Purple Clay Hotel

The bathroom was the biggest I’ve ever seen. The hotel was very comfortable, and the rooms were large and looked brand new.

A nice place.

International style.

The hotel is in Dingdu Town, known as the home of Yixing clay pottery. It’s a five-star property, and collectors of Yixing teapots will find it a dream. You can see Huanglong Mountain from the window, which brings to mind the old mining days. I’d definitely like to stay again, and Japanese fans of Yixing teapots should give it a try. I don’t think they’ll regret it. Getting there from the high-speed rail station takes about 15 minutes by Didi, at roughly 400 yen. The spacious lobby feels like a museum, with Yixing clay teapots on display. Going through them all takes about an hour. Four specialty shops on the first floor sell Yixing teapots, so you can buy high-quality pieces right at the hotel if you don’t have time to visit town. My room was very spacious, with a large bathtub and plenty of hot water. The shower has a hand shower and a rainfall setting. There was also a Yixing clay teapot and tea tray in the room, along with loose-leaf black and green tea. A thick guidebook by a Yixing teapot master was on the writing desk, which was nice for passing a quiet evening. I arrived as the cleaning was wrapping up. The cleaning ladies were very kind even though I don’t speak Chinese, and I was truly touched by what they did for me. Breakfast doesn’t quite match a five-star foreign hotel, but there’s enough variety and plenty to eat. Since it’s a Chinese hotel, not having chilled drinks or omelets was a minor drawback. The main downsides are outside the hotel. It’s not the hotel’s fault, but there aren’t many places nearby where you can eat alone, though there are plenty of hot pot restaurants for some reason. The nearest convenience store is almost a kilometer away. Those are about the only issues. I stayed during China’s May national holiday, so it was quite expensive, but normally this luxury hotel is incredibly cheap at around 7,000 yen.