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A timeless landmark in a fast-changing city
By Richard Baimbridge |
July 8, 2010, Thursday
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WHEN Shanghai Centre opened in October 1990, it was the tallest building in the city. It was also the only downtown serviced apartment option for foreigners, and it was home to the only supermarket in Shanghai selling imported foods.
"Back then, foreign residents were really dependant on us," recalls Shanghai Centre General Manager Byron Kan, who's been on the job since 2001.
"At that time, very few Chinese spoke English, and only a handful of food outlets and service facilities catered to foreigners."
What a difference two decades make, especially in China. Skyscrapers have sprung up like daisies, and the proliferation of choices for everything from office to retail space to five-star hotels and dining is dizzying. Yet through it all, Shanghai Centre has somehow managed to remain a leading cultural landmark.
Though I've been in China for as long as Byron Kan, I was a relatively late arrival to Shanghai, landing in the city in the autumn of 2006 from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
I still remember my first lunch here with an Aussie real estate developer. "Just get in a taxi and tell him to take you to Portman hotel," he said.
"Bo te man jiu dian" (Portman hotel) were the first words I ever uttered here, and I would go on to repeat them many more times over the years.
I think many of us can tell a similar story. Yet the question has always stirred in my mind: how is it possible in this town of "hot today, forgotten tomorrow," with an almost irrational exuberance for the next big thing, that Shanghai Centre has managed to stay on top of its game?
Much of the answer, I believe, lies in its initial conception. Rather than going for something outlandishly modern, architect/designer John Portman & Associates wisely opted for a theme of timeless elegance. There's a nod to Shanghai's past with Art Deco style, hints of Zen in the rock gardens and water fountains, and shades of China in the red pillars and terracotta warrior statues. The plaza exudes a sense of wide-open spaciousness, without being overbearing. In short, it feels like home.
For people who've chosen to make Shanghai Centre their work place, it's the ideal environment and location. "I love the fact that I can walk downstairs and sit and have lunch or a business meeting outside in the sunshine at a place like Element Fresh or Gourmet Cafe with friends or clients," says Nico Van Dam of Hay Group, which has held office space at Shanghai Centre for nearly 10 years. "It's a landmark that everybody knows and loves."
But "timelessness" is only appealing when matched with constant upkeep and quality service. "Shanghai Centre just finished a US$40 million renovation of The Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel," notes Kan. "And we're in the middle of doing a similar renovation to our apartments." Therein lies the second key part of the equation. Shanghai Centre has never rested on its laurels. There's a constant effort to maintain and improve top quality management services, and the brass never fails to shine.
For everyone from the consulate staff to the corporations, retailers and joint ventures that call Shanghai Centre home, there may be newer options today, but you'd be hard pressed to find better ones. I think for years to come, we'll be climbing into taxis and uttering what for some of us are among the only Chinese words we know: "Bo te man jiu dian."
"Back then, foreign residents were really dependant on us," recalls Shanghai Centre General Manager Byron Kan, who's been on the job since 2001.
"At that time, very few Chinese spoke English, and only a handful of food outlets and service facilities catered to foreigners."
What a difference two decades make, especially in China. Skyscrapers have sprung up like daisies, and the proliferation of choices for everything from office to retail space to five-star hotels and dining is dizzying. Yet through it all, Shanghai Centre has somehow managed to remain a leading cultural landmark.
Though I've been in China for as long as Byron Kan, I was a relatively late arrival to Shanghai, landing in the city in the autumn of 2006 from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
I still remember my first lunch here with an Aussie real estate developer. "Just get in a taxi and tell him to take you to Portman hotel," he said.
"Bo te man jiu dian" (Portman hotel) were the first words I ever uttered here, and I would go on to repeat them many more times over the years.
I think many of us can tell a similar story. Yet the question has always stirred in my mind: how is it possible in this town of "hot today, forgotten tomorrow," with an almost irrational exuberance for the next big thing, that Shanghai Centre has managed to stay on top of its game?
Much of the answer, I believe, lies in its initial conception. Rather than going for something outlandishly modern, architect/designer John Portman & Associates wisely opted for a theme of timeless elegance. There's a nod to Shanghai's past with Art Deco style, hints of Zen in the rock gardens and water fountains, and shades of China in the red pillars and terracotta warrior statues. The plaza exudes a sense of wide-open spaciousness, without being overbearing. In short, it feels like home.
For people who've chosen to make Shanghai Centre their work place, it's the ideal environment and location. "I love the fact that I can walk downstairs and sit and have lunch or a business meeting outside in the sunshine at a place like Element Fresh or Gourmet Cafe with friends or clients," says Nico Van Dam of Hay Group, which has held office space at Shanghai Centre for nearly 10 years. "It's a landmark that everybody knows and loves."
But "timelessness" is only appealing when matched with constant upkeep and quality service. "Shanghai Centre just finished a US$40 million renovation of The Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel," notes Kan. "And we're in the middle of doing a similar renovation to our apartments." Therein lies the second key part of the equation. Shanghai Centre has never rested on its laurels. There's a constant effort to maintain and improve top quality management services, and the brass never fails to shine.
For everyone from the consulate staff to the corporations, retailers and joint ventures that call Shanghai Centre home, there may be newer options today, but you'd be hard pressed to find better ones. I think for years to come, we'll be climbing into taxis and uttering what for some of us are among the only Chinese words we know: "Bo te man jiu dian."
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