Sheshan Summer ‘Wonderland’ Journey

**Trip Overview:** **Duration:** 2 days **Time:** July **Average Cost:** 4000 Yuan per person **Comp[...]

**Trip Overview:**

**Duration:** 2 days
**Time:** July
**Average Cost:** 4000 Yuan per person
**Companion:** Friends
**Activities:** Gourmet food, photography, free travel, bourgeois lifestyle, weekend trip.

**Visited Places:** Forest Hotel, Shanghai Tianma Mountain.
**Published on:** 2020-08-05 10:37

—

**Sheshan Adventure:**

Embark on a journey to Sheshan, where the welcoming pine on the cliff, the transparent plank road by the cliff, and the cascading waterfall are all accessible without leaving ‘Shanghai’. In the secluded valley, you can encounter the fairy tree house that takes you back to childhood in a second, and play a vintage and gorgeous carousel next to the glass plank road where jade beads splash. This place is definitely the essential remedy for your summer social media posts!

Do you think there is only Happy Valley to play at Sheshan? Do you think there is only one hotel at Sheshan, the Forest Hotel? Then you are really a bit outdated. Today, we will take you to experience the new way of playing at Sheshan and explore the ‘secrets’ under the popular social circle.

—

**Sheshan Shimao InterContinental Hotel:**

It has to be said that this is a hotel that has created too many miracles. From site selection, design to completion, it took 12 years. The building that was not well received at the beginning has now become a hard-to-get room in the magic city, and yes, today we want to share with you the Sheshan Shimao InterContinental Hotel, which officially opened to the public in 2018.

**Address:** 5888 Chenhua Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai.

**Transportation:**

– **Self-driving route:**
– Jiangsu: Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway G2 (A11) Jiasong Highway exit, go south to Chenhua Road and then go west for 8.1 kilometers.
– Zhejiang: Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway G60 (A8) Songjiang exit, along Jiasong Highway to Chenhua Road and then go west for 8.1 kilometers.
– Shanghai urban area direction: G50 (A9) Zhaoxiang exit, along Jiasong Highway to Chenhua Road and then go west for 8.1 kilometers.

– **Bus route:** Take Shanghai Metro Line 9 Dongjing Station, transfer to bus 96 for 15 minutes to the west gate of Shimao Nano Magic City.

It is also the 200th hotel of the InterContinental brand of the InterContinental Group worldwide, with more than 300 rooms. And all rooms are equipped with viewing terraces. It is the world’s first five-star hotel built in a pit and also the hotel with the lowest altitude. The entire project invested tens of billions, integrating natural indoor gardens, large-scale landscape waterfalls, landscape presidential rooms, water scene rooms and other modern characteristic buildings.

**Art and Design:**

Located at the entrance of the hotel, ‘Cloud Roll and Relax’ is the most representative artistic sculpture of the entire hotel: dragon-shaped, part of it is solid stainless steel, and the other part is stainless steel text hollow out, only by looking closely can you find the Chinese character decoration inside. The ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ design theme in the lobby makes every guest who visits the hotel feel like they are entering a ‘mining pit’ and starting a wonderful adventure.

The front desk of the lobby is a whole wall background, with distinct irregular curves, like the texture of rock strata, which is also the highlight of the core rock layer in ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’, making people feel like they are in a ‘quarry’, with a strong sense of immersion.

The hotel is divided into 2 floors above ground and 16 floors below ground, of which 2 floors are still underwater, and this unique design itself also makes the hotel one of the most difficult buildings in the world to build, and it is rated as one of the ‘Top Ten Architectural Wonders of the World’ by the National Geographic Channel ‘World Great Engineering Tour’ because of its pioneering architectural design.

—

Don’t you want to witness this miraculous architecture with your own eyes? Originally, Tianma Mountain Pit was a hill overlooking Sheshan in the northeast. It was extensively quarried for stone in the early 1950s, and by the end of that decade, the entire hill had vanished, leaving behind a nearly 90-meter deep pit by the end of the 1970s. After seven years of deliberation and five years of construction, a team of world-class designers and engineers came together to break through numerous technical barriers, turning the impossible into a marvel!

