Entree Kibbles: Shilin Hotel (黄山狮林大酒店) - Buffet Dinner, Night Entertainment @ Huangshan in China

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Shilin Hotel (黄山狮林大酒店) - Buffet Dinner, Night Entertainment @ Huangshan in China

The line of beautifully photographs showcasing the scenery of Huangshan would have made many visitors stopped in their tracks, but not when you have walked a few kilometers up and down the UNESCO world heritage site.

I did stop to take a photograph with this monkey, given that I am born in the Chinese zodiac year of the monkey. Plus, this came as a request from my dad, from whom I inherit my love for phototaking.

Kids could also take the opportunity to recite the text, with help from the hanyu pinyin, that spoke of the strange rocks in Huangshan. My generation is trained in hanyu pinyin too and I have gone rusty with the four types of tones used to articulate the Chinese characters.

Dad and Alex with a bouquet of fake flowers wrapped around the trees. Frankly, I am more into the nature feel of things, including decorations that augment well with the natural setting.

This was funny though; showing just the back end of a horse. As it is the zodiac year of the horse, this would be a physical manifestation of hit the horse's butt. In Chinese, it means the action of "kissing up, boot-licking, or excessive flattery".

Entrance of the hotel building at night as I didn't manage to have a good picture of it in the daytime. There's a barrier which prevents the freezing cold air from seeping into the hotel lobby.

Inside of the hotel; with a pretty large lobby! Basic information of Shilin Hotel; located at the foot of Lion's Peak, it has a total of 161 rooms, and even though it was built in 1998, its recent renovation was in 2014.

You can rent traditional Chinese attire at RMB 20 Yuan (about S$4) an hour or get something to drink from the small convenience stall, including a bottle of Starbucks Cheese Latte at RMB 25 Yuan.

Weather predictions for the next day, including timing for sunrise / sunset and the likelihood of catching the sunrise. If the likelihood is high (more than 55%), the hotel would even provide a guide to bring hotel guests to a vantage location for the sunrise.

Room 7116 - the allocated room for my sister and I. Small and compact, we didn't have any complaint except for its size but well, it's just for one night, and the radiator was working well to warm our room.

A buffet dinner within the hotel's resident restaurant was covered in our tour package and even though this was more than 1,600 meters above sea level, with ingredients painstakingly carried up by porters; the variety wasn't limited.

In summary, I enjoyed the tender pork, and also the sweetness from those small mandarin oranges. Food served were more suited for the local palate so don't expect international offerings.

Those who didn't opt for buffet dinner should note that the pricing was RMB 160 Yuan, around S$30. Well, I can only say I am glad this was covered under our tour package.

At 7pm, the hotel lobby shall come alive. As we overlooked the timing, all tables and seats were already taken up; leaving us to stand on our two tired feet.

Start of the performance, with lion dance! Organized by the hotel, I think this was just a way of ensuring guests don't get too bored as there's really nothing else to do once night falls. And rest assured, the performances are suitable for kids.

The lion would also interact with the audience, resulting in excitement and laughter from the many kids catching the performances. As it was public holiday in China, there were quite a number of kids.

Second performance; the playing of guzheng!

Last performance was an activity exclusive to China; known as tossing the silk ball. Used in instances "where a young woman throws a colorful, handmade silk ball into a crowd of suitors" and the one who caught it shall become the husband. An activity that would no longer apply in the modern world.

In this segment, however, the person who caught the ball the most times shall become the designated hubby. And the funny thing is; another young lady, who is super tall, was the winner! So, it's literally a lesbian couple; not sure if this would be agreeable for the Chinese government.

Concluding act, where everyone comes together.

So-called couple! The young lady tossing the silk ball was so pretty! Back during the segment, it was the so-called maid who came out and a gentleman standing next to us was so bad as he loudly said "this one cannot"!