Shanghai × Art
The art scene in China, and Shanghai in particular, seems to grow more powerful year by year.
Visiting ART021 and West Bund Art & Design in November 2019, along with Shanghai’s leading galleries, I was able to feel that momentum firsthand. It was an outstanding opportunity to view many superb works that can’t be seen in Japan.
Also, the flight to Shanghai takes only about two and a half hours one way.
It came across as a city that is far closer than one might imagine, and by using local restaurants, prices are low enough to keep the trip affordable. There are several mega-galleries, and even outside of art fair season, it’s easy to drop by for a casual visit.
This article introduces an affordable and comfortable hotel recommended for a Shanghai stay — a city offering viewing opportunities you can’t find in Japan.
*Coverage from November 2019
From the airport to a hotel in Shanghai
Shanghai is a city where taxi fares are astonishingly cheap.
From the airport to the hotel featured here (Baolong Homelike Hotel) — the distance from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to the hotel was 12.4 km, and after about a 30-minute ride the fare came to an incredible “44 yuan (704 yen in Japanese)”. *According to a Chinese acquaintance, however, from Pudong Airport it can rise to around 200 yuan (roughly five times as much). *In Shanghai, I recommend using an app called “DIDI” to arrange a taxi. It’s a truly excellent tool that lets you go from pickup to drop-off without speaking a word of Chinese (I recommend downloading the Chinese version in advance).
Trains are of course even cheaper. Choose whatever works best for your situation.
*A follow-up note: after using the DIDI app a few times, the credit card I had registered stopped processing payments, so I registered a different card and got through. After returning home, I received a confirmation call from the card company — apparently it had been flagged as a suspicious transaction and the card was frozen. Keep this in mind if payments fail.
A hotel for 10,000 yen for two nights
The hotel I recommend this time is “Baolong Homelike Hotel (宝隆居家酒店),” located about a 10-minute walk from “GATE 3” of the Shanghai Exhibition Center — the venue for ART021.
Booking.com
The hotel is tucked away from the main street, so please take note. It’s registered on Google Maps — which is generally hard to use in China — so you can still locate it.
Even a single room is amply spacious. Although it had a semi-double bed, it was large enough to accommodate two people by Japanese standards. *There were in fact two sets of pillows, bath towels, and face towels, so two guests may well be able to stay.
Air conditioning is included, and the flat-screen TV had cable channels showing a wide variety of programs.
Toothbrush sets weren’t provided, so I recommend bringing your own.
Even if you forget, there’s a “Familymart” convenience store just a few minutes’ walk away.
Washlets (bidet toilets) have not yet spread widely, even in public restrooms in China. This hotel also had no washlet function.
The hotel has automatic locks and card keys. Even coming back late at night felt secure.
As mentioned earlier, taxis are extremely cheap in Shanghai, so unless you have special circumstances, being a bit far from your destination isn’t really an issue.
The room rate this time was 628 yuan (10,048 yen) for two nights from Friday to Sunday.
Given that the average nightly rate in the surrounding area was around 10,000 yen, this is a recommended hotel if you want to stay affordably.
*Visit was in November 2019. Exchange rate calculated at 1 yuan = 16 yen.
Overview
Baolong Homelike Hotel (宝隆居家酒店)
Address: 125 Nanyang Rd, Jing’an, Shanghai, China 200040
Phone: +86 21 5174 8188
Room amenities:
Phone, air conditioning, toilet, private shower room, slippers, cable channels, flat-screen TV, electric kettle, hair dryer. *No toothbrush kit provided.
