One of the Middle Kingdom’s seven ancient capitals and an erstwhile Silk Road hub, Hangzhou now seems intent on hurtling toward the future. Home to Alibaba and AI juggernaut DeepSeek, the city has earned a reputation as China’s Silicon Valley. The Silk Lakehouse, however, embraces the past. The lakeside retreat is the first property in Shangri-La Signatures, a new collection from the luxury hotel chain focused on residence-style stays shaped by local culture and heritage. Set along the shore of West Lake, the hotel draws inspiration from the refined elegance of a Jiangnan silk merchant’s home. Programming skews traditional too: tai chi sessions, Song Dynasty-style tea rituals, and meals by Michelin-starred chef Alan Yu. In a largely touchless city, hands-on workshops—cloisonné enameling, silk-fan making—bring Hangzhou’s history into focus. Sipping grassy Longjing tea within these serene walls, it’s easy to forget about algorithms and automation. In preserving the artisanal soul of the city Marco Polo once dubbed “greater than any in the world,” The Silk Lakehouse reassures us that there’s still plenty of silk among the silicon.

Written by Ross Kenneth Urken

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