It started with a tree .
AMAN ’ S AMANYANGYUN IS A TOUR DE FORCE OF PRESERVATION , CONSERVATION AND PLACE .
Contributed BY RAINI HAMDI
Four-bedroom villa courtyard : These antique villas measure from 8,500 to 11,000 square feet and include a courtyard , a signature feature of Chinese buildings of this age .
It started with a tree .
The idea that a reservoir being constructed in his home city of Fuzhou in Jiangxi province would submerge a forest of 10,000 camphor trees and 50 ancient homes dating to the Ming and Qing dynasties so incensed Ma Dadong that he decided to take them all on an arduous 700-km journey to a place 27 km southwest of Shanghai .
And that ’ s how Aman ’ s newest resort , Amanyangyun , which opened January 8 , was born .
The entrepreneur , who made a fortune in advertising and is chairman of Shanghai Gu Yin Real Estate and investment management company Shanghai Gu Shan , grew up in the sweet company of those trees and houses . He and Aman enlisted botanists , engineers , architects and master craftsmen to dismantle the houses piece by piece , uproot the trees — including an “ emperor ” tree weighing 80 tons — and transfer them via flat-bed trucks to Shanghai .
Lo and behold , a green forest with lakes and gardens on 25 acres has sprouted in the city , surrounding a new “ village ” comprises 13 antique villas , 24 Ming courtyard suites and 12 residences . The most spectacular house gets pride of place as a cultural complex and library named Nan Shu Fang , after the royal reading pavilion in the Forbidden City . There are five dining venues , including Lazhu , the most locally inspired , overseen by Shanghai-born chef
Steve Miao ; an elegant ballroom ; and an Aman Spa which , at nearly 3,000 square meters , includes a fitness center , two swimming pools , yoga and Pilates studio overlooking a reflection pond .
‘ STAGGERINGLY AMBITIOUS ’ The whole endeavor was 15 years in the making , and if Aman Chief Operating Officer Roland Fasel describes it as “ a staggeringly ambitious conservation initiative ” that pushes “ the boundaries of traditional hospitality ,” that ’ s no exaggeration .
Ma says it makes his spine tingle looking back at the process , and what is now . Roads through mountains and bridges over rivers had to be built for the big trucks to pass through . The emperor tree alone took seven days to transport . Upon arriving , the trees needed careful nursing to survive .
There were few craftsmen left in China with the knowledge and skill to rebuild and restore the houses , whose high-quality timber and stone generally were in good condition . The structure was made with ancient jointing techniques using timber ; bricks covered the outer wall . Their exteriors were plain except for an intricately carved , dramatic entrance portal , usually displaying the status and origins of the original owner .
All this has been lovingly preserved , with experienced hands including landscape and design architects Dan Pearson Studio and Kerry Hill Architects to interlock “ contemporary architecture with sense of
March 2018 hotelsmag . com 35