Cover The multi-story, raw concrete interiors of Hangzhou’s B1OCK Concept Store offer a striking design escape from the seasonal rain. (Photo: B1OCK Concept Store)
The multi-story, raw concrete interiors of Hangzhou’s B1OCK Concept Store offer a striking design escape from the seasonal rain. (Photo: B1OCK Concept Store)
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From Hong Kong’s discreet speakeasies to minimalist galleries in Shanghai, here is how city dwellers across the region are moving their daily routines indoors this rainy season
Summer in Hong Kong brings a familiar routine. It starts with the sudden flash of an Amber rainstorm alert on your phone, followed by a collective scramble for umbrellas along Queen’s Road Central. But a heavy downpour rarely cancels plans here, it just changes our coordinates. We swap exposed sidewalks for the connected walkways of the Landmark, duck into subterranean spaces like Artifact Bar, or watch the storm pass from the high-altitude calmness of Upper House. It is an effortless, city-wide pivot to staying dry without slowing down.
This rainy season is a shared experience across China’s major metropolitan hubs right now. As a massive weather front moves across the region, it triggers intense subtropical monsoons in the south and the steady Meiyu (‘plum rains’, as this is when yellow plums ripen and fall from the trees) in the east.
Rather than fighting the humidity, urbanites in these seven cities have mastered the art of the retreat, turning rainy days into the perfect excuse to explore the best local cafes, design spots and cultural hideouts.
Read more: The Tatler guide to Hong Kong’s weekly happenings
Hong Kong: subterranean cisterns in Central
Above The subterranean, cistern-inspired interiors of Central’s Artifact Bar offer a sleek escape from the summer downpour. (Photo: Artifact Bar)
The subterranean, cistern-inspired interiors of Central’s Artifact Bar offer a sleek escape from the summer downpour. (Photo: Artifact Bar)
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- Average June rainfall: ~450 mm
- The place: Artifact Bar, Central
When the sky breaks over Central, the neighbourhood’s finance and legal elite disappear down the escalators of Jardine House. The destination is Artifact Bar, a high-concept venue hidden inside BaseHall. The interior, designed by NC Design + Architecture, mimics the rhythmic, curvaceous ribbing of an underground water cistern. Under a soft, circular skylight glow that evokes an eerie indoor sunset, creatives and executives talk market positions over pours of rare, aged spirits, completely insulated from the torrential downpour on the streets above.
The same weather front driving Hongkongers inside pushes inland, forcing a different kind of architectural retreat in the Greater Bay Area’s manufacturing capital.
Guangzhou: villa-hopping in Dongshankou
- Average June rainfall: ~320 mm
- The place: Dongshankou
Guangzhou’s June is defined by Longzhou shui—the intense, sudden “dragon boat rains”. Rather than remaining trapped in the sterile glass towers of Tianhe, the city’s millennial innovators and fashion founders migrate to the artsy, laidback Dongshankou. This historic neighbourhood is packed with century-old, multi-story red-brick villas. Inside the brutalist concrete interior of the SND Concept Store, or within the private galleries nearby, locals and visitors sip on single-origin pour-overs, moving between interconnected indoor spaces without stepping onto the main streets.
Further north along the coast, the rain cools down but the pace remains just as sharp as Shanghai enters its peak humidity.
Shanghai: modernist monoliths on the Bund
- Average June rainfall: ~180 mm
- The place: Museum of Art Pudong, Lujiazui
June marks the official arrival of the Meiyu season in Shanghai, blanketing the city in a thick, low-hanging gray mist. Art lovers adapt by heading across the river to the Museum of Art Pudong. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the pristine, white granite structure acts as a massive barrier against the elements. Visitors spend their afternoons walking the wide, climate-controlled halls, analysing international exhibitions and enjoying the glass-walled corridors that frame a fogged-up, cinematic view of the Bund.
Across the Taiwan Strait, the same plum rain front turns the tech capital’s socialisation inward and highly disciplined.
Taipei: tea omakase in Songshan
- Average June rainfall: ~300 mm
- The place: Liquid Ambré, Songshan
Taipei handles its persistent June drizzle with a quiet, neon-lit sophistication. Local residents and design enthusiasts handle the damp climate by retreating to Liquid Ambré in the Songshan district. Located up a narrow, wet-stone staircase, this minimalist tea lounge is anchored by a massive red lacquer table. Guests book multi-course tea omakases, sampling single-origin Alishan Jade oolongs in a quiet environment designed for slow afternoons and focused creative conversations.
Back in the Greater Bay Area, the tech sector deals with the downpours by heading straight into the clouds.
Shenzhen: hedging above the clouds
- Average June rainfall: ~350 mm
- The place: Long Bar at Raffles Shenzhen, Nanshan
Shenzhen’s subtropical maritime storms can stall ground traffic instantly, but the local workforce simply bypasses the street level entirely. At One Shenzhen Bay, the evening crowd ascends to the Long Bar at Raffles Shenzhen. Sitting high above the Nanshan district, the lounge features floor-to-ceiling glass that places patrons directly inside the cloud cover. Guests unwind with custom mixology while watching lightning storms roll across the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Western Corridor.
A short ferry ride away, the focus shifts from tech portfolios to climate-controlled retail luxury.
Macau: the glass atrium loop on the Cotai Strip
Above The Conservatory blurs indoor-outdoor boundaries to link dining and retail, letting guests enjoy a light-filled garden setting completely sheltered from the elements. (Photo: The Londoner Macao)
The Conservatory blurs indoor-outdoor boundaries to link dining and retail, letting guests enjoy a light-filled garden setting completely sheltered from the elements. (Photo: The Londoner Macao)
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- Average June rainfall: ~360 mm
- The place: The Conservatory, The Londoner Macao
Macau’s June downpours are heavy and fast, but on the Cotai Strip, the weather is completely irrelevant. Weekend visitors and shoppers navigate through the massive, glass-domed atrium of the Conservatory at the Londoner Macao. The space is designed as a hyper-detailed indoor British landscape, allowing people to move between fine-dining spots, retail suites and comfortable lounges without ever encountering a drop of rain or a humid breeze.
Further inland, China's premier hub for art and tech integration uses world-class architecture to build an indoor cultural neighbourhood.
Hangzhou: industrial modernism at OōEli
- Average June rainfall: ~220 mm
- The place: B1OCK Concept Store, OōEli
Hangzhou’s rainy season transforms the West Lake and its surrounding hills into a traditional ink painting, but inside the city, the weekend crowd concentrates at OōEli, the massive complex designed by Renzo Piano. The specific anchor for the design community during a downpour is the B1OCK Concept Store. Spanning multiple floors of raw concrete and minimalist glass, the store allows shoppers and coffee lovers to browse international independent labels, attend indoor art installations and catch up over espresso, entirely protected from the outdoor elements.
Cyril Ip is the Features Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where he shapes digital strategy, curates long-form features and drives trending cultural coverage across multi-platform digital experiences. He writes about culture, society and self-development. Having lived and worked across Hong Kong, mainland China and the UK, he brings a multifaceted background that spans media, music and publicity—including a four-year tenure as a culture and diplomacy journalist at the South China Morning Post.
