Yangzhou's fame as a center for arts belies its physical size, but this pretty city in Jiangsu more than lives up to its reputation, especially with a Shangri-La Hotel facilitating its business and leisure travelers. Pauline D. Loh takes a closer look.

Two years after opening in this fabled city, the Yangzhou Shangri-La Hotel is already well known among taxi drivers. Every single cabbie knew exactly where the hotel is located and brought us to its doors quickly. It speaks volumes about the hotel's quick integration into the local awareness.

It is an establishment that fits into a city known for its appreciation of art and beauty.

This is Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts 35th hotel on Chinese mainland, and the Shangri-La is Yangzhou's first international five-star hotel.

The 369-room hotel overlooks Mingyue Lake in the western part of the city and sits amid its own classic Chinese garden with poetic pavilions, pagodas and koi ponds. It is also strategically located opposite the museum and the ethnic arts center.

Apart from the hotel's usual coterie of excellent amenities, what stands out is its use of Yangzhou elements in its decor.

Guests checking in will be impressed by the huge panels of turquoise glass and silk that hang on the wall behind the reception desk. The theme is reflected in the hundreds of plum blossoms carved into the glass.

This is again echoed in the standing screens that divide the dining room of the hotel's Chinese restaurant, Shang Palace. Here, the art is more abstract but no less amazing in that every bloom is hand-sewn using Yangzhou's unique double-sided silk embroidery. Outside the restaurant's glass picture windows plum trees show off their delicate blooms in the right season.

Yangzhou Shangrila-La has been described as one of the group's prettiest and it's easy to see why.

The natural setting is already a huge advantage in that it is located in a city known for its beautifully landscaped mansions, owned by the once prosperous salt merchants whose business once propped up Yangzhou's financial backbone.

Unlike the yokel barons of today, the salt merchants used their money to build a city that became known for its good taste in muted, rather than ostentatious, display.

Yangzhou became a center for art and culture, and the city's famous scholars and artists such as the Eight Eccentrics are still respected today for their exceptional paintings, prose and poems.

Appetite for culture is reflected in the cuisine as well, and Yangzhou food is known for its refined flavors and artistic presentation.

Among the Shangrila-La's dining and entertainment options are Cafe Xiu, which features five interactive cooking stations serving international dishes, and the signature Shang Palace offering authentic Cantonese cuisine and traditional Huaiyang selections.

it also offers the city's newest gathering spot for meetings and special events - a 1,485-square-metre, pillar-free Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 840 people for a banquet or 1,350 for a reception.

Ideally located in the New Western District of Yangzhou, the hotel is steps away from the Conference and Exhibition Center and a short drive to the city center and famous Slender West Lake. Yangzhou Rail-way Station is five minutes from the hotel by car. Yangzhou Taizhou Airport is approximately 30 minutes away and Nanjing Lukou International Airport is an hour and a half's drive.

Business or leisure travelers will enjoy the hotel's signature Horizon Club facilities, with a lounge on the top floor of the building showcasing sweeping views of Mingyue Lake, and with free coffee and other refreshments throughout the day.

Horizon Club privileges include express check-in and check-out services, personal concierge and secretarial service, complimentary buffet breakfast, evening cocktails, daily newspapers and use of conference and meeting facilities.