Quintet's cameo appearance in The Risk Agent - Ridley Pearson's newdetective thriller

The New York Time Bestseller author Ridley Pearson had stayed with us at Quintet back in 2009.  Back then, he was finishing up teaching at Fudan University, and we had no idea that he was also a famous writer.  He came back to Shanghai in 2010 with his whole family for a month to research for his upcoming novel.  I found out through our chatting that he'd normally conduct extensive research on the locations and people so he can put in realistic details in his story.  We shared our observations about Shanghai, and he promised to put me and Quintet in his next novel.  I joked that he can write anything but just not to get my character killed.

Two years passed quickly until last month, when I got an email from a guest-friend, Steve, who is an avid reader.  He was reading Ridley's new book, The Risk Agent, which came out in June 2012, and accidentally found my name and Quintet in the story!  Since it was hard to get hold of a copy of the book in China right away, I asked Steve how my character fared in the book.  He told me slyly that "Fay" seemed to have had a "previous relationship" with the lead character "John Knox"~ lol~  I eventually got hold of a digital copy of the book and found the passage on pg 43 ;-)

Better yet, the book will be made into a movie in 2014, starring Vince Vaughn!  How cool is that?!  Now I just hope they'll need to shoot some scenes on our premise!  If my character makes it into the movie, I'd like to see Christy Chung playing my role (although the character is supposed to be in her late twenties)!

Quintet's new home-cooked dinner program

Starting in October, we're kicking off a dinner program, featuring authentic Chinese dishes cooked by our energetic Auntie Xu.  Auntie Xu is an amazing cook, who is capable of whipping up delicious home-made dishes that you can only taste at your Chinese friends' home.  She has also lived in France for 7 years so is also well-versed in French cuisine.

Our dinner program is available for our B&B guests, as well as other visitors to Shanghai and expats living in Shanghai.  To start off, we're planning to host the dinners twice a week (tentatively on Wednesdays and Saturdays).  Sessions for group of four people or more can also be arranged on other nights with advanced notice.  The mainly Chinese menu will be set by Auntie Xu each night depending on what's fresh and in season -- she will put together a well-balanced ensemble of meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes, as well as soups and desserts that are guaranteed to please your palate!  All dishes will be shared at our long dining table with all diners, and Auntie Xu will make sure there's plenty of food for everyone.  If you have any special dietary needs, please let us know and we'll try our best to accommodate.

The cost per person is 100RMB (~$15USD), not including beverages (soft drinks, beer, and wine are available for purchase at dinner time).  When you book your room with us, please let us know if you're interested in participating in our dinner program.  We will run the dinner program on a given night when there are at least 4 diners signed up.

Bring in the Year of Rabbit with a hand-made toy rabbit

For guests who are staying with us during the holidays this year, we have prepared a small gift in the form of a hand-made stuffed rabbit.  Next year (2011) is the Chinese zodiac year of the Rabbit, so we thought our guests might like to take home a little token to mark their visit.

We found these cute rabbits from a cute shop called Ru-Wa, which is located in the JingAn Villa neighborhood.  The owners Season and Halei are interested in preserving and reviving the traditional Chinese toy crafts, and opened this workshop/store where they also offer classes on making traditional Chinese kites, lanterns, and other toys.  They work with old masters who are still knowledgeable about the traditional construction methods.  The old masters cannot be rushed so the items they produced are limited in quantity ;-)

Quintet got a sixth room!

The unfortunate thing that happened over summer was that our partner cafe Closed Door was forced to close down.  Since the cafe opened two years ago, our neighbors have not been happy about the noise caused by the cafe's popularity.  In China, your neighbors wield a lot of power over you and after continual efforts to stay open, they finally decided to pack up in July.  We were sad to see them leave, as our guests really enjoy the food and ambiance afforded by the cafe.

In place of the cafe, we converted the downstairs space into a 6th guest room and a cozy dining room.  The new room is called the Oriental Pearl, which was the nickname the West coined Shanghai back in the 1920's during its heyday.  The room features a glass sitting room, which was once a part of the cafe's veranda.  It's the perfect place for the room guest to enjoy an idyllic afternoon reading or sipping tea.  The room also has a large square bathtub that is lined with mother of pearl mosaic -- the soft glow from the interior of the tub  is ultra romantic when a candle is lit.

We kept most of the breakfast menu in tact, having retained the sou chef from Closed Door.  We added a light option with fruits, muesli, and yak yogurt from Qinghai for people who are concerned about gaining weight after feeding on our other gourmet breakfast choices.

