt to fill the spiritual void of urban dwellers wearied by the senseless chase and pursuit of money and the bling bling. And to make this statement that the arts should be independent of monetary concerns and political influences, art spaces like Vitamin Creative Space, 53 Art Museum, and Observation Society have tried to put their stamp on promoting artistic liberty with minimal costs. All these spaces aim to afford artists and their And then there is the newly-opened audiences not just the physical spaces but also the Guangzhou K11, the new kid in town creative realms and licences to explore, without which aims to integrate the arts with inhibitions, pressing social issues and themes, the fabric of Guangzhou’s lifestyle by with the inspiration to voice out their opinions regularly hosting art exhibitions and without fear. The wide spaces in the galleries are events amidst its luxurious commercial but symbolic extensions of the creative space that and retail space. Thus far, the K11 has artists and audiences should possess to partake opened to much fanfare with huge in social and cultural interactions. For these crowds thronging the K11 art space on weekends EMBRACE NATURE AND BE INSPIRED new-age “art galleries”, the focus is not the fine and the place is a draw with not just the masses After you have had enough of the cold concrete visual aesthetics of Monet or Da Vinci, but the but the rich and famous, proving that art has no jungle and its capitalistic trappings and frenzied expression of ideas, symbols and social agendas. boundaries and can be enjoyed by all. pace of life, simply escape to the Xiaozhou Village, about 45 minutes from Guangzhou. Up Even luxury brands in Guangzhou’s hospitality to this day, the entire town retains the classical sector are doing their bid to combine arts with image of the archetypal Lingnan water village. lifestyle into their product offerings. Earlier this People who are used to urban jungle like me will year, The Lifestyle and Hospitality brand, Ritz- fall in love with this idyllic corner of Guangzhou as Carlton, Guangzhou and K11 collaborated to the scenery here is akin to a picture right out of a bring Chen Wei’s Where Are You Going Tonight. classical Chinese painting. to its hotel guests. Of course, one might argue that the hotels are also trying to draw more guests to boost their room occupancy rates but hey, there is no harm in spicing up the local arts scene and mixing business with pleasure.