Ch'ien Men 23: Then & Now

Now the home to culinary experiences such as Maison Boulud, the Fez/Agua/Shiro Matsu/Hex compound, the Meat & Wine Co., and Ristorante Sadler, the former American Legation Compound used to be only a twinkle in Chinese businessman and lawyer extraordinaire Handel Lee’s eyes.

Lee, raised in Washington D.C. and the child of a painter with royal Manchurian roots and a scientist, is a Georgetown-trained lawyer, who moved back to China in 1991 to open an office for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, one of the world’s top law firms. These days, Lee is back at the helm of King & Wood as Chairman of China’s largest law firm.

Back in 1996, Lee opened “The Courtyard,” what was then Beijing’s first internationally acclaimed fine-dining restaurant and art gallery. In the decade following, Shanghai bore witness to Lee’s designs with the opening of “Three on the Bund,” a luxurious multi-story complex housing names such as Armani, Evian, and uber-chef Jean Georges Vongerichten. “Three on the Bund” was lauded for being one of the prime factors that launched the commercial revival on Shanghai’s shore, which created the mosaic that we see today. Around three years ago, Lee set his eye on the piece of real estate that we now know as Ch'ien Men 23.

It is a refurbished version of what used to be the American Foreign Legation. Following the aftermath of the Second Opium War, this general area to the southeast of Tiananmen was given to a number of foreign countries, including Belgium, Portugal, and the United States. With the resentment that spurred the Boxer Rebellion, the Legation Quarter was besieged by Boxers.

Despite the intense fighting and raging fires, the area was once again captured by foreign troops, who were rumored to have crawled through the drainage ditches to get in. In retaliation, the area was quickly walled up and considered off-limits to Chinese citizens. However, with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, as most foreign powers left Beijing, the area was handed back to the Republic of China’s government.

The buildings we see inside Ch'ien Men 23 today were actually reconstructed in 1903 because of the damage from the rebellion. In an area fraught with history, it is understandable when Ignace Lecleir, the General Manager of Maison Boulud, says, “If only the walls could talk, you would hear some very interesting conversations.” Inside the building that now houses Boulud, one can only imagine what U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger may have said to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai during their secret meeting to plan President Richard Nixon’s monumentally historic trip to China.

With these various historical ties, it’s no wonder that the investors for Ch'ien Men 23 had to get themselves through over thirty separate bureaucratic approvals before a single stone could be touched. Once construction started, smooth sailing wasn’t exactly how one could describe the process. Rampant rumors flew around town that the project would never see the light of day because of the red tape surrounding such an undertaking. Pundits around Beijing made guesses at whom the final occupants would be. Names such as Armani and Enoteca Pinchiorri, three-star Michelin chef Annie Féolde’s culinary stronghold, were bandied about, but no concrete blueprints were ever released to the public.

Handel Lee and his business partners, Beijing-based private equity group Mandarin Ventures, must have been quite pleased during this time if they subscribed to the old adage that "any publicity is good publicity." Even after opening, the historical sensitivity of the area caused the entire compound to undergo re-branding from “Legation Quarter” to what we now know as “Ch'ien Men 23.” Despite the intricacies surrounding the complex and its path to fruition, the final product we see these days easily outshines whatever headaches were previously caused.

Now, Ch'ien Men 23 houses several culinary and visual masterpieces. Maison Boulud is the first restaurant to be opened in China by Michelin-star-rated chef Daniel Boulud. The Fez/Agua/Shiro Matsu/Hex compound, run by the Agua Group out of Hong Kong, features world-famous mixologist Jackie Ho, and a cornucopia of Spanish, Japanese, and Moroccan cuisines. Ristorante Sadler, accented by rich dark wooden interiors, offers the renowned Italian cuisine of chef Claudio Sadler. The chic Meat & Wine Company serves cuisine that stays true to its name. Zen is a uniquely designed contemporary Chinese restaurant serving Cantonese-influenced cuisine. Last but not least, in the southeast corner of the square resides the Beijing Center for the Arts, a dynamic arts and events venue.

With prices matching her elevated levels of fine dining and service, Ch'ien Men 23 stays true to her motto, “It’s more than a meal, it’s a lifestyle.” Despite what detractors might say about the area, Beijing residents and visitors alike appreciate that an option like this exists now.