Cliffside hotel boasts underwater rooms

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Like most metropolitan cities, the architecture of Shanghai is mostly towering skyscrapers of metal and glass, but one hotel is breaking the mold by building down instead of up.

The InterContinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, developed by Shanghai Shimao Property Group, will extend 19 stories into the bottom of an 87-meter pit near the foot of Shanghai's Tianma Mountain.

Construction started in March and is expected to be completed in 2017. According to the company that is building it, the hotel will be capable of receiving 10 million visitors a year, boosting local tourism.

On the outside, the hotel will feature a superb landscape. On the inside, all of the presidential suites and guest rooms will have a viewing balcony.

In addition, there will be an underwater restaurant and two-story underwater guest rooms. Cutting-edge technology will be applied to build an aquarium, artificial rocks and coral reefs. The innovation will let visitors experience what it feels like to roam at the bottom of the ocean.

At the same time, there will be a 100-meter waterfall along the cliff right across from the hotel.

The pit served as a quarry from the 1950s to 2000, when it was abandoned, according to a senior branding manager at Shanghai Shimao Property Group.

Shimao is investing 3.5 billion yuan ($571 million) in the 420,000-square-meter Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, a large-scale theme park integrating natural, leisure and entertainment elements. The hotel is planned as part of the wonderland complex, with a total investment of 600 million yuan.

The hotel layout was provided by UK design firm Atkins and cost about 30 million yuan. It said the site is one of Shanghai's most beautiful natural landscapes, with six national forest parks nearby, and the design of the hotel will make the most of it.

Hotel planners said they would also take advantage of the site's surrounding cliffs by hosting activities, such as rock climbing and bungee jumping. Other amenities include swimming pools and spas.

There will also be a comprehensive family-friendly business center with an early learning center, an IMAX cinema, a children's park and an upscale shopping mall.

Questions:

1. Where is the InterContinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland hotel?

2. What are some special features of the hotel?

3. What was on the site before?

Answers:

1. 19 stories into the bottom of an 87-meter pit near the foot of Shanghai's Tianma Mountain.

2. An underwater restaurant and two-story underwater guest rooms.

3. The pit served as a quarry from the 1950s to 2000, when it was abandoned.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.