This time I came to Shanghai to handle some personal matters. I didn't choose a regular hotel, but stayed at Green Court Residence City Center, Shanghai, People's Square for three nights. Originally, I just wanted it to be by the Huangpu River and close to the office. However, when I left in the end, I was dragging my suitcase and looking back, thinking that I would stay here again next time I came to Shanghai.
The day I arrived was in the evening. I walked around from Lujiazui and turned into the entrance of the residential area, which immediately separated the noise of the Bund from behind. There was no crowded noise like in a chain hotel at the front desk. After handing over my ID card, the staff gave me a handwritten note, indicating nearby pan fried restaurants and 24-hour convenience stores that could be reached within a 5-minute walk. It was not a printed general guide, but rather something that only locals knew between the lines.
I booked a one bedroom apartment with a small living room, and when I opened the door, my first impression was that it didn't look like a hotel, but like a temporary home in Shanghai. There is no uniform cold white wall, warm wooden furniture feels free of cheap burrs, and a full set of pans and dishwashers are on the table of the open kitchen. I always miss a mouthful of hot Congee when I stay in the hotel. I went downstairs that night to buy some vegetables and cook a bowl of clear Congee, which is more comfortable than queuing up on the Bund for a big meal. The bed in the bedroom is just right in terms of softness and hardness, not the exaggerated softness of being stuck in and unable to get up. There is a small desk by the window, and when I stay up late organizing materials, I can look up and see the river view lights leaking out of the cracks in the building, which is a bit more relaxed and practical than the internet famous room deliberately facing the river.
The most surprising thing is that its public area is not a popular check-in spot for posing photos, but a place that truly makes people stay. The shared living room on the second floor has a whole wall of floor to ceiling bookshelves. The next afternoon, I came back from work and sat there holding my computer for two hours. There were guests reading picture books to their children next to me, and no one urged you to place an order or disturbed me. The small garden downstairs is filled with embroidered balls. After dinner in the evening, walking around twice, you can meet residents walking their dogs, and Auntie sitting on a bench shaking a fan to chat. There is no sense of alienation like in ordinary hotels where "everyone is just a passerby".
The location is also very pleasant. It takes about ten minutes to walk to the South Bund, without squeezing into the subway. Walking slowly along the riverbank, you can see the old Shanghai alleyways and the newly built riverside walkway next to each other. On the third day, I got up early and didn't go to the popular tourist attractions. Instead, I went around to the nearby old community and bought a soybean milk deep-fried dough sticks. I sat on the bench downstairs to eat. The wind was a little damp in the Huangpu River. At that moment, I completely forgot that I was on a business trip.
I used to think that a serviced apartment was just a 'hotel with a kitchen', but after staying here, I realized that what impressed me the most was not the complete facilities, but the fact that it didn't treat you like a hurried guest, but rather gave you a period of Shanghai daily life that could be slowed down. Next time I come by the Huangpu River, I will definitely choose this place.Show more