Three hours by land and sea from Shanghai is a top-class accommodation that opened in 2025 and is already attracting endless crowds of travel enthusiasts despite the inconvenient journey. The Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel is located on Shengsi, a remote group of islands in the north-east of China’s Zhoushan Islands. Not a place for mainstream tourists, but the ultimate destination for fans of tranquillity, design and the odd history lesson.
Nothing like Mallorca or Ibiza: if you don’t fancy crowds of tourists but still hear the call of the island, you should explore the Chinese Zhoushan Islands. While, thanks to urbanization, the younger population in particular has left the rocky surroundings, which at first glance offer little more than fishing, the tourism industry is gradually recognizing the potential of the still unpopular destination. The architectural firm WJ Studio, which built the Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel in the easternmost part of the island, is leading the way. Many paths lead to the hotel, none of which are easy to follow. Once you have arrived on the main island of Zhoushan, you still have a two and a half hour ferry ride ahead of you. It’s well worth it, because instead of the average hotel chain, you can expect a winding building that has been carefully embedded into the topography of the tiny island – including private outdoor pools with a view of the wild sea and a lighthouse for a bit of nostalgia.
Nature, people and history
When building the hotel, the focus was on time, divided between nature, history and people. In other words, the island’s landscape has taken on a unique form under the natural laws of evolution, which was always taken into account in the hotel’s development process. The island’s history includes fishing and farming culture, which is not to be stomped out by tourism, but rather be part of the travel experience. Thanks to new visitors, a new image of the island will also emerge. The crisis of depopulation on the island will thus become an opportunity for a new form of ecological tourism development, based on unforgettable experiences and tailored specifically to the island.
Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel, WJ Studio
You can regret it when the population of a small group of islands disappears. Or you can see the opportunity to breathe new life into this remote corner of the world. WJ Studio has designed the Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel so that it blends seamlessly into the island. Design and luxury invite you to relax and unwind, while the proximity to the long-established villagers entices you to discover the history of the Zhoushan Islands.
Lost Villa. Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
Client: Zhoushan Shengsi Lost Villa Hotel Management Co., Ltd.
Master planning, architectural design and interior design: WJ Studio
Main designer: Hu Zhile
Design team: Jin Yiran, Yang Xi, Liu Yu’ao, Huang Shufei
Find out more about this brand new hotel here.
Photos: © Tian Fangfang
Also an island, also remote, but in a completely different corner of the world: Whistling Wind Islands in Ontario.
