A new condo building here, a new office building there, I can see about 15 construction cranes blinking in the night from my balcony. In a place like Shanghai that changes so rapidly, few places have that iconic feel you might get from buildings and monuments in other cities around the world. One of those places in Shanghai is the Peace Hotel.
The Peace Hotel was built in 1929 by business mogul Sir Victor Sassoon, not usually a year thought of as good for opening businesses in the US, but in Shanghai the roaring 20′s rolled on into the early 30′s. Sir Sassoon represented the diversity of Shanghai life: an Iraqi Sephardic Jew, who’s family dominated much of Shanghai business. Movie theaters, dance halls, and especially Jazz bars were all the rage. At the time, Shanghai had long been the port of entry for many Europeans and Americans; several areas of the city were carved out and administered as if they were sovereign territories, including where I live in the French Concession. The sense of change and possibility in Shanghai at the time put electricity into the air; people that tell stories from that time always have this look in their eye about the romance and freedom of Shanghai in the 20′s and 30′s. And if you were anyone who was anyone in Shanghai at the time, you probably were making appearances at the Peace Hotel.
So what was it about the Peace Hotel that set the tone for the decade to come? Located on the Bund, a 3 kilometer stretch of port-side buildings, the Peace Hotel stood out as a symbol of prosperity and luxury on the north end. Easily recognizable with a copper four-sided pyramid on top, the Peace Hotel swept onto the social and nightlife scene in 1929 with a legendary Jazz Band that brought people to the Peace Hotel lounge from all over the city and the world. In many ways, no expense was spared on the building itself; hotel suites were enormous and had global themes like “America,” “India,” and “Japan,” with keen attention to detail in their design and decor. The Peace Hotel helped transform Shanghai into a place that also attracted Jazz artists from all over the world.
The Peace Hotel didn’t fair so well under the Communist regime, but re-emerged as a hotel after the reform and opening up of China in the 1980s. After nearly a century of use, it went under heavy renovation from 2007 until this summer in 2010. Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of going to the grand re-opening of the hotel. Wine, a fancy dinner, and cocktails were part of the night that included an appearance by Yue-sai Kan, the equivalent of a Chinese Oprah, and the Consul Generals from at least 5 countries…that I could count. They also brought back some of the original members of the Jazz band that played in 1929.
Main Lobby of the Peace Hotel
The renovation, once again, spared no luxury or detail. One of the most interesting, was actually the decals that were located outside of each room. As an Art Deco building, the Peace Hotel is covered in sleak, small decorations about the size of your hand. As part of the renovation, they made molds of each design and now your room can be distinguished not only by the number, but also by the decal at the side.
When we attended the opening they still had not finished the renovations of the “country” suites, but we were promised that they would be done by September. Now that I know the sales manager, maybe I could arrange a discount for your next visit; guaranteed to have a good music and a great view!
