Postcard of Astor Hotel in Shanghai
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
MODERN HISTORY

A Brief History of China’s Hotel Industry

How China’s hotels transformed from exclusive spaces for the privileged to accommodation for the masses

In 1979, the Chinese government invited the great German conductor Herbert von Karajan to tour the country. But there was a problem: there weren’t enough hotel rooms in Beijing to accommodate von Karajan and his 200-strong orchestra.

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