Wuyuan Skywells — Wuyuan, China

It’s too early to tell for sure, but China’s picturesque rural landscapes, far from the bright lights, and noisy tourist crush of its metropolises, may well be the country’s answer to Italy’s Tuscan and Umbrian pleasures. This is especially the case as more neglected old piles are restored and repurposed with sensitivity and fidelity to architectural history into millennial luxury boltholes.
Wuyuan Skywells is one such example, Beijing-based anySCALE has breathed new life into this third-century-old inn in east China’s Jiangxi province, refitting the long, shaded corridors with their original brick and clay walls and interlocking courtyards of stone and timber into a remarkably slick 14-roomer in which past and present collide aesthetically with pleasant results.
In addition to working with a local artisan who restored and adapted worn and damaged decorative carvings around the property, anySCALE harnessed the skywells – a common feature in this generation of architecture to bring light and air into inner spaces – to accentuate the high-ceilinged bedrooms.
After a tour of neighbouring villages nuzzled against the sides of misty mountains along ancient postal trails lined with wild wisteria and azaleas, return for executive chef Hong JiYong’s spicy, local menu featuring delicacies like butterflied and steamed red carp from the hotel’s pond.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
Sixi Yancun
Sikouzhen
Wuyuan
Jiangxi Province
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Step inside this Upper East Side jewel box apartment
This radiant Lexington Avenue home is a harbinger of good things for the Upper East Side, and the latest focus of The Inside Story, our series spotlighting intriguing and innovative interior design
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of nature
WOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Is a tiny tattoo the best holiday souvenir? Kimpton Hotels think so
In partnership with Tiny Zaps, Kimpton Hotels is bringing city-inspired tattoo pop-ups to five U.S. locations
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in Shanghai
Prada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing café
JM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy design
There’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillity
Alila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
By Daven Wu Published
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Travel back to the Ming dynasty at Beijing’s new Mandarin Oriental hotel
Mandarin Oriental Qianmen merges traditional culture with contemporary needs in a 600-year-old historical building complex
By Kee Foong Published
-
Inside Palazzo Versace Macau, a lavish, mosaic-rich hotel
Palazzo Versace Macau, the brand’s first hotel in Asia, continues to preserve Donatella Versace’s swanky hospitality vision
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
'Retreat and recharge' in Yanbai Villa on a secluded Beijing shoreline
Yanbai Villa wraps guests in quiet luxury, opening its doors on a secluded Beijing shoreline
By Daven Wu Published