An Homage to Japanese Architecture in the Heart of China

On the ground floor of the Shangri-La Hotel in Chengdu, you will find two restaurants which both pay homage to Japanese architectural traditions, each in their own individual way. This luxury hotel in the capital of Sichuan — a city renowned for both its panda population and its growing number of start-ups — has entrusted its two restaurant spaces to the Japanese architect Yoshimasa Tsutsumi.

The first restaurant is centred around robatayaki, a grilling technique widely used in Japan. The beauty of the space is, thanks to the sturdy ceiling beams, directly inspired by the Yoshijima House in the Gifu Prefecture. The traditional house, built in 1907 by wealthy sake merchants from Kanazawa City, is the first space to officially be considered a site of Japanese cultural heritage or Important Cultural Property.

The second, smaller restaurant specializes in kaiseki, a gastronomic practice that consists of combining small portions of different dishes, each carefully prepared. To differentiate it from the surrounding hotel, the architect chose to decorate the ceiling with fine wooden panels, typical of tea tasting spaces across Japan. Superimposed atop one another, a slightly shimmering effect is created, its delicate nature in contrast with the heavy beams of the first restaurant.

Guests are free to choose between whichever little slice of Japan they please here in the heart of China.