Saving an entire Ming and Qing dynasty village from submersion beneath a reservoir — dismantling centuries-old camphor wood manor houses timber by timber, numbering each beam and column, then reassembling them on a new site outside Shanghai — is perhaps the most extraordinary act of architectural preservation in contemporary hospitality. That salvage operation, conceived by Chinese entrepreneur Chen Libao over nearly two decades and realised with Kengo Kuma as lead architect, gave Amanyangyun its irreplaceable structural identity: antique hand-cut stone facades reflected in arrival pools, original bracketing and roof tiles crowning walls that predate the Qing dynasty, and interior volumes held up by the same dark camphor columns that once sheltered Fujianese merchant families. Inside, Kuma's interiors layer contemporary precision over the recovered fabric with characteristic restraint — pale oak floors laid beneath soaring original timber frames, woven bamboo pendant lights hanging from ancient beams, low-platform beds flanked by ink-wash paintings that echo the grain of the wood surrounding them. The 24 villas and suites are distributed across the reconstructed heritage houses, while newer contemporary structures housing the restaurant and spa introduce bronze-framed curtain walls and slatted timber ceilings, drawing the surrounding camphor grove and water gardens directly into the dining room's sightlines. The pool terrace, edged in grey granite and framed by bronze steel pavilions, holds the two registers — old and new — in a quiet, considered balance that few properties anywhere in China have managed with equal conviction.

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Just outside downtown Shanghai, a cherished camphor forest sets the scene for Aman's fourth destination in China: Amanyangyun. Meaning ‘nourishing cloud’, yangyun is a reference to expanding the ‘cloud’ of the mind with knowledge – a philosophy borne by the story of the trees and dwellings at Amanyangyun's heart. This introspective retreat belies a remarkable tale of a forest transported, and a history preserved. Saved from demolition, these Ming- and Qing-dynasty dwellings have been reassembled, brick by ancient brick, to create peaceful, refined spaces. Light-filled with forest views, interiors are finished in wood, stone and bamboo. Calling on Chinese tradition, the expansive Aman Spa is devoted to holistic health, fitness and wellbeing while the five dining venues at Amanyangyun each plays to its unique setting and ambience.