Red Capital Residence, Beijing, China

A very romantic retro-chic sets the tone in this 200-year-old courtyard residence, or hutong, in Beijing’s Dongsi district, which is entered through red doors complete with brass lion’s-head knockers. Walls and doors gleam in red lacquer, and the courtyard oozes the rockeries of a traditional garden. Inside, this period piece brilliantly captures the revolutionary style of a China that now seems to have vanished as much as the Qing Dynasty: staff wear Red Guard uniforms, Communist kitsch abounds, and in the cellar (a former air raid shelter) classic films of the Cultural Revolution are screened. The cigar lounge has ministerial desk lamps and chairs obtained from Central Government rooms. Furnishings are said to come from the office of Madame Mao, and you can also take a ride in her curtain-hung limousine, complete with fluttering red flags. Given China’s history, the nostalgia is occasionally in questionable taste, but there’s something of the early flavour of idealistic Communism that appeals to both Sinophiles and certain Chinese alike.

The rooms
There are just five compact guestrooms at Red Capital, based on different historic themes but all chock-full of period antiques, while also including modern conveniences such as Internet access, electronic safes, cable TV and contemporary bathrooms. There are two suites, named for revolutionary writers Edgar Snow and Han Suyin, where bowls of goldfish add a lovely touch. Two more suites, tiny but sumptuously decorated, are based on a concubine theme and decorated with Qing Dynasty antiques and silk-draped opium beds. The fifth is the Chairman’s Suite, the only room of any great size, dotted with porcelain figures of Red Guards. This is a must if you can get it: Mao family photos, favourite books and an Art Deco lamp from Mao’s house are part of the furnishings, as well as a slightly more irreverent Mao alarm clock.