Patsy Yang, a globe-trotting veteran lifestyle reporter for Shanghai Daily, has just returned from journeys to Bhutan and Sarajevo. The Shanghai native is a local export on the city’s evolving social hotspots and Chinese destinations through her reportage on food, wine, design, travel and cultural identity.
Her favourite area in her home city is the vibrant Former French Concession. Yang is particularly attuned cultural shifts, profiling unique designer homes, local chefs, and expats’ perspectives, giving voice to the in-between spaces where culture, nostalgia and innovation meet. This go-to expert on the local F&B scene maps out how tradition and modernization intertwine in contemporary Shanghai life.
As Chinese tourism and lifestyles continue their post-pandemic reinvention, writers like Yang play a subtle but growing role, in helping define what Shanghainese living feels like now, as well as how the sophisticated Chinese like to travel the rest of the world. From Italy to Istanbul, she frequents dining, wining and cultural hotspots around the globe, giving us the low down on her favourite flavours and spots worth a detour.
Favorite restaurant in Shanghai?
Ginger Modern Asian Bistro in the Former French Concession – a Shanghai institution. I’ve been a loyal customer for 20 years, and I’m still captivated by owner Betty’s creativity, passion, and unwavering excellence. Every dish reflects Betty’s signature style: no-compromise ingredients, layered flavours, and a touch of artistry on the plate. In a city where change is constant and restaurants come and go; Ginger is one of the rare places that has truly stood the test of time. It is proof that when food is crafted with heart and vision, it never goes out of style.
Best local bars in Shanghai?
Speak Low is a Shanghai speakeasy institution disguised behind an unassuming barware shop. This impressive space is a multi-level playground for cocktail lovers and the curious. It’s consistently ranked among Asia’ Best Bars, and masterfully blends mystery, craft and atmosphere. On the edge of Fuxing park, Sober Company is also a regular fixture on Asia’s Best Bars, with three areas inside that take you from sober to spirited. The ultimate reward comes when you’ve visited all three: a secret token that grants entry to the hidden speakeasy beyond. Bar S-Otto is a speakeasy cocktail bar I love, led by principal bartender Filippo Sanchi. It has an intimate omakase-style circular bar counter, and the menu includes eight classic and eight signature cocktails.
Favourite daytrips around Shanghai?
My favorite daytrip is to Huayi Resort in Qingpu (a suburban district of Shanghai), a serene escape tucked along the shores of Dianshan Lake. It feels more like an artist’s dreamscape than a resort – a place where creative, nature, and genuine connection intertwine. Spread across vast grounds that includes gardens, farmland, and lakeside trails, it’s where the city’s noise fades into a birdsong and bicycle wheel on country paths. What I love most is how personal it feels. Every villa carries the designer and owner’s touch – vintage furniture she collected, handmade pieces from nearby villages. You can spend the day wandering through flower meadows, or simply sitting by the lake, doing nothing at all. Hua Yi isn’t about luxury in the conventional sense – it’s about returning to clarity, to what really matters.
Where to take an arts and design geek around in Shanghai?
I would include a few modern art museums, and each reflects the city’s evolving contemporary art scene. Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) is one of my favourites, located in the heart of Lujiazui, on the riverfront. It’s a great place for global-level exhibitions as well as Chinese artists and combines architecture, design sensibility and contemporary art. Fotografiska Shanghai is another destination where photography, design and lifestyle converge and it’s cool cafe/bar is a great spot to spend a moment enjoying Shanghai life.
What advice would you give to overseas travellers coming to China now?
Go with an open mind and flexible attitude. China is vast and diverse, and each province offers different regional food that is worth exploring.
Favorite Chinese cities for escapism?
If I had to pick one for pure escapism, it would be Quanzhou in Fujian Province – a place that feels like stepping into the pages of an ancient travelogue. Once called Zayton by Arab traders, it was the beating heart of the Maritime Silk Roads, where ships from Persia, India, and Arabia docked alongside Chinese junks heavy with silk and spices. You can still feel that layered history in its temples, mosques, stone bridges, and Buddhist pagodas beside the oldest mosque in China. There’s a peacefulness in Quanzhou’s mix of faiths and cultures, a sense of the world flowing through it yet somehow standing still.
