Shanghai-born Licheng Ling, founder of luxury loungewear brand Homeism, moved to New York City in 2010 to study fashion. “I felt excited about everything, but also a bit nervous,” she says about moving. Soon enough, however, New York reminded her of home. “In the 1920s, people called Shanghai the Manhattan of the East,” Ling says. “In some ways, the cities are very similar: They’re diverse, open, and never sleep.”

Vase No. 1 by Zhou Yilun

Sandalwood Soap by Bee & Flower

Night Shanghai, Nostalgic Collection by Zhou Xuan

Lotty Decanter by Aldo Cibic

Two Parts Textile Art by Miranda Fengyuan Zhang

Poppy Nightgown by Homeism

White Rabbit Creamy Candy by Guan Sheng Yuan Food Group

Vegetal Stories, Still Life Composition by Jérémie Thircuir and Wang Hua

Shanghai

Where to Eat: Designed by local practice Linehouse and located inside Shanghai’s newly opened contemporary art center UCCA Edge, the New Wave by Da Vittorio restaurant merges the museum and fine dining experiences. In Ling’s mind, you can never go wrong with Italian food.

Where to Sleep: Located in the downtown district of Jing’an, the PuLi Hotel and Spa is a peaceful urban resort within the city. Created by the late Indonesian designer Jaya Ibrahim and Australian studio Layan, the Zen oasis benefits from its spacious surroundings, textured fabrics, and tasteful eastern touches.

PuLi Hotel and Spa

Where to Shop: Also in Jing’an is multi-brand retailer XC273. The shop is situated in a three story factory conversion by dongqi Design, and carries collections from all the best young Chinese fashion designers. For Ling—who recently bought a dragon candle designed by Yueqi Qi from the store—the experience is like shopping at New York’s New Museum gift shop.

XC273

Head back to the July/August 2022 issue homepage

Also Appears In

Licheng Ling’s Shanghai Is the Other City That Never Sleeps