Apart from its inherently eye-catching geographical location, the SheThe rooms at the hotel are designed with the color variations of geological rock layers, inspired by the colors of iron, hematite, and limestone. This results in three types of guest rooms: red, blue, and gray-blue. The interior style takes cues from cliffs, waterfalls, and hills. Each room offers a panoramic view of the pit wall, and some even showcase the spectacular sight of cascading waterfalls.
As soon as you enter the room, simply say ‘Xiao Du,’ and you can interact with the AI at any time, experiencing smart hotel living. You can control the entire room’s lighting system, curtains, doors, and screens, as well as change the ‘Do Not Disturb/Cleaning’ indicator lights outside the room. This internet-famous hotel is not only charming in appearance but also has considerable depth.
The toiletries are from the Ferragamo Tuscany Collection, and the hair dryer is the popular Dyson model, which undeniably elevates the quality of the rooms. The beverages in the mini-fridge are complimentary, so you can drink your fill.
Living in such a room, you might wonder how it manages water resistance, fire protection, and seismic safety.
Water resistance: As water flows downhill, addressing water accumulation in this hundred-meter pit was a significant challenge. By studying historical hydrological data of Shanghai, the hotel installed a pump to ensure that the water level in the lake changes by no more than 500 millimeters daily. Based on the fact that in the past 500 years, Shanghai has never experienced a single-day rainfall exceeding 300 millimeters.
Fire protection: In case of a fire, fire trucks cannot enter the pit. To address this, every balcony of the hotel is connected to a fire escape route, ensuring that residents can evacuate at the fastest speed in the event of a fire.
Seismic safety: In the event of an earthquake, how does one escape from within the pit? The hotel’s design team conducted geological surveys and structural calculations, simulating and repeatedly checking the building’s strength and seismic performance to ensure it can withstand earthquakes above magnitude 9. In fact, considering Shanghai’s geological location, the likelihood of experiencing a high-intensity earthquake is extremely low; as long as it’s not a tsunami, Shanghai remains relatively safe.
In addition to the luxurious hotel rooms, living at the Sheshan Shimao InterContinental Hotel in Shanghai, every minute is incredibly fulfilling.
You can experience a culinary journey around the world within the hotel with three diverse themed restaurants and two bars. Many tourists are drawn to the underwater restaurant here.
On the ground floor, ‘Cloud Nine Peaks’ serves as the hotel lobby bar, catering to the needs of most guests. Visitors can enjoy the endless views of the quarry and witness the enchanting water screen shows that change patterns to the rhythm of beautiful music.
Adjacent to the hotel lobby is the all-day dining restaurant ‘Source Coffee’, which not only offers buffet delicacies from around the globe but also features a balcony seating area with a breathtaking view of the hotel’s surroundings, making it the most cost-effective dining spot.
The renowned IHG’s ‘Cai Feng Lou’ Chinese restaurant is located on the second floor, decorated with elements of Chinese traditional culture such as prosperous birds, birdcages, and feathers, creating an antique yet magnificent ambiance with soft lighting. The chef specializes in Cantonese cuisine, presenting the finest selection of specialty dishes to guests daily.
After dining, one can take a stroll on the outdoor leisure platform situated in the center of the lake, watching the sunset and starry sky. Seamlessly connected to the hotel’s bars and pools, the outdoor chairs are stylishly designed, making this area the most popular spot among guests at night.
The ‘Fish Fire’ restaurant on the 15th floor is the legendary underwater internet-famous dining destination. Surrounded by an aquarium, you will be captivated by the colorful underwater world and the fresh ocean air. The atmosphere is undeniably enticing, and seating is limited, requiring reservations for all dining experiences. The restaurant specializes in seafood and Western cuisine. Staff members share that some tourists have said they would immediately accept a marriage proposal if it were to happen here, highlighting the enchanting environment of the Fish Fire restaurant.
This grand project was designed and overseen by the Atkins team led by Martin Jochman. If the name sounds unfamiliar, the world’s first seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, is well-known, and Atkins was the team behind its design. This is a significant reason why the Sheshan Shimao Intercontinental Hotel is so unique.
Don’t think that staying at the quarry hotel only offers sunrise views and the sounds of waterfalls and birds. Adjacent to the hotel, there are two colorful amusement venues that greatly enrich the hotel experience.
‘Deep Pit Mystery’ Elf City Theme Park
Address: Next to Shanghai Shimao Sheshan Inter1 meters (inclusive) are free.

