Chongqing - The historic French Charity Hall (Ren'ai Tang) in Mountain City Alley has reopened as the Sunyata Ren'ai Hall Hotel following a 600-day restoration, transforming this century-old landmark from sacred space to hospitality destination. 

The Sunyata Ren'ai Hall Hotel officially opened on July 11th. (Photo/Sunyata)

The Western classical-style compound—featuring a church, priest's residence, and bell tower—stands as a living chronicle of Chongqing's port-opening history. It has served multifaceted roles, including medical center, educational institution, and charitable hub. It notably operated as the precursor to Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital since 1902 and hosted a pioneering girls' school offering women's education as early as 1909.

The French Charity Hall, photographed in 1910. (Photo/Sunyata)

Explaining the transformation of this 120-year-old site, Lai Guoping, Founder of SUNYATA, stated: "Hotels naturally act as predictors of lifestyle. As we advocated in 2019, if lifestyle is a multiple-choice question, hotels are the most delightful answer." 

The Sunyata Ren'ai Hall Hotel revitalizes an architectural treasure dating back to 1900. (Photo/Sunyata)

The redesign honors this vision while respecting history – designers preserved original beams, pillars, and spatial layouts to create 25 guest rooms with framed windows capturing dynamic vistas of the Yangtze River, neighborhood life, and church silhouettes. This "one window, one world" concept delivers an authentic immersion into mountain-city living. Designer Xie Bin emphasized the preservation philosophy: "Times change; beauty alone lacks staying power. Only through retaining original essence can buildings endure as lasting companions." During basement renovations, workers uncovered century-old stone archways that Co-founder of SUNYATA, Luo Jie, insisted on preserving: "These raw architectural forms became our non-negotiable focal point."

The interior decoration and furnishings of the guest rooms. (Photo/Sunyata)

The integrated destination extends beyond accommodations to include Baiya Fusion Chinese Restaurant, JUST CHILL Pizza Restaurant, TIDI Bar, and Luggage Collection Art Gallery – all adjacent to the preserved church and Wilderness Garden. Xie detailed the spatial strategy: "We designed partitioned areas with visually staggered transitions, allowing emotional shifts between zones while maintaining distinct characters within a cohesive whole."

The JUST CHILL Pizza Restaurant was built around the original stone wall structure. (Photo/Sunyata)

Luo noted that the project's ultimate mission is cultural transmission: "When diners savor fusion cuisine beneath century-old brick walls, the exposed timber beams and stone structures silently articulate Mountain City Alley's profound heritage—a depth transcending fleeting social media trends." The Sunyata Ren'ai Hall Hotel reimagines heritage conservation as a living journey through Chongqing's layered past by bridging historical legacy with contemporary hospitality.

The Baiya Fusion Chinese Restaurant has river views. (Photo/Sunyata)