Handel Lee

Forbes

On The Cover/Top Stories
Man of Many Projects
Ron Gluckman 03.02.2009

http://www.forbes.com/global/2009/0302/074_man_many_projects.html

At lunch at the Maison Boulud restaurant in his Legation Quarter project in Beijing, Handel Lee holds court on his myriad passions: Chinese art, blues and jazz music, motorcycles and, more to the point, fine cuisine, as it fills the table. Law is discussed, too, for Lee, the son of Chinese immigrants to the U.S., ran the largest law firm in China until 2005.

Colleagues call him a rainmaker with all the right contacts. More people know him as a wheeler-dealer who drives splashy mainland real estate developments. Others eye his high-profile lifestyle and collection of homes, Harleys and female friends and call him a bon vivant. Lee chuckles at the descriptions, saying simply: "I'm a projects guy."

His projects include some of China's most acclaimed. The Courtyard, a Beijing restaurant and art gallery popular with celebrities such as Mick Jagger and fellow motorcycle buff Arnold Schwarzenegger, opened in 1996. Shanghai's Three on the Bund, a 90-year-old, seven-story stone tower redesigned by star architect Michael Graves, boasts art galleries, luxury shops and upscale restaurants such as Jean Georges. Many credit Three on the Bund for establishing the city's historic riverfront as a center of tourism, dining and nightlife when it opened in 2004.

The Bund wasn't exactly virgin territory then--Hong Kong restaurateur Michelle Garnaut had opened M on the Bund in 1999 and created an immediate sensation. But many feel that Lee stole M's thunder, storming in and even taking offices in her building. Either way, Three certainly cemented Lee's reputation as a bankable entrepreneur.

Nothing he had cooked up before, though, quite compares to the table he set at Legation Quarter in Beijing. It's also a high-stakes gamble that's still far from certain to pay off. Around the corner from Tiananmen Square, Lee restored the ivy-clad, gray stone buildings of the 106-year-old American Legation and installed an array of haute clubs, galleries and fine-dining halls. He lifted up part of the spacious lawn that surrounds the site's five buildings and then replanted it after putting in an underground theater. The Beijing Center for the Arts opened in one of the buildings last year and regularly features avant-garde shows. During the Olympics the stark white gallery showed contemporary Chinese art, some quite provocative. One exhibit sported huge paintings of crazed, fantasy attack dogs.

Such offerings are common in Tokyo, New York and London but weren't seen in China until the 47-year-old Lee arrived on the art scene in the 1990s. At his Courtyard Gallery he exhibited massive rocks with equally large price tags. At a time when luxury, whether shopping or dining, was confined to hotel complexes, he created some of China's first sophisticated showrooms of indulgence. "All along, my goal has been to bring the best of the world--whether art, architecture, food or fashion--to China," he says. "It's not just about doing cool projects that make money, but also about doing projects that push China forward."

Legation Quarter, however, is millions over budget and a year behind schedule--and Lee is now gone from the project. He says his work as the project manager was finished: "My day-to-day role isn't management. I put this together, conceptualized it and made it happen. Now it is time for me to step back. It feels good." But the construction is only 95% completed and nearly a third of the space remains empty. And before he left he said one of the owners had used the delays and cost overruns to try to squeeze him out of the project.

At Three on the Bund, Lee also departed suddenly, replaced by the owners after the project opened. All sides said the split was amicable, but many in Shanghai suggested that a rift had developed over spending and operational questions. In January he returned to his old law firm, Beijing-headquartered King & Wood, to head up the firm's global efforts to drum up new business from its Hong Kong office. After two acquisitions the firm has grown to 800 lawyers--up from 450 when he was chairman from 2004 to 2005.

Lee's focus on presentation and historic preservation instead of costs has always put him in conflict with his partners. Each project has a different group of investors but one thing in common--all are budget-busters and run behind schedule. Three on the Bund cost $36 million, not counting the property, owned by the Singaporean-Indonesian firm that bankrolled the project. Legation Quarter has cost $40 million so far, not counting the land and lease. "Handel doesn't pinch pennies," notes Paul Liu, a former chief operating officer at Three and longtime friend of Lee's.

Legation Quarter was especially taxing. Because of its historic character and proximity to Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People, officials made endless demands for approvals and changes. Since the project began in 2006 luxury brands, once starved for showroom sites, have found ample alternatives in Beijing thanks to its Olympics boom. Giorgio Armani, Chanel and an Evian spa such as the one ensconced at Three on the Bund decided to pass. VIP clubs for bankers and wine connoisseurs are on the back burner. Jean Georges, which had planned a bigger restaurant than its version in Three, pulled out because one of the chain's owners plans to open a hotel in Beijing and might install a branch there. Nevertheless, the Web site of one of Legation's investors, Hong Kong property company Vantone, still notes that Jean Georges will be moving in.

