When traveling to Guangzhou, many people include landmarks like the "Canton Tower," Yangcheng Park, and Sun Yat-sen University in their itinerary. In fact, there’s another place worth visiting — Shamian.
Shamian
Shamian, once known as Shicui Zhou, got its name because it is a sandbank formed by the alluvial deposits of the Pearl River.sandbank. Located in the southwestern part of downtown Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, it faces the Pearl River’sWhite Goose Poolto the south, and is separated fromLiuer San Roadby Shaji Chong to the north. It’s a small island with eight streets and alleys, covering an area of 0.3 square kilometers. During the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Shamian served as a key hub for domestic and international trade and as a tourist destination. After the Opium Wars, it became a British and French concession following the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign in the Qing Dynasty (1861).Once a gathering place for fishermen's boats, the island boasts good greenery, with over 150 ancient trees, fresh air, and excellent sanitation — truly a hidden paradise in Guangzhou.
The area featuresEuropean-style architecture, including 42 distinctive buildings in Neo-Baroque, Gothic Revival, arcade, Neoclassical, and Sino-Western fusion styles, making it the most exotic European architectural complex in Guangzhou. The buildings at No. 2–6 Shamian Main Street, commonly called the Red Building, were originally the Clubhouse for Foreign and Chinese Customs Officers. A three-story red-brick structure, it features pointed turrets on the southern and northern sides, imitating 19th-century British Romanticarchitectural style. The building at No. 54 Shamian Main Street was formerly the HSBC Bank, built in the style of Western Classical Revival. It has four stories, with full-height columns on the second floor extending to the third-floor roof, and a domed pavilion on the southwest rooftop. No. 48 Shamian Main Street is the most representative arcade-style building — a three-story reinforced concrete structure with arched corridors all around and a washed granite facade. The Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at No. 14 Shamian Main Street, though small and simply structured, still features Gothic-style elements at its entrance.
Our Lady’s Hill, named for the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes placed there.The church remains largely intact, with detailed features such as the gable peaks and small spires at the tower corners, intricate light windows and crenellations atop the octagonal spire, as well as a series of small pointed arches below and pilasters that taper downward, reflecting the mysterious aura and heavenly aspirations typical of Catholic churches.
The British Ice Factory
, also known as the HK Milk Company Ice Factory, is located at Nos. 29 and 31 Shamian North Street. Built in the early 20th century, it faces south with a northern entrance. The front section has an exterior brick load-bearing wall with an internal reinforced concrete frame, while the rear section is a reinforced concrete frame — showcasing an early modernist architectural
HSBC Building
Located at the northeast corner where Shamian Avenue intersects with Shamian 4th Street. The building has a rectangular floor plan oriented north-south, with chamfered corners on the southeast and southwest sides. The lower section’s entrance features a classical Western gray-white granite pediment door, adorned with radiating decorative lines above the pediment. For symmetrical balance, three windows are also designed in the shape of pediment doors. Other rectangular windows have large circular openings above them. The wall corners are made of gray-white granite, while the spandrels between windows are clad in granite-textured stucco with horizontal lines mimicking the stacking of classical stone blocks.
If you’re visiting Guangzhou again, don’t miss this uniquely charming 5A-level attraction~
