Shamian is ‘sand surface’, which is not a true island, and it is now connected to the rest of the city by a series of bridges. From the 18th to the mid 19th century, it is the only place where foreign traders were permitted to set up their warehouses and factories. The land has been increased to 27,000 sq metres, 900m from eastto west, and 300m from north to south.
Shamian Island is the reminder of Guangzhou’s colonial history. It became a British and French concession after they won in the Opium Wars, and is covered with decaying colonial buildings which housed trading offices and residences.
The French Catholic church has been restored and stands on the main boulevard. The boulevard itself is a gentle stretch of gardens, trees and birdsong. Today, most of the buildings are used as offices or apartments blocks.
While most of Guangzhou is battling along at breakneck pace Shamian is merely ambling. Along the river, the park area is a great place for people watching and tea drinking. Or walk along the wide sidewalks and dine in the open-air under the old trees.
Forced to relinquish a permanent trading base to the hated barbarians (us) at the end of the First Opium War in 1841.Shamian still retains some of its former grandeur in the mansions which were the foreign residences, business premises, banks, and consulates. The mansions were taken over by dozens of families after 1949, but they were recently restored in many cases to former splendor, with each major building labeled as to its former purpose. Now partly pedestrianized, its broader boulevards are like long thin gardens with a lot of topiary. A line of bars and cafes on the southwest side with views over the Pearl River serves modern expats. Dozens of small businesses close to the modern White Swan Hotel aim to entrap those on organized tours who wander out of the hotel by themselves and think they are being brave. Souvenir stalls, tailoring stores, and teahouses all have inflated prices, and all offer "special discounts" to those with children -- the U.S. consulate on the island is the one specializing in adoption matters, and adoptive parents fan out from here to collect their new daughters (almost always daughters) and return to do the paperwork. One or two of the old mansions are roofless and boarded up, but others are open as restaurants, shops, or hotels.
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