WenPu Hotel 常州文璞酒店 (Changzhou, CHINA)

WenPu Hotel (文璞酒店) is a luxury landmark in the heart of Changzhou's Culture Plaza (文化廣場), known for its striking “arch bridge” theme. Opened in 2020, the hotel blends modern design with traditional Jiangnan bridge culture featuring a unique cantilevered structure that serves as a dramatic visual centerpiece in the city’s new cultural and commercial district.

Its location is ideal for exploring the city as it's right besides the Changzhou Library and Art Museum, and only a short walk from Citizens’ Square Metro Station (市民廣場站).

With less than 24 hours in town, choosing WenPu Hotel was an easy decision for us since we wanted to experience Changzhou’s heritage and energy as effortless as possible. That’s why I made this booking the first one for our Jiangnan trip.

When we arrived in Changzhou, it was already around 10pm. Not surprisingly, the lobby wasn’t busy. 

Our room looked almost exactly like the photos online — very spacious, with two comfortable double beds. 

The décor mainly in beige and light wood tones, created a calm and warm atmosphere.

The bathroom was also impressively spacious. Unlike some of the modern designs we’ve seen lately, both the shower area and the toilet are within the main bathroom space.

Shower room

Toilet

This guy didn’t care that it was nearly midnight. He wanted more game time and he wanted it now.

We woke up early the next morning to explore the area around the hotel. Besides the library and museum, Wonder World (藝象天地) — a shopping, dining, and entertainment hub sits directly underneath the hotel. There’s also plenty of open space for kids to run around, making it a great spot to spend a relaxed afternoon.

With Citizens’ Square Metro Station directly connected to Wonder World, we decided to grab lunch there instead to avoid the crowds. More on that later.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Price: ¥¥

Address: Building 5, 2 Jinxiu Road, Changzhou Cultural Plaza, Tianning District, Changzhou, China

常州市天宁区锦绣路2号常州文化广场5号楼

Closest Metro Station: Citizens' Square (市民广场)

Tel: +86 (0519) 8567-8888

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/fa/-ihM

The Spoon Pasta Bar (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The Spoon Pasta Bar and its freshly handcrafted pasta had been on my mind for quite some time. It was an itch I was more than happy to scratch before the Easter holidays officially kick off this weekend.

There were plenty of dining options in Soho that caught my eye, but I was determined to check this one off my list. At around 3pm, the restaurant was still accepting guests, and not surprisingly, it wasn’t a full house.

Seafood brown butter tomato rigatoni ($168) — The homemade rigatoni was extra long, which made it even more special.

I really enjoyed the al dente rigatoni that was perfectly cooked with a slightly chewy bite. It did an excellent job soaking up the flavors of the tomato sauce, seafood jus, and brown butter. And then there were the shrimp, squid rings, and baby scallops each one adding to the richness and texture of the dish.

If I’m being picky, I thought the dessert menu could have been more extensive. Without a tiramisu or other classic Italian sweets, I decided to settle the bill and hunt for my sweet treat somewhere else.

Food Rating: 6.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: 24 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central / Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 5187-3842

Website: https://www.instagram.com/thespoon.pastabar

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm daily