"We had to redo the business plan," says Lee. "Before, we were looking at much more retail, of a very high end. When they pulled out, we decided to make this more of a destination and arts center than a shopping place." The recession racking much of the Western World hasn't helped, either. "The impact is significant," he concedes, just before Chinese New Year and the opening of Zen, Legation's contemporary Chinese restaurant. "There are fewer businesspeople coming to China and spending is off. Everything is lower than we expected."

Yet before departing for Hong Kong Lee remained upbeat, always the supersalesman. "We've shifted our attention to the domestic market," he says. "The Chinese are still spending." Indeed, the mainland economy may be slowing, but Maison Boulud is still packed, even with bills of $50 to $100 a head. Lee was spotted chatting with Prince Andrew recently, while deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was sheltered in an upstairs dining room. On another day Versace hosted a fashion show on the lawn outside; Jet Li and Michelle Yeo attended.

If Legation fails to take off, it would be the third high-profile failure in a row for Lee. RBL (as in "restaurant, bar, lounge") and Icehouse--a club named for the Qing Dynasty ice warehouse that once occupied the stark stone building--lasted barely a year, closing in 2007. Beijingers never warmed to the high drink prices or the venue's poor location, near the central shopping street of Wangfujing in an area that lacked other nightlife. Lee held a stake in the project, losing his entire investment along with his partners'.

After that he had to abandon a Shanghai project venue in the wake of the Shanghai pension scandal that claimed the politician who approved it and the head of the company that owned the site. "That was a huge disappointment," he says, of a $70 million to $80 million plan to turn the old British consulate compound into a collection of restaurants and galleries and a museum. He says he lost $1 million, yet he mainly mourns the artistic loss. He had recruited Baghdad-born Zaha Hadid, probably the world's hottest architect, to design the complex. "It would have been like nothing China has seen," he claims.

Aesthetics run in his family. His mother is Dora Fugh Lee, a painter who studied with the scholar-poet Prince Pu Ru [溥儒，字心畬，1896-1963], cousin of Pu Yi, China's last emperor. She traces her lineage to Manchurian royalty; the Courtyard is part of a former estate that belonged to the family. There is also a family connection to the Legation. The father of Lee's mother [傅泾波，1900-1988] was an aide to John Leighton Stuart [1876-1962], the last U.S. ambassador before the Communist takeover in 1949. Lee's father, Richard Lee, was a scientist who worked at the National Science Foundation and rose high in the ranks at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., where Handel Lee grew up.

Plotting his own career path, Lee graduated from Georgetown University's law school, and moved in 1991 to China to open an office for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He became, by all accounts, a superb, often ruthless attorney. "At the negotiating table, I initially had problems adapting to Handel's style," admits Paul Deemer, who runs the China operation for Vinson & Elkins, describing it as more New York, go for the throat, than the genteel tradition of his Texas firm. Lee quickly adapted, after being recruited in 1997 to run Vinson & Elkins' China practice. "He's very much the gentleman these days." At the same time, Lee came to exemplify the energy and the anything's-possible ethos of fast-changing China--the ability to reinvent yourself (from lawyer to developer to art impresario back to lawyer) that's not so easy in mature markets such as the U.S., Tokyo or even Hong Kong.

He was also clearly infused with the goal of contributing to China's future. He recalls growing up hearing about the grandeur of Chinese civilization, then being confronted with the grim reality in early visits as a student in the 1980s. "I was shocked," he says. "It was crowded and poor, not at all the China that my family had talked about."

Law colleagues recall a workaholic, always well prepared, and a dazzling debater. Yet his interests ranged widely outside law, to music, motorcycles, art and architecture. An early Tibetan collector, Lee, who's never married, became a connoisseur of contemporary Chinese art well before the rest of the world. He restored a traditional Chinese courtyard home in Beijing and hired architects to build him a huge, modern getaway by Huairou Lake, a playground for Beijing's artists and hip crowd.

Lee's stubborn side is also legendary. "He's like a Rottweiler; once his jaws lock on something, he never lets go," says Liu, from Three on the Bund. He recalls a tempest over the ceiling at Jean Georges, Three's signature restaurant and the biggest operated by French chef Georges Vongerichten. Lee insisted on raising the roof, to heighten the elegance. "Everyone said it was impossible, but Handel refused to accept it," Liu says. "He went over the blueprints, and kept pushing. It was a matter of inches, but he just wouldn't give up. In the end he got his way, and he was right. It made a huge difference."

Three on the Bund site architect Lyndon Neri says Lee is totally hands on. "More like all over his consultants, partners and friends," he chuckles. "I think, deep down, he's a frustrated architect. The first three years working with him were unbearable, as he wanted to see everything all the way to what color fabric the pillows were going to be."

