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Before it hosted the Olympics in 2008, grey, historical Beijing couldn’t compare to shiny, commercial, fast-paced Hong Kong. But today, the Chinese capital is rich in glittering façades, extremes of architecture, and glamorous new hotels surrounded by shopping malls – very much like Hong Kong. You get a real sense of how the old has given way to the new with the destruction of traditional neighbourhoods in Beijing and the reclaimed shores of Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour creeping out to support more and more construction.

Behind these modern scenes, traditional ways still flourish. They’re glimpsed in tiny artisan shops, street markets and family homes. Multi-million-dollar buildings are conceived with feng shui in mind, sometimes with bizarre results when large holes are left in the middle to allow for the passing of dragons.

I am experiencing all this on a flying trip to both cities, staying at the recently opened The Upper House in Hong Kong, and its sister hotel, The Opposite House, in Beijing. These ‘intriguing urban hotels’ aim to cater for the sophisticated traveller who seeks individuality, style and personal service.

FANCY FUSION

Arriving at the entrance courtyard of the stylish Upper House, whose interiors are designed by Andre Fu, we are ushered on a rather self-conscious ‘poetic upward journey’ via the Torii Tunnel (actually a long escalator with hanging bamboo lanterns). The hotel unveils itself as we come to a small lobby on the sixth floor, featuring a pretty terrace garden called The Lawn with real grass (a rarity in urban Hong Kong) and Japanese umbrellas.

The building is angled so that each room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, affords slightly different views of the city. My spacious 43rd-floor suite offers a breathtaking vista. In the bathroom, an enormous limestone tub faces the windows with a discreet card suggesting you may wish to turn off the lights or lower the blinds before hopping in, if entertaining other high-rise dwellers is not your intention.

On the 49th floor I discover the glittering bar, where chic young locals and expats mingle. Next door is the flagship restaurant, Café Gray Deluxe, which, like the rest of the hotel, manages to be elegant and relaxed at the same time. Celebrity chef and partner Gray Kunz, who made his name in Hong Kong and New York with fusions of Asian, American and European ingredients, presides over the menu.

Tonight, our tasting menu is quite European: lobster gratin with saffron, tomatoes and tarragon, then braised short rib of beef with soft polenta and meaux mustard. French cheeses and caramelised apple tart with calvados whipped cream complete the meal. Just a few hours later, it seems, we are back for breakfast. Ten-grain hot cereal with stewed raspberries, agave syrup and organic milk with yoghurt is irresistible on a cold day. I find it a little early for abalone congee with soy sauce, ginger, coriander and sesame oil, although it looks delicate.

Fortified, we set out on a sightseeing tour escorted by Sue, an enthusiastic long-time resident. We learn that Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world and that Sue is quite happy to walk alone at night. We pass a mansion owned by the wealthy entrepreneur Stanley Ho, and glide upwards on the Old Peak Tram through swirling mist. Today, unfortunately, we can see nothing of the famous harbour.

LOCAL DELIGHTS

In China, an obsession with food and the freshest ingredients means that dining out is almost always a pleasure and often an adventure. We decide to seek out an old-fashioned Cantonese restaurant, where the locals eat, and are directed to the popular Luk Yu Tea House in Stanley Street. Noisy and steamy, it makes few concessions to tourists, but the yum cha is famous. We steer clear of the signature almond and pig’s lung soup, but are more than happy with the duck, pigeon with ham, and delicious dumplings.

In Hong Kong, shopping is a serious pursuit. With so much choice and so little time we head to Pacific Place, where six levels of shops have everything from trendy young designers to Bally, Bulgari and Bottega Veneta. We end up in Shanghai Tang’s main store in Pedder Street, not far from the hotel. The quality cashmere and gorgeous accessories are impossible to resist.

FROM RAVIOLI TO PEKING DUCK

Our whistlestop tour of Hong Kong over, we take the short flight to Beijing and find ourselves at The Opposite House, designed by eminent Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. It takes its name from the guesthouses that traditionally sit on the opposite side of a courtyard home.

