Architecture on the Road
SHAMIAN, THE COLONIAL ISLAND OF GUANGZHOU
For my visit to Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province of China, I asked some of my local friends for recommendations on where to go in the city to see some interesting architecture.
“You should go to check out Shamian Island!” they replied to me. “It is full of heritage buildings dating back the colonial times. You must go if you like architecture!”
So off to Shamian I went!
Dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tiny island of Shamian 沙面島 used to be a sandbank of the Pearl River, hosting strategic foreign trades facilities and forts for the Guangzhou port.
During the Second Opium War (1856-1860) Britain and France claimed Shamian as their settlement, digging a canal to formally separate the now made island of Shamian from the “Chinese” land.
The two European powers forced the Chinese governors of Guangdong to sign a settlement lease in 1861, that lasted until 1949 (the year of the Cultural Revolution by Mao Zedong), when China took back Shamian.
Seeing almost a century of European domain, the island of Shamian was initially divided into British and French concessions, where a hundred of buildings hosting consulates of a dozen countries, churches, commercial buildings and offices of 40 foreign firms and 9 foreign banks, schools and mansions, were built over the years.
Those buildings were designed following the trend of European architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, showcasing a beautiful and eclectic colonial style that features Neoclassical, Gothic and Baroque elements, displaying the establishment of the foreign powers while adapting to the subtropical climate of Guangzhou and the local Lingnan culture.
After 1949, when Shamian was taken back as a Chinese possession, some of the buildings were turned into factories, others were used as facilities of the new Nationalists Government, and many were occupied as apartment buildings.
In 2010, a big renovation plan was carried out by the city of Guangzhou in accordance with the laws of preservations of cultural relics, restoring many building to their original features and splendor, and generally improving the entire look of the island and its facilities, through the use of vegetation and urban decorations, but also with embankment and protection from flooding.
RELAXING IN SHAMIAN, AN “EXOTIC EUROPE”
We arrived in Shamian as the final destination after a very long bike ride that started from the Guangzhou East Railway station.
After a day spent biking in the heat, we lazily relaxed for a couple of hours around the island, enjoying its shaded walks, beautiful buildings, and lively park.
While wandering around, we could see that the island hosts several boutique hotels, restaurant and what looks like a couple of art shops.
There is not that much to do in terms of special activities. Shamian is mostly a place where you can take a walk, learn some history while admiring colonial architecture, and sip a coffee (there is even a colonial Starbucks).
We pleasantly spent 2 hours walking around the island, reading about the buildings’ history (many featuring small plaques explaining their original purpose), and enjoying the lush and well curated vegetation.
Along the main central roads and blocks are located some of the most beautiful buildings, while along the south riverbank of Shamian there is a nice park overlooking the Pearl River, which we found lively and animated by tourists and locals enjoying the golden hours of the day.
By public transport, the easiest way to get to Shamian Island is to take the Subway line 1 or line 6 and get out to Huangsha station – exit F, then walk toward east direction until reaching the bridge to the Island.
If you like modern Chinese history and colonial architecture, Shamian is definitely a nice little spot to visit when in Guangzhou, where you can hang out and go for a late afternoon stroll.
As already mentioned, the island itself doesn’t seem to offer a whole lot of activities to fill up an entire day, but it can be a nice and relaxing stop-over during a more extensive itinerary.
Heading toward Shamian riverbank from downtown, we witnessed a rich change in architectural landscape: from modern towers and skyscrapers of the Tianhe 天河 area, to the most sumptuous example of Lingnan Architecture at the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall 陈家祠, through quaint local southern-Chinese qilou blocks around Baoyuan Road 宝源路, then to the neat alleys around the Cantonese Opera Art Museum 粤剧艺术博物馆, and finally Shamian, which really feels like an exotic Europe.
Shamian was in fact for us the ending point of a long but rewarding day spent biking around the city center. So, if you find yourself in Guangzhou with a couple hours to kill, consider checking out this tiny but historically important island and its eclectic architectural heritage.
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