Graves initially rejected the project, Neri says, but Lee pestered the Pritzker Prize-winning architect until he relented. "He refused to take no for an answer," notes Neri, then director of Asian projects for Graves. "After two refusals, Handel flew to Princeton [New Jersey], and that was the first time I met him. He brought a ten-page design brief of what the space could be. I was really taken by his grasp of abstract concepts." Neri recommended reconsideration.

He later did some of the early design for Legation. "I have learned to appreciate his passion, and I believe this separates him from other developers," Neri says.

Lee might keep an eye out for new projects, but after 15 years of orchestrating developments while keeping one foot in a series of law firms--and with businesses now hunkering down--he is focusing on his law career once again. In fact, he sees his role back at King & Wood as another facet of his same goal of raising the bar in China. "We are trying to build King & Wood into the first PRC law firm in the ranks of international top-tier firms," he says. "Now I can devote time to project King & Wood."

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南方人物周刊

2007年12月28日

李景汉 人生绚丽，知者不惑

　　赵凌怡

http://news.sohu.com/20071228/n254362486.shtml

　　采访上午10点半开始，在李景汉的家中。隔着茶几，他很认真地说：“我的中文不太好。”

　　1961年，李景汉出生在美国，父母是清朝大臣的后裔。在父母的潜移默化下，他很早就萌发出了对艺术的热情与追求。

　　80年代初，他第一次来到中国，在北京大学度过了一段时间。在父母对故土的回望中，他只看见一个有些混乱、有些落后的中国。而一旦真正踏上这片土地，发自内心的感动却无可比拟：无论世事如何改变，都不能掩盖中国深厚的文化、悠久的历史与人心的良善。
“我身边的人都有热情，有理想，虽然还不够先进，但我看到了文化先锋的存在，这是一种当时中国特有的气氛。”李景汉这样描述。

　　90年代初，李景汉再次来到中国，这次，他的身份是美国某知名律师事务所的律师。从此在中国这片故土上，他的创作一发不可收拾。

　　从90年代北京四合轩、四合苑画廊的成立，到上海外滩三号的正式运营，再到如今北京公使馆项目的展开，近二十年的时间里，李景汉从未松懈，就像在绘制一幅巨大的图画，没有边界，也不分领域，集合了全世界的颜色，而主题却只有一个——在别人之前,描绘出所有可能发生的绚丽。就像他的座驾奔驰 E280轿车一样，经过六十多年的变迁，不变的永远是其安全、舒适与优雅的特质，时间无法控制它的年纪，因为它永远以其突破性的创新科技先人一步。

　　画廊and餐厅

　　90年代初的北京，在建筑方面，人们热衷于引进、模仿，拆除老的、旧的，建筑新的、大的。李景汉，这个熟谙东西方文化精髓的艺术家，回到了皇城根，找到了故宫护城河边的一处四合院，并将之改造成一个充满东方韵味的餐厅“四合轩”。“四合轩”还曾被著名旅行杂志Conde Nast Traveler评为“全球50大热门餐厅”之一。

　　“我的父母曾经讲过，他们以前住的就是一个四合院，不过是三进的，比四合轩大。我的母亲喜欢画画，她不止一次画过她印象中的院子。”李景汉对四合院的感情，源自母亲那无法抹去的记忆。“所以我回到中国，就想要找一个四合院来住。当时找到这个院子，真是太好了，就在护城河边上，有很美的景致，我就觉得一个人住着它太可惜了，这么好的东西，应该和更多的人分享。”

　　李景汉至今不能忘记第一次来中国时的感受。放眼当时，所有事物都快速发展，除了当代艺术。“那时候的艺术、画廊很少，前卫艺术是不会出现在公共场所的。即使有人喜欢，也只有去美院，或者到圆明园艺术村看看，很单调，没有一间体面的职业画廊。我要来做件事情，填补这个空白。中国有许多很优秀的艺术家，他们需要有个体面的地方来展示。展示不只是一幅画，一个雕塑，而是精神层面的东西。”

　　四合苑画廊正是因此诞生。

　　“那时候很多人没有接触过当代艺术，刚开始主动来看的人比较少，所以我做了个像博物馆的餐厅。”在李景汉的创意构思下，画廊与餐厅相辅相成，相得益彰，整个四合院形成了一个整体的环境，充满吸引力。客人可以吃吃美食，看看景色，随意逛逛画廊，无意中，话题的中心就成了艺术。“好餐厅让人觉得温暖、舒适、高兴，餐厅可以拉近人与人、艺术与人的距离，你会感觉到当代艺术包围了你。艺术不能离人太远，他们的关系应该是对话，相互推动，是场愉悦的体验。”