The ‘Deep Pit Mystery’ Elf City Theme Park, just a stone’s throw away from the hotel, is the best place to see the hotel in its entirety. The glass plank path, approximately 80 meters long, is also the best viewing spot for the Sheshan Shimao Intercontinental Hotel. Above the glass plank path is the thrilling 360-degree cliff swing, visible from the rooms of the quarry hotel.

Duration: 2 days
Time: July
Average cost: 4000 yuan per person
Companions: Friends
Activities: Gourmet food, photography, free travel, bohemian, weekend getaway

The author visited these places: Forest Hotel Shanghai Tianma Mountain
Published on 2020-08-05 10:37

The welcoming pine on the cliff, the transparent plank road by the precipice, the cascading waterfalls, without leaving Shanghai, you can experience all of this at Sheshan! In the secluded valley, encounter the fairy tree house that brings you back to your childhood in an instant, play a retro and colorful carousel next to the glass plank road with splashing beads of jade, this place is definitely the essential cure for your summer to dominate your social media circle!

Do you think there’s only Happy Valley to visit in Sheshan? Do you think there’s only one hotel in Sheshan, the Forest Hotel? Then you are really a bit outdated. Today, I will take you to experience the new ways to play in Sheshan and explore the ‘secrets’ under the popular ‘pit’ in social media circles.

It has to be said that this is a hotel that has created too many miracles. From site selection, design to completion, it took 12 years. The building that was not initially favored by many people has now transformed into a hard-to-get room in the Magic Capital, and yes, today I want to share with you the Sheshan Shimao Intercontinental Hotel, which officially opened to the public in 2018. Because its construction is located 88 meters below sea level, it is commonly referred to as the ‘Pit’ Hotel.

Sheshan Shimao Intercontinental Hotel Address: 5888 Chenhua Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai.

Regarding transportation:
Self-driving routes:
Jiangsu: Take the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway G2 (A11) and exit at Jiasong Highway, head south to Chenhua Road and then travel west for 8.1 kilometers.
Zhejiang: Take the Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway G60 (A8) and exit at Songjiang, follow Jiasong Highway to Chenhua Road and then travel west for 8.1 kilometers.
From downtown Shanghai: Take G50 (A9) and exit at Zhaoxiang, follow Jiasong Highway to Chenhua Road and then travel west for 8.1 kilometers.

Bus routes: Take Shanghai Metro Line 9 to Dongjing Station, transfer to bus 96 for 15 minutes to the west gate of Shimao Nano Magic City.

It is also the 200th hotel of the InterContinental brand in the InterContinental Group, with more than 300 rooms. All rooms have a viewing terrace. It is the world’s first five-star hotel built in a pit and also the lowest altitude hotel. The entire project invested tens of billions, integrating natural indoor gardens, large landscape waterfalls, landscape presidential rooms, water scene rooms and other modern characteristic buildings.

The ‘Unfolding Clouds’ at the entrance is the most representative art sculpture of the entire hotel: dragon-shaped, part is solid stainless steel, and the other part is stainless steel with hollowed-out text, only upon close inspection can you discover the Chinese character decorations.

The design theme of ‘Adventures in the Earth’s Core’ in the lobby makes every guest who visits the hotel feel like entering a ‘mine pit’ and embarking on a wonderful adventure. The entire background wall at the lobby front desk features distinct and irregular curves, just like the patterns of rock strata. It is also the highlight in the core rock layer of ‘Adventures in the Earth’s Core’, giving people a strong sense of immersion as if they were in a ‘quarry’.

The hotel has two floors above ground level and sixteen floors below ground level, with two of those floors even extending deep underwater. This unique design itself makes the hotel one of the most difficult buildings in the world in terms of architecture. Due to its revolutionary avant-garde architectural design, it was named one of the ‘Ten Architectural Wonders of the World’ by the National Geographic Channel’s ‘Megastructures’. Wouldn’t you want to see such a miraculous building with your own eyes?

Originally, the Tianmashan Deep Pit was originally a mountain. Looking northeastThere are as many as more than 1,400 artworks and art installations everywhere, comparable to a professional art gallery or museum. In the hotel corridor, you can see guest rooms on one side and pit bottom stones and rock pillars on the other side, giving you a wonderful feeling of walking in a mine tunnel. The elevator on the far right has a translucent glass bottom. The thrilling feeling of going up and down is self-evident, like a super mini version of a mobile glass plank road.

