Shamian Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shamian Island, formerly known as Shameen Island, from its Cantonese pronunciation (Chinese: 沙面岛, pinyin: Shāmiàn dǎo) is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese.
The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing Dynasty government in the 19th century. The island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep. The island is the location of several hotels, a youth hostel, restaurants and tourist shops selling curios and souvenirs.
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[edit] Geography
The island covers an area of 0.3 km²[1], 900m from east to west, and 300m from north to south[2]. It is bordered in the south by the Pearl River, and it is separated from the mainland by a canal.
[edit] History
Shamian Island was an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade from the Song to the Qing Dynasty[1]. From the 18th to the mid 19th century, the foreigners lived and did business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, near the present Shamian[3], which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people[4][5]. Shamian became a strategic point for city defense during the Opium Wars period. In 1859[1], the territory was divided in two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom (of which 4/5 belonged to the British and 1/5 to the French). It was connected to the mainland by two bridges, which were closed at 10pm as a security measure[6][3]. The English bridge to the north was guarded by Sikhs, and the French bridge to the east was guarded by Annamite French troops[4].
Trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront[3]. The construction on the island was characterized by climate-adapted but Western-plan detached houses with hipped roofs and large verandahs[7].
The island was the scene of fighting during the "May 30 incident" in 1925 [8][9].
After 1949, the mansions of Shamian became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories[3].
[edit] Features
The French Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes, has been restored and stands on the main boulevard[2]. Located at the French end of the island, it was completed in 1892[10].
Various bronze statues are scattered around the island which depict life as it was during earlier periods on the island, as well as from more recent times. For example, one statue entitled "A gentleman, a lady and a darn woman" shows a Western couple watching a Chinese woman darning cloth. Another depicts the changing appearances and stature of Chinese women, with a woman from colonial times in traditional clothing, a slightly taller woman from the early or mid 20th century wearing a cheongsam, and a relatively tall and slender young Chinese woman wearing shorts and talking on a mobile phone.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Since the early 2000s, Shamian Island has become well known for the many Western couples who reside there while seeking to adopt Chinese babies and young children, most of whom are orphaned and female. The White Swan Hotel is perhaps the best-known hotel in Guangzhou, having been in operation for many years, and is usually the hotel of choice for these couples. One reason for this popularity is that the hotel is adjacent to the United States consulate, making it convenient to file paperwork and handle bureaucratic matters. The consular section has since moved to the other side of the city (the whole consulate will move in 2012 as well), but the hotel is still the most popular destination for adopting couples. Beginning in 2007, the Chinese government slowed the rate of adoptions, and as a result the percentage of tourists to Shamian Island who are Westerners has decreased as well.
[edit] Transportation
The three east-west streets of the island, formerly named "Canal Street", "Central Avenue" (a tree-lined boulevard), and "Front Avenue" (originally lined on the riverside by parks) were renamed "Shamian North Road" (Shamian Beijie), "Shamian Main Street" (Shamian Dajie), and "Shamian South Road" (Shamian Nanjie)[11]. The five north-south streets are names Shamian 1 Street to Shamian 5 Street.
Huangsha Station of Guangzhou Metro is located within a short walk from the island.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Guangzhou government page about Shamian Island
- ^ a b China Daily article on Shamian island
- ^ a b c d Fodor's
- ^ a b Eight things you might not know about Guangzhou
- ^ Book review of Everything in Style: Harriet Low's Macau
- ^ Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 2
- ^ Jonathan A. Farris Insular living and its exceptions (.pdf document)
- ^ Jonathan Fenby (2004). Chiang Kai Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost. ISBN 0786714840. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B000T9VO2U/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link.
- ^ Alfred H. Holt (1925-08-10). "Shameen Shooting". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,720721-1,00.html.
- ^ Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 20
- ^ Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 11
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shamian Island |
- Map of Shamian island
- Pictures of Shamian Island, with detailed captions
- An American in China: 1936-39 A Memoir
- Shameen: A Colonial Heritage
- Layout of the Main Streets of Shameen Island (.pdf document)
- Hilary du Cros Issue For Developing National Heritage Protection Areas For Tourism: A Case Study From China (.pdf document)
Coordinates: 23°06′34″N 113°14′22″E / 23.10944°N 113.23944°E
