The 12-storey Peace Hotel, built in the Gothic style of the Chicago School, first opened as Cathay Hotel in 1929 and assumed its modern name in 1956. Its founder, a certain Victor Sassoon, was a colourful character who had struck it rich off the back of what today we would consider immoral trading - namely opium and arms. Located in the heart of Shanghai's financial district, it offers the perfect setting from which to explore a booming city in the country of the future.