The room design combines the color changes of geological strata. According to the stone colors of iron-containing, hematite, and calcium carbonate, three types of guest rooms in red, blue, and gray-blue are designed. The interior style is inspired by cliffs, waterfalls, and hills. Each guest room offers a view of the pit wall. Some can even see the spectacular sight of waterfalls cascading down. From the moment you enter the room, just call out ‘Xiaodu’ and you can interact with the AI in the room at any time and experience intelligent hotel living. Smoothly control the entire guest room’s lighting system, curtains, door curtains, and screen windows, as well as change the ‘Do Not Disturb/Clean’ indicator light at the guest room door.

This legendary internet-famous hotel is not only charming in appearance but also quite refined inside. The toiletries are all from the Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Icons series, and the hair dryer is the popular Dyson hair dryer. It has to be said that this invisibly raises the quality of the guest room by a large margin. The drinks in the mini-fridge are all given away for free. You can drink until you are full.

Living in such a room, would you have the same questions as me? How does it prevent water, fire and earthquake?

Water prevention: As we all know, water flows downhill. In this hundred-meter-deep pit, how to solve the problem of accumulated water has become a major issue. Through the research on historical hydrological data of Shanghai, the深坑 hotel installs a water pump to ensure that the daily water level change in the lake does not exceed the safe range of 500 millimeters. This figure is based on the research on historical hydrological data of Shanghai. It is found that in the past 500 years, the single-day precipitation in Shanghai has never exceeded 300 millimeters.

Fire prevention: In case of a fire, fire trucks cannot enter the pit. What should we do? The深坑 hotel connects each balcony of the hotel with the fire escape passage to ensure that residents can evacuate at the fastest speed in case of a fire.

Earthquake prevention: In case of an earthquake, how can we escape in the pit? The hotel design team has simulated and tested and repeatedly checked the strength and seismic performance of the building through geological survey results and calculations of the hotel engineering structure to ensure that it can resist earthquakes above magnitude 9. In fact, as far as the location where Shanghai is located, the possibility of a high-intensity earthquake is very slim. As long as there is no tsunami, Shanghai is still relatively very safe.

In addition to the luxurious hotel rooms, living in the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, every minute is extremely fulfilling. There are three restaurants with diverse themes and two bars, allowing you to taste famous cuisines from all over the world in the hotel. Of course, I believe that many tourists actually come here for the underwater restaurant.

The ‘Nine Peaks among Clouds’ on the ground floor serves as the hotel’s lobby bar and meets the needs of most guests checking in every day. Tourists can not only enjoy the boundless scenery of the pit here, but also watch the wonderful water curtain show that is staged irregularly. The water curtain changes various patterns and, combined with beautiful music, is dreamy and intoxicating.

The back area on the same floor as the hotel lobby is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant ‘Café Studio’. Here, not only self-service delicacies from all over the world are provided around the clock, but also the seats on the balcony can enjoy the boundless beauty of the hotel. It can be said to be the catering place with the highest cost performance.

The well-known Cai Feng Lou Chinese restaurant of IHG is located on the second floor of the hotel. The decoration here integrates traditional Chinese cultural elements such as the phoenix of wealth, birdcages, and feathers. It is antique. The dim light creates a super unique and magnificent environment. The chef who specializes in Cantonese cuisine presents the most exquisite and various characteristic cuisines for guests here every day. After the meal, you can take a walk on the specially set outdoor leisure platform in the center of the lake of the hotel and watch the sunset and the starry sky. Here is seamlessly connected with the hotel’s bar and swimming pool. The outdoor chairs are extremely design-oriented. Every night,

—

**Stepping into Yuhuo: An Underwater World Awaits**

As you step into Yuhuo, surrounded by an aquarium, you will undoubtedly be captivated by the colorful underwater world and the fresh ocean breeze. I must say, the ambiance here is incredibly enticing. Of course, seating is quite limited, and all dining must be reserved in advance. The restaurant specializes in seafood and Western cuisine.

**Enchantment and Marriage Proposals**

Staff members have shared that some tourists have said they would immediately accept a marriage proposal if it were to happen here, illustrating how enchanting the environment of Yuhuo Restaurant is.

