Kunming–born, Shanghai–based Louis Li is the hospitality giant behind the award-winning Jackalope hotel brand, as well as the CEO of Black Star Pastry.
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The PuLi Hotel and Spa
Hotel
1 Changde Road, Jing’An, Shanghai 200040naera Hotel
Hotel
588 Zhenguan Road, Xitang Ancient Town, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, 314102"My favorite rural hotel is called naera. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Shanghai. It has appointed a leading abstract Chinese artist, Ding Yi, as its creative and artistic director. He has commissioned over 20 domestic leading artists to complete the hotel, so it often reminds me of the process of creating Jackalope."
Louis LI
Xintiandi
Shopping mall
Xintiandi, Huangpu, Shanghai 200021BOR Eatery
Western restaurant
2/F 322 Anfu Road, Xuhui, Shanghai, 200031"BOR Eatery is my favorite eatery right now. It’s Nordic cuisine. You walk into a fully open kitchen — it’s just like you’re walking into someone’s pantry so it’s quite welcoming and inviting. The menu is so shareable — you don’t need a lot of formality when you have dinner with your close friends."
Louis LI
Speak Low
Restaurant
579 Fuxing Middle Road, Huangpu, Shanghai, 200041J Boroski
Cocktail bar
2/F, 179 Fumin Road, near Julu Lu, Jing'An, Shanghai, 200031Eth0s
Clothing store
253 Jia Shan Road, Shanghai, China, 200031"Shanghai is quite an advanced city in terms of fashion. Eth0s is another hidden gem of the city. The shop has a dramatic staircase that leads you to the basement, and all the clothing is displayed in a 1000-square-meter brutalist showroom underground. It reminds me of shops in London or Berlin."
Louis LI
Long Museum
Art museum
3398 Longteng Avenue, Xuhui, Shanghai, 200032"Long Museum is my favorite museum at West Bund. A lot of West Bund museums are government funded, but Long Museum is the most successful, privately-owned and funded museum in China, and it represents the most prestigious shows each year. It’s world-class architecture and overlooks the river."
Louis LI
SLAB TOWN
Coffee shop
1 Fumin Road, Jing'An, Shanghai, 200040"I like a coffee shop called SLAB TOWN. It’s located at the old French concession. It’s a blend of South American beans with Chinese beans, so you get quite a unique flavor out of the blend. The branding and the interior is so well done, and it’s one of the very first coffee shops that has a neighborhood intention. It’s a really warming and welcoming concept."
Louis LI
Black Star Pastry
Coffee shop
1265 Yuyuan Road, Changning District, Shanghai, 20031"I think Black Star is one of the most conceptual landmarks in Shanghai. On the first floor, we are telling the story of interstellar travel. On the second floor, which is Black Star Gallery, we curated an exhibition space called ‘Meta Habitat’. It’s like you landed in a parallel universe, and everything related to human beings and civilization has turned into altered states."
Louis LI