Inspired by traditional Chinese wood lattice, the hotel’s green glass façade is designed to reflect the street life outside. This evening it includes a fluffy white dog passing by in yellow leather booties. We enter a wide and lofty atrium that doubles as a contemporary art gallery.

My room is long and spacious with simple wooden furnishings and polished floors – very modern minimalist. We arrive for dinner at Sureño, the relaxing Mediterranean restaurant downstairs. “Chinese people really like liver, so foie gras is very popular on the menus of Beijing,” explains Italian head chef Marino d’Antonio. He serves it with Williams pear, parmigiano and a walnut salad. We then devour handcrafted ravioli with scampi in crustacean chowder and wood-fired Australian lamb rack followed by a ‘tiramisu experience’. It is an outstanding meal, but we look forward to trying something more Chinese in the following days.

An interesting tour of Xinyuanli Food Market the next morning, where the hotel chefs source some of their fresh produce, reveals a cornucopia of unusual ingredients, such as blocks of jellied pig’s blood and trays of inflated fish lungs. It’s fascinating, but we decide it’s time for something more familiar … 

Everyone in Beijing has a favourite Peking duck spot. We are advised that Dadong (with a number of outlets) is one of the best. After a little morning shopping, we arrive for lunch and are served Dadong’s ‘artistic conception of Chinese cuisine’. Cabbage is wrapped around little towers of filling; there are mashed purple potatoes, a whole red spiced fish and foie gras with lotus root. The duck finally arrives, carved at the table by serious men wearing chef’s hats and white masks. In a final flourish, we are presented with the crispy duck’s heads decorated with banners of white fairy floss.

Back at The Opposite House, we have an exquisite dinner complete with sake tasting at Bei, whose menu comprises ‘an assertive reinterpretation’ of traditional north Asian dishes from Japan, Northern China and Korea. Also recommended is the contemporary Sichuan cuisine of Transit, just a few steps from The Opposite House.

Designer stores cluster around and in the big hotels in Beijing, but for a more local experience head to Liulichang, a 300-year-old street, with a mix of genuine antiques and decorative items with a more recent history. Much to our delight, we discover giant calligraphy brushes, paper kites and gorgeous teapots in myriad shapes.

Beijing has been the capital of China since the 13th century and the seat of its political power and cultural life. While the city and its surroundings boast many of the country’s most splendid ancient sites, there are also many reminders of the more recent Cultural Revolution.

Don’t miss Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing. A popular event is the flag ceremony with a high-stepping military escort at dawn and dusk. Inside the Forbidden City is a breathtaking complex of lavishly furnished rooms and wide terraces surrounded by imperial red walls.

EMERGING ART

In recent years Beijing has become the centre of the burgeoning Chinese modern art movement. The works are attracting collectors from London to Sydney to New York. The Red Gate Gallery in the ancient Dongbianmen Watchtower, founded by Australian art historian Brian Wallace in 1991, was one of the first to exhibit the work of China’s emerging contemporary artists. Wallace and gallery manager Liyu Yeo, who spent several years in the Australian art scene, are on hand to share their knowledge. We meet exhibiting artist Laurens Tan, who will soon tour his sculptures internationally.

A vast precinct known as the 798 Dashanzi Factory Complex contains studios, restaurants and galleries. Its exhibitions are a magnet for art lovers from all over the world. Serious collectors and curators head for the upstart CaoChangDi section. Here, Belgian-born Fabien Fryns owns the exciting F2 Gallery.

On our last day in Beijing, he invites us to lunch in his office and confides that his cook is a special treasure, adored by his clients. Amid portraits and patterned insects with metal legs, we savour delicious spicy, northern Chinese food paired with French wine. Through the windows, we see the cook ride off on her bicycle carrying two leeks on the handlebars. It’s an endearingly surreal sight – just one of many that can be glimpsed every day in bustling, glittering modern China.