The Beauty of Guangzhou

[Randy W]

Guangzhou is now my favorite of the three largest cities in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou). Some very beautiful settings, good food, and excellent shopping - a lot of crap to wade through, but some more down-to-earth, nuts and bolts & wholesale shopping than I found in either Beijing or Shanghai.

 

 

Shamian Island is separated from the rest of Guangzhou by this little moat, which looks more like something you wouldn't want to step into than even consider swimming in.

 

[Randy W]

 

[Randy W]

 

A little game of Hide & Seek in progress

 

[Randy W]

Lots of Christmas decorations

 

 

 

including this sweet little thing, who didn't look like she cared to be there, but is apparently worth her weight in gold if the price is any indication (258 yuan/gm = $1199.60/oz).

 

[Randy W]

Sun Yat Sen University

 

 

[Randy W]

A couple of subway cruisers - one guy had his own electric-powered wheelchair chopper, another had a one-wheel Segway-type thing

 

[dnoblett]

My first time in China was on a tour, I had my mother along and we did visit Shamian Island, it immediately appealed to my mother, it is a nice quiet spot in a bustling city, I think what attracts westerners to Shamian Island is the style of the place, it was built as the base of foreign consulates way back in the colonial days, all the architecture is western colonial, so it tends to feel more homey for western people.

 

In Shanghai this would be the area around "The Bund"

 

A little from Wikipedia about

 

 

Shamian Island (also Romanised as Shameen Island or Shamin Island (both from its Cantonese Chinese pronunciation)), 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 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.

 

History

Shamian Island was an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. From the 18th to the mid 19th century, the foreigners lived and did business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, on the banks of the Pearl River to the east the present Shamian, which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people. Shamian became a strategic point for city defense during the period of the First and Second Opium Wars. In 1859, the territory was divided in two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom (of which 3/5 belonged to the British and 2/5 to the French). It was connected to the mainland by two bridges, which were closed at 10pm as a security measure. The English bridge to the north was guarded by Sikhs, and the French bridge to the east was guarded by Vietnamese French troops.

 

Trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront. The construction on the island was characterized by climate-adapted but Western-plan detached houses with hipped roofs and large verandahs

 

The island was the scene of fighting during the "June 23 incident" in 1925.

 

After 1949, the mansions of Shamian became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories.

 

Features

 

The French Catholic chapel, Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel (露德圣母堂), has been restored and stands on the main boulevard. Located at the French end of the island, it was completed in 1892.

The British Protestant church, Christ Church Shameen (沙面堂), pinyin: Shāmiàn Táng was built in 1865.

 

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamian_Island

Edited December 18, 2014 by Randy W
Highlight what I considered an interesting little factoid (see edit history)

[Randy W]

A little more detail

The colonial sights of Shamian Island in Guangzhou
The History of Shamian Island

Quote

It’s not pretty. While the island itself is tranquil its history is far from it. After peppering the country with cannon balls over two Opium Wars it was Shamian Island that the British government squeezed out of the Chinese Emperor as spoils of war. In a country that was previously completely closed to foreigners, the island would be a base from where Britain, France and other colonial powers would be free to set up base and import opium to sell on to locals. These days we call it a drug den – then they called it free trade.

One of the many rules the new traders had to adhere to was to not leave the island – they were restricted to Shamian and could only interact with members of the cartel appointed by the Chinese government. It was rarely smooth sailing and the officials and the traders often clashed, including an infamous raid where millions of pounds worth of opium was dumped into the sea. The traders would ultimately move off the island when the British blackmailed a more secure base for their opium operations in nearby Hong Kong.

. . .

One site not related to colonialism – and that will be apparent on approach from the brutalist appearance - is the White Swan Hotel. During communism this was one of the only hotels in town open to foreigners and the White Swan was later made famous by visiting Americans who would base themselves here when adopting Chinese children. Adoption rates have dropped although you will still see the odd prospective parent camped in the cafe pouring over complex paperwork. The White Swan’s major claim to fame is its lobby. The owners have essentially transplanted a tropical garden inside the lobby with palm trees lined up around a waterfall and pool and balconies dressed and draped with greenery.

The White Swan Hotel was very close to the American consulate location until it moved to the Tian Yu Garden location - many of the stories on this board included mention of that hotel.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

This guy paused while filming a movie for Hebei TV to take a call, and pose for me. At the Shawan Ancient Town, most of which looked to be in pretty new condition

 

 

These lampshade-like things are actually strands of incense that burn all the way up the cone

 

[dan1984]

Spent about 8 months in Guangzhou in the past, really liked the city. Great food, friendly people, lots of places close by for day trips (be it Hong Kong or getting out of the city), BUT, as a born and bred Wisconsin guy, I actually missed my cold and snow in the winter - wearing shorts for Christmas, unheard of!

[Mick]

I love Shamian Island and have many great memories from there. Li and I spent some of our most memorable times there, especially when we were dealing with the Black Hole and the early visa struggles. The Consulate was down at the end of the street the White Swan Hotel was on. All in all, I don't much care for Guangzhou as it is very crowded, polluted, and hot beyond belief. The humidity sucks the energy out of you like a climatic vampire. Also, I much prefer the food from northern China as opposed to Cantonese. So from these statements, it should be easy to discern why GZ is not one of my favorite places. Shamian Island is like a different world - as is Six Banyans Temple, which I also enjoyed very much.

[Randy W]

I love Shamian Island and have many great memories from there. Li and I spent some of our most memorable times there, especially when we were dealing with the Black Hole and the early visa struggles. The Consulate was down at the end of the street the White Swan Hotel was on. All in all, I don't much care for Guangzhou as it is very crowded, polluted, and hot beyond belief. The humidity sucks the energy out of you like a climatic vampire. Also, I much prefer the food from northern China as opposed to Cantonese. So from these statements, it should be easy to discern why GZ is not one of my favorite places. Shamian Island is like a different world - as is Six Banyans Temple, which I also enjoyed very much.

 

Yes, we were fortunate to be able to go there in December. The temperature range of 8° to 17°-20°C called for a warm jacket in the morning, which you end up carrying around by the end of the day.

 

We found plenty of clothing in my sizes - XXXL for shirts, XXXXL for jackets - so I may want to go back in the spring when we can buy summer clothing. They had sizes up to XXXXXXXXL (count 'em yourself, as long as you get EIGHT XL). In Yulin, it seems like the largest size available is usually one size too small.

[Randy W]

A special treat for me - Smyrna (I think) figs from Xinjiang at ¥25 a jin (1.1 lbs). These are similar to or the same as what are sold in the U.S. as Calimyrna figs.

 

 

 

It was hard to tell what these walls are made of, even looking up close - at the Shawan Ancient Town

 

[Randy W]

The Guangzhou Cathedral, constructed in 1863

 

 

 

An over-the-head panorama - I started with the camera pointed straight ahead. As it scanned, I moved it up and over my head, until it was upside-down, behind my head.

 

[Mick]

Li and I attended a mass held in that Cathedral. It was a very powerful experience to say the least. We could not celebrate the Eucharist as we are not Catholic, but it was a great service nonetheless. There is also nice little grotto with the Virgin Mary outside.