As a wine expert, where are your favourite place in the world for this?
The Piedmont wine region in northwestern Italy. In Barolo and Barbaresco, the rolling hills create wines that both ethereal and powerful. Each commune tells a different story through its soils: from the perfumed expression in La Morra to the brooding structure of Serralunga. Pare with the region’s food: white truffle (if in season), battuta di fassona, brasato – I love that with a Nebbiolo’s structured tannins and acidity.
If Piedmont is where I go to understand the refinement and revelation of Nebbiolo, Georgia is where I go to reconnect with the soul of winemaking itself. This is the world’s oldest continuous wine culture. Georgia’s winemaking is deeply connected to the earth – using qvevri, buried underground for fermentation and aging. The Kakheti region is the beating heart of Georgian wine. The wines carry a primal energy there: amber wines that smell like apricots and hay, reds that hum with spice and black fruit, all unfiltered and alive.
Most inspiring cities for food?
I was in Istanbul recently. There cultures, histories and flavors collide in the most seamless, sensory way possible. I have a particular fondness of meze. It represents the tempo of the city – never rushes, full of layers, and deeply social. Karakoy Lokantasi is the place I keep returning to where represents the classic Istanbul elegance with an amazing variety of meze on offer. But any small meyhane in Beyoglu where locals eat, laugh and toast is worth checking out.
Then there’s my favourite: Bologna, the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy region famed for fresh pasta, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano. I’m a big fan of fresh pasta and the city is the best place for tortellini, tagliatelle, cappelletti, and many more. Every shape has a story, with strong link to tradition.
How was your trip to Bhutan and what surprised you the most there?
Unexpectedly rewarding. The air itself felt different – crisp, scented with pine – and so did time. There’ s quiet order to everything, from the immaculate terraced fields to the whitewashed dzongs perched on cliffs. No rush, no honking, no clutter, just wind, prayer wheels, and the hum of life in perfect promotion. People talk about Gross National Happiness not as an idea, but as something they live in; in the way they greet strangers, care for the land and move with a shared sense of being. In Bhutan, Buddhist philosophy isn’t just a religion, it shapes daily life.
Travel splurge you’ll never regret?
It was this recent trip to Bhutan, especially staying at COMO Uma Paro and COMO Uma Punakha. The resorts are perfectly integrated into the landscapes, offering views of the valleys and rivers. But it wasn’t just luxury – it was the sense of space, calm and presence. It’s the country that feels almost untouched by time. I can leave my worries behind and just be present.
Favourite hotel, anywhere in the world?
Quite a few. Villa Laetitia in Rome, is Anna Fendi’s first residenza concept where the style aligns with Anna’s vision of creating with sophistication and unexpected beauty. It took her years to restore the dilapidated villa with its frescoes, marbles, stuccos, and fuse it with period furniture, contemporary art and artistic homeware. The place reminded her of the Luchino Visconti movies.
Since the first time she hosted me there, I’ve returned every time I’m in Rome. Another favorite is RAAS Jodhpur in Rajasthan, because it’s impossible to ask for a more inspiring backdrop than the Mehrangarh Fort. The boutique hotel set within the original Rajput residence completely fits my taste, it’s sensitive to context yet never falls into cliche. Though I generally prefer experiences like the Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg with its historic lobby bar and legendary restaurant showcasing unique Art Nouveau interiors and yesteryear opulence.
And where do you go for stimulation and creative energy?
The eternal city Rome is where I’ve been constantly returning to. It constantly sparks inspiration because of its unparalleled grandness and scale. The city itself is a like stage play filled with endless drama and entertainment.
Where do you go when you need a creative reset?
Istanbul. If Rome is my favourite city in the world, Istanbul comes a close second. The city is a sensory feast – the call to prayer echoing over the Bosphorus, the mix of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture – all of it sparks fresh ideas and perspective.
Dream vacation, not yet fulfilled?
Patagonia in the southernmost part of South America for dramatic landscapes and glaciers.
