Shamian Park [Guangzhou]

Located in the Liwan district and with the White Swan Lake on the south, the Shamian European-style Scenic Spot is composed of a group of modern buildings and ranks as the national cultural heritage under special protection.

Shamian was originally a sandbank formed by the alleviation of the pear river. In the Ming Dynasty, a dock named 'Huangjieting' was built here; till the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, it served as the defensive fortress of Guangzhou and furnished with the Xigu battery. After the outbreak of the Second Opium War and the unequal treaty following it, the British and French invaders force the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi to rent the Shamian by the excuse of 'restore（restoring） the foreign firms and banks'; With the riverbank repaired and foundation built, the Shamian Island took shape and was divided along the east-west direction by the(可省略) Britain and France. From the end of nineteen（th）century to the early part of twenty (twenties) century, the public facilities of the concession are basically completed, mainly including the consulate, church, bank, post office, firm, hospital, hotel and residence, moreover, the club, bar, tennis court and entertainment park are also found(founded) here. The buildings were mainly built following the Neo-classic, Neo-baroque, Colonial and Gothic style. Among others, the original custom club (built according to the romantic architectural style of Britain of nineteen century, and commonly called 'red building'), the original HSBC bank (built according to the western reviving classical architectural style), Our Lady of Lourdes Church (built according to Gothic style) and the representative colonial-style No.48 building of Shamian Street.