Lessons From The Commune

Beijing is Chinese in every way, but it’s a light version of the country from this visitor’s perspective.  After several months of working and traveling in the southern provinces of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Sichuan; Beijing’s concentration of American and European-owned hotels, large expat community, western style restaurants, highly bilingual population, tourist-friendly transportation and relatively westernized atmosphere make for a pretty tame experience.

Unlike ultra-modern and hyperactive Shanghai, Beijing is still, as of last week, also an increasingly rare meld of the ancient, the merely old and the brand spanking new.  Having been slightly more selectively spared the wrecking ball in China’s mad dash toward development, bustling residential hutongs comfortably coexist with super-malls, former Olympic pavilions, the Forbidden City, Starbucks and the Great Wall.  It’s the type of place that becomes what you make of it though, and that can be either predictably touristic and guidebook regimented or less structured, and therefore, potentially sublime.

On my first visit to two of Beijing’s most famous attractions, I made the unfortunate mistake of joining a hotel-recommended bus tour of the Ming Tombs, as well as the Badaling section of the Great Wall.  Badaling itself is a vast network of parking lots, trinket booths, a ski lift, a bobsled style mountain ride and a completely rebuilt section of the wall that is jam-packed with photo-snapping tourists.  Worse, more than half of the eight-hour trip was spent making unannounced stops at government-run jade, cloisonné and silk factory outlet stores.

For my second visit, I wanted to experience the Great Wall in its more natural state, without tchotchkes, jewelry pushers or heavy-handed “restoration.”  In milder months, entire wild sections of the wall are accessible to hikers and campers through tour companies specializing in outdoor adventures.  These treks offer access to unpopulated vistas but are not an option in December.  Registration with local police is also required of all foreigners, further limiting last minute access to accommodations in boarding houses or private homes alongside the wall.

At any rate, after living out of my suitcase for the last few months, I was more interested in serene views of the wall that could be enjoyed with a massage and a cocktail.  Commune by the Great Wall fit the bill perfectly.

Originally built on the architectural whim of Chinese real estate developer Xin Zhang, The Commune is a collection of once-private modern villas, now managed and operated by Kempinski Hotels.  Situated about a one and a half hour drive north from Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, the hotel sits nestled in the Shuiguan Valley, directly adjacent to its own private section of the Great Wall.  In 2002, Ms. Zhang was awarded a special prize at the Biennale di Venezia for her “bold personal initiative, which emphasizes the role of twelve Asian architects in building privately owned houses in a definitively contemporary manner,” according to a placard in the clubhouse lobby.

An additional thirty-one villas, a spa, a clubhouse with two restaurants, a bar, a private theater and a modern art gallery were added to the original eleven villas when Kempinski took over in 2005.  Only the original villas have direct views of the wall, but the newer buildings are positioned to allow guests to enjoy the surrounding valley and mountains with a sense of privacy, proximity to nature and solitude not easily found elsewhere in Beijing.

Due to my low-season visit and the luck of good timing, the hotel was nearly deserted, leaving the entire facility, indoors and out, open for private exploration.  An icy and steep but manageable hike up the mountain gave access to a rugged and completely private stretch of the wall and the many lanes and connected driveways made for a pleasant stroll around the grounds and villas.

Standouts among the many architectural styles were Antonio Ochoa’s “Cantilever House,” Gary Chang’s “Suitcase House,” Cui Kai’s “See and Seen House,” and Kengo Kuma’s “Bamboo House.”

Sitting at the hotel’s Pink Bar with a perfectly made martini in hand, and after a life changing traditional Chinese massage from the hotel’s spa, I thought about how decadent it was in comparison to my previous accommodations.  I didn’t think about it too long though, dinner was waiting.

Constructed next to a centuries-old world wonder, and glaringly modern at the same time, The Commune is a bit like Beijing or Shanghai in microcosm.  What Ms. Zhang managed to do here, however, and Chinese city planners desperately need to take notice and learn from, is to make a strong statement for the future that pays homage to, and co-exists well with, the past.

Hotel website:  www.communebythegreatwall.com

© Markus Horak, 2009.