　　人是一切事物赖以生存的土壤，李景汉首先意识到这个问题，不可用哗众取一时之宠，只有让人得到实实在在的愉悦体验、并且具有持续性的事物才能真正被这片土壤接受。艺术如此，车也一样，奔驰E级轿车那让人一见倾心的时尚外型，让人忍不住要打开它那厚重的车门，被座椅包围，听到车门关上的声音，做工考究的内饰，精致的仪表盘，汽车发动那一刻的轰鸣声已经开始让人感受到了它的澎湃动力，而其具有的直接控制组件（Direct Control）所带来的非凡的操控性和舒适性更是让人爱不释手。梅塞德斯-奔驰E-Class的每一处独创设计和突破性科技正是以人为基础的，这也使其成为了舒适、优雅与安全的典范之作，成为众多成功人士商务用车的首选。

　　外滩复兴者

　　黄金，白银，大理石，原木，鳗鱼皮、大象皮，猩红的丝绒沙发，深蓝的落地垂幕，金铜的花形吊灯，原木的高脚方凳，透明的大玻璃花瓶……这些奢华的材料合起来可以做成什么？答案是“外滩三号”。

　　“有做外滩三号的想法是在2000年的时候，想去看有没有适合做画廊的地方。外滩是上海的骄傲，上海的故事和梦想都发生在外滩，但是你知道我当时去外滩看到什么吗？一栋栋楼排列着，是去旅游的人的照片背景，楼里面基本上是空的，底铺全是小商贩，卖着粗糙的旅游纪念品，还有些人竟然在卖廉价的内衣。这还是外滩的吗？”李景汉说到这里的时候，微微有些激动。这与他的想象太不符合了，可以代表中国旧时最繁华都市的最繁华处，居然会这副模样。“刚好有朋友跟我讲，他有栋楼，要不要去看看。我看了以后，周围的很多人都说不行，地段不好，不会有发展，但是我觉得很好，我就是要在这样的地方来做。那栋楼就是现在外滩三号的前身。”事实证明，李景汉力排众议的选择使得外滩三号最终成为了上海滩的新地标，带动了整个外滩甚至是上海，从此，李景汉多了个称号—— “外滩复兴者”。

　　无论哪种精密物件，任何一个零件都不能有丝毫马虎，需要千万处细节的完美和谐结合。对于外滩三号来说，在李景汉的坚持下，它聚集了世界上最好的东西，成为当时上海最时尚、最先锋的人流聚集地。

　　李景汉一直提倡的舒适与优雅，与他的座驾奔驰E级轿车的理念不谋而合。对于许多人来说，李景汉已经成为打造优雅生活方式的领袖人物，而他的E级车也在行政商务车市场中一路先行。

　　北京公使馆

　　位于天安门对面，前门附近的公使馆项目让李景汉倍感荣耀。

　　他游历世界各大都市，发现市中心是人们生活的集结点，集合了动态的力量，而艺术是其中很重要的部分。但是，现在的北京，餐厅、酒吧都有，艺术也很丰富了，但是它们并没有集合起来。像798工厂、宋庄画家村等地方，都偏于市郊。把艺术做到城市的中心，把艺术做到天安门对面，这是李景汉给自己的挑战，也是北京这个城市面临的挑战。当公使馆揭开面纱之际，也是北京真正向艺术敞开怀抱之时。

　　从四合轩到公使馆，李景汉似乎都在老建筑上做新文章。他笑着解释：“根。文化艺术最重要的就是要有根。而根是什么呢？北京的四合院，上海的外滩，就是它们的根。如果没有根，那么做什么都是表面，没有过去就没有未来，不能持续。不管发展再快，有再多新的东西涌入，我们也不能忘了根。而且我做了这些以后也发现，即使是在潜意识里，很多人也都是这样认为的，所以我做餐厅，画廊，还有综合性比较强的外滩三号，都会有人喜欢。”而当初，他选择奔驰E级轿车，也是因为奔驰品牌的“根”。

　　人生绚丽，知者不惑

　　人到中年，知者不惑。在享受工作带来的乐趣的同时，与他的英国纯种马其乐融融地相处，是他休闲放松自己的方式之一。

　　“它们有漂亮的外型，最重要是血统，马也有气质，它们很高贵。”也许正是奔驰E级轿车纯正的血统打动了李景汉。“我曾经送了辆E级轿车给我的父亲，因为驾驶和乘坐都非常舒适，同时也非常信赖它创新的预防性安全系统（Pre-Safe ）所带来的安全感，我自己也有奔驰车，而且奔驰E级轿车也一直是我商务行政用车的首选。”

　　律师事务所合伙人，艺术家，设计师，商人，如此多重身份中随便一个都足以让人骄傲，但它们同时积聚在李景汉的身上。“我在做事情而已，做别人没有想到的事，我就是一个做事情的人。”他很谦逊地说道。