Yangshuo Sugar House

China’s hospitality scene is a dramatic blend of the historical and the ultra-modern — sometimes within the same hotel. A memorable example is the Yangshuo Sugar House Hotel, where the Beijing-based Vector Architects have transformed a disused sugar mill — which just happens to be set in an extraordinarily dramatic riverside landscape — into an inspired piece of contemporary post-industrial architecture and expanding it into a fantastically inventive luxury resort.

Concrete never felt as light as it does in these perforated, screen-like structures, which contrast with the weathered brickwork of the original industrial buildings, while all around, the craggy limestone peaks rise at impossible angles. Meanwhile, inside the accommodations, the look is considerably more soothing, to match the high-end comforts — no mere rooms, these are retreats, lofts, suites, townhouses, and villas, beginning at 55 square meters and quickly spreading into the triple digits.

And while any of the units is a self-contained retreat unto itself, Yangshuo Sugar House’s common offerings are no less essential. The Sugar House restaurant, the 1969 Bar, and the Water Pump private dining room are all beautifully restored spaces where guests mingle over inventive contemporary Chinese fare and upscale cocktails and wines. The hotel’s spa is not just lavish but architecturally memorable as well, made from the sugar factory’s old molasses storage tank. And when it comes to leisure activities, Yangshuo Sugar House goes above and beyond, from cultural experiences to yoga and tai chi and even rock climbing on the surrounding limestone cliffs.