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).
Taxis are cheap and easy for getting around China.
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.
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.
The hallway — a quiet place to stay.
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.
Roomy interior with a semi-double bed.
Air conditioning is included, and the flat-screen TV had cable channels showing a wide variety of programs.
A wall-mounted TV was provided.My room was on the 4th floor. Outside the window was a sports facility with an athletic ground.
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 shower booth — plenty of hot water, no issues.
The hotel has automatic locks and card keys. Even coming back late at night felt secure.
Lit up at night.
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.
중국 국내, 특히 상하이의 아트 열기는 해가 갈수록 뜨거워지고 있는 듯합니다.
2019년 11월에 방문한 ART021, West Bund Art & Design, 그리고 상하이의 주요 갤러리에서 그 열기를 직접 체감할 수 있었습니다. 일본 국내에서는 볼 수 없는 훌륭한 작품들을 감상할 절호의 기회였습니다.
한편, 상하이까지의 비행 시간은 편도 약 2시간 반 정도입니다.
심리적인 이미지보다 훨씬 가까운 도시라는 인상이었고, 현지 레스토랑을 이용하면 물가도 저렴해 체류 비용을 크게 낮출 수 있습니다. 대형 갤러리도 여럿 있어, 아트페어 시즌이 아니어도 훌쩍 다녀올 수 있는 편안함이 있었습니다.
이 글은 일본과는 다른 감상 기회를 얻을 수 있는 상하이 체류에 추천할 만한 저렴하고 쾌적한 호텔을 소개하는 기사입니다.
※취재는 2019년 11월
공항에서 상하이 시내 호텔까지
상하이는 택시 요금이 놀랄 만큼 저렴한 도시입니다.
공항에서 이번에 소개할 호텔(Baolong Homelike Hotel)까지 — Shanghai Hongqiao Airport에서 호텔까지의 거리는 12.4km였는데, 약 30분간 이동한 뒤 지불한 요금이 무려 “44위안(일본 엔화로 704엔)”이라는 파격적인 가격이었습니다. ※다만 중국인 지인에 따르면 Shanghai Pudong Airport에서 출발하면 약 200위안 전후(약 5배)로 비싸진다고 합니다. ※상하이에서는 “DIDI”라는 앱으로 택시를 부르는 것을 추천합니다. 승차부터 하차까지 중국어를 한 마디도 할 필요가 없는 매우 뛰어난 앱입니다(중국판을 미리 다운로드해 두는 것을 권장합니다).
중국에서의 이동은 택시가 저렴하고 편합니다.
물론 전철은 더 저렴합니다. 상황에 맞는 이동 수단을 선택하시면 됩니다.
※후일담: DIDI 앱을 몇 번 사용한 뒤, 등록해 두었던 신용카드 결제가 원활히 되지 않아 다른 카드를 등록해 상황을 넘겼습니다. 귀국 후 카드사에서 확인 연락이 왔는데, 아무래도 부정 사용으로 인식되어 카드 이용이 정지된 모양이었습니다. 결제가 잘 되지 않을 때 참고하시면 좋겠습니다.
2박에 1만 엔짜리 호텔
이번에 추천할 호텔은 ART021 회장인 Shanghai Exhibition Center “GATE3″에서 도보 약 10분 거리에 위치한 호텔 “Baolong Homelike Hotel(宝隆居家酒店)”입니다.
