Above: The hotel is around a half an hour’s drive from the Forbidden City.

High style and original art abound at the newly opened Four Seasons Beijing (48 Liang Ma Qiao Rd., 100125 Chaoyang District; fourseasons.com/Beijing; 86-10/5695-8859; doubles from US$320), which offers 247 guest rooms and 66 suites close to the Third Diplomatic Precinct in the central Liangmahe district. On entering the hotel, guests come face-to-face with Qin Feng’s calligraphic piece Landscape of Desires, one of several artworks displayed throughout the hotel. At the sixth-floor Tea Room, look out for an installation—specially commissioned by Four Seasons—by Australian artist Jayne Dyer. Hundreds of butterflies reach skyward along the atrium wall, inspired by the Chinese legend Butterfly Lovers—also known as Lhang Zhu—a tragedy in the mold of Romeo and Juliet. Away from the lobby, Opus Lounge offers afternoon tea, while the first of two signature restaurants can be found up the stairs. Cai Yi Xuan serves Cantonese cuisine with a Tony Lu-designed menu focusing on dim sum from the Shanghai master’s home turf. The restaurant’s formal dining room overlooks the street below and has eight private dining rooms, while  Mio serves Italian fare under the direction of  Marco Calenzo, formerly of Michelin-starred Apsleys in London’s Lanesborough hotel. The Four Seasons’ spa is run by Fay Sirisopa—who carries a good deal of experience in the region—and includes 11 treatment rooms complemented by sun-lit pool and 24-hour fitness center. Rich tones in mahogany and gold characterize the guest rooms, while the bathrooms, which offer sunken tubs, are a more neutral and lustrous affair.