**The Architectural Mastermind**

So, who is behind such a magnificent project? The design team responsible for the conception and construction was led by Martin Jochman of Atkins. If the name sounds unfamiliar, you might be aware of the world’s first seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Atkins was the team that led the design of the Burj Al Arab, which is a significant reason why the Sheshan Shimao InterContinental Hotel is so unique.

**Beyond the Pit Hotel: Entertainment Venues**

If you think that staying at the Pit Hotel only offers sunrise views and the sound of waterfalls and birds, you are mistaken. Adjacent to the hotel, there are two vibrant entertainment venues that greatly enrich the hotel experience.

**Deep Pit Wonderland Elf City Theme Park**

*Address:* Next to Shanghai Shimao Sheshan InterContinental Hotel (a short walk away)
*Opening Hours:* 10:00-18:00
*Ticket Price:* Single park adult 120 CNY/ticket
*Free ticket policy:* Minors under 1.1 meters (inclusive) are free.

A theme park called ‘Deep Pit Wonderland’ Elf City, located just a stone’s throw away from the hotel, is the best place to get a full view of the hotel. The glass plank walkway, about 80 meters long, is also the best vantage point to appreciate the Sheshan Shimao InterContinental Hotel. Above the glass plank walkway is a 360-degree thrilling cliff pendulum, visible from the rooms of the Pit Hotel.

In addition to this, the theme park features projects such as the Elf Tree House, Desert Archaeology, Dream Waters, and Bug World, attracting visitors with immersive experiences. The central area’s 15-meter-high Dream Elf Tree House is filled with whimsical ideas, perfect for children to play hide and seek among the huge tree holes, and adults can also lead their children through the winding tree holes to the top level to find the hidden happy elves!

Along the lush jungle, there is a giant insect world and a secret city backyard garden. Not far from the entrance, the Dream Waters area offers an exhilarating water gun battle!

The core entertainment project in the park is the Deep Pit Flyover, a high-altitude zip line that allows you to enjoy the full view of the hotel while gliding. You lie down on the zip line board in a nearly flat position, flying from one side of the pit to the other, turning and flying back, with the hotel’s hundred-meter-deep pool below. Just thinking about it is thrilling.

Unfortunately, due to the recent pandemic and rainy weather, it has not officially opened yet, which is a bit regrettable. However, even just coming to experience the glass plank walkway is quite impressive.

**Smurf Village: A Blue Delight**

If you think that deep pit mysteries are just games for children, then the Smurf Village, a blue version of Disneyland located just 500 meters away from the attraction, is truly a delightful surprise. Moreover, the entire amusement park is built indoors, meaning that regardless of wind or rain, or when outdoor temperatures soar above 35 degrees Celsius, you can always bring your children to enjoy the park.

Although the park’s fame may not be on par with Disneyland, the overall experience and the richness of the attractions are by no means inferior, offering exceptional value for money.

**Shanghai Shimao Smurf Theme Park**

*Address:* 5088 Chenhua Road, Songjiang District
*Opening Hours:* 10:00 to 18:00
*Ticket Prices:* 160 yuan for adults and 99 yuan for children.

This is also the first Smurf-themed park in the Asia-Pacific region, where classic characters such as Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, Clumsy Smurf, Inventor Smurf, and the evil Gargamel break through the boundaries of two dimensions and become characters in the ‘City of Elves’.

The Smurf Village, which officially opened at the end of May this year, is not well-known to many tourists. Many people in Shanghai still believe that Sheshan only has adult amusement parks like Happy Valley and Maya Water World, which has always been a regret for many family outings. Now, the Smurf Village fills this gap and makes going to Sheshan for a vacation trip more than just a slogan for children, as they can truly find their own paradise.

**Recommended Attractions in the Park**

* Journey to the Center of the Earth
* Wonderland Soaring
* Mao Xian Wang 6D Cinema
* Forest Maze
* Berry Swing
* Magic Mirror Transformation
* Pappy Jam Cup
* Berry Coaster
* Magic Brush Painting
* Smurfette’s Garden
* Dark Laboratory
* Potion Mixer
* Azrael Cat Jump Tower
* Swamp Exploration

Upon entering through the Elf Tree, you will arrive at the first core area of the park.

—