With the sixth room, Quintet is now Quintet+ ;-)

Mr. Chong’s Shanghai Walking Tour

Recently I met with Alex from Yana Adventures to discuss the possibilities offering Quintet guests some interesting day-tours that would give them a better sense of the city's sights, sounds and smells.  Since we are already located in the French Concession, where people can roam about relatively easily on their own, she recommended a walking tour around the north Suzhou Creek area, a lesser-explored but interesting neighborhood.

The tour guide is the long-time Shanghai resident Mr. Chong, a retired cabby who has lived in the city for most of his life.  Mr. Chong will show you around his own neighborhood, where you'll stroll through bustling markets and laundry-strung Shanghai alleys, as well as discover historical landmarks and hidden gems.  Being a veteran dancer himself, Mr. Chong will also take you to an old-school neighborhood dance hall; you can watch couples waltzing and fox-trotting between one another or even show off a few moves of your own ;-) To get a feel for what local life is like in Shanghai, visit Mr Chong's home and hear the family's stories from the past and present.  He's aided by a translator to round out the tour.

Starting in September, Mr. Chong's tour will be offered every Thursday morning (9:30am - 12:30pm) and Saturday morning (9:30am - 12:30pm) and afternoon (1pm - 4pm).  The tour is 250RMB per person and requires a minimum of 4 people.

If you're interested in joining the tour, please email us at info@quintet-shanghai.com and tell us all the dates/times you can consider.  If your group has less than 4 people, Quintet will try to match you up with other guests who are also interested in the same dates/times.

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Newly opened subway lines make touring Shanghai even easier

The subway system in Shanghai has always bee pretty good, but since taxis are relatively inexpensive at 12RMB starting price, I tend to opt for the taxi if the destination is requiring more than one transfer on the subway.  This month (December 2009), three additional subway lines or segments (Line 7, 2nd phase of Line 9, and Line 11) have opened and made taking the subway from the city center much more attractive.  These new line currently operating from 9am to 4pm, and gradually expanding service to 5:30am to 11pm in the next three months.

New airport route:  Visitors coming from Pudong Airport can now change from the maglev train to Line 7 and arrive directly at the ChangShu Rd station, which is closer to Quintet than Line 2's JingAn Temple station.  You'd have an easier time walking with your luggage.

Fabric market: we used to recommend that guests take a taxi to South Bund Fabric Market, but now you can also take Line 7 to transfer to Line 4 at DongAn Rd and get off at Nanpu Bridge station.  The fabric market is within 5 minute walking distance from the station.

Expo site: go one station south on Line 7 from Changshu Rd Station and change to Line 9 at Zhaojiabang Rd Station.  Then at the Madang Rd station, change to the soon to be open Line 13 directly to the Expo site.

Shanghai F1 Race Track:  With the opening of Line 11 to Jiading, F1 race goers will be able to take the subway to the race track.  Change from Line 2 Jiangsu Rd station to Line 11, and then continue on the west branch of Line 11 at Jiading Xincheng to reach the race track.  The train's top speed reaches 100KM/hour, the fastest in the Shanghai metro area.

As there will be more lines coming on-line in the next few months, keep an eye on the development by checking this very nicely done English subway map site here.

Our limited edition holiday gift: Hand-made Christmas Stocking

For our first anniversary, I though we'd make a Christmas keepsake for guests who come to stay with us around the holiday time.  If everyone likes it, we can potentially do a version every year!

While brainstorming on what the gift should be, I was inspired by the recent "Tiny Feet" exhibition at the Plum Gallery.  Why not make a Christmas stocking with a Chinese flavor?  For those who know a bit about Chinese history, women, especially in the royal and wealthy families, used to have their feet bound to about only 3 inches long starting in their childhood.  Women with tiny feet supposedly looked delicate and attractive to men when they walked and swayed from the imbalance.  While the feet finding custom is now seen as an evil, sexist tradition that kept Chinese women subdued for centuries, some of the design and crafts that went into making the tiny shoes that covered those feet were exquisite.

I brought up this stocking idea to my guest-friend Hiroko and she also thought this ideas was interesting.  So when she came to Shanghai a few weeks ago, she helped sketched out a design for the stocking and then we went to the fabric market to pick out the fabrics together.  We chose four different patterns and colors for the stocking to give it a luxurious look and feel; the fabrics we used are also the same fabrics that people make "qipao" dresses and "mian-ao" jackets out of.

Each of the stockings is sewn by my housekeeper's neighbor so each one looks a bit different and unique!  For a limited time only, we will sneak these little stockings into the guest rooms as parting gifts.  If you want one, come stay with us soon!