[[ ImageFasciculus:Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.jpg|thumb| 250px|OurCappella LadyNostrae ofDominae LourdesLapurdi Chapelin oninsula Shamian Island.]] ▼'''Shamian''' (
[[Fasciculus:ShaMianBuildings.JPG|thumb|Aedifica Europaea]]
[[Fasciculus:GZ ShaMian bldgs women.jpg|thumb|Statuae mulierum Sinicarum antiquiorum et recentiorum]]
'''Shamian''' ([[Sinice]] 沙面岛 ''Shāmiàn dǎo''; in linguis Europaeis olim ''Shameen'') est insula parva regionis [[Liwan (regio Guangzhou)|Liwan]] urbis [[Guangzhou]] [[Sinae|Sinarum]]. [[Saeculum 19|Saeculo XIX]] haec insula fuit emporium mercatorum peregrinorum in duas partes divisum, una [[Francia|Francicis]] attributa, altera [[Britannia|Britannicis]].
== Nexus externi ==
▲[[Image:Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.jpg|thumb|250px|Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel on Shamian Island.]]
* [http://www.dpeters2.com/adopt/shamian.html MapForma of Shamian islandinsulae] ▼[[Image:Inside of Lady of Lourdes.jpg|thumb|250px|Inside Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel on Shamian Island.]]
* [http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=129&chapterid=1110&picturesize=medium PicturesImagines of Shamian Island, with detailed captionsinsulae] ▼[[Image:ShaMianBuildings.JPG|thumb|250px|Western-style buildings on Shamian Island.]]
'''Shamian Island''', formerly known as '''Shameen Island''' or '''Sha Min Island''', from its [[Yue Chinese|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 language|Chinese]].
The territory was divided into two [[concession (territory)|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 [[tourism|tourist]] shops selling curios and souvenirs.
==Geography==
The island covers an area of 0.3 km²<ref name="Guangzhou government">[http://www.guangzhou.gov.cn/node_420/node_424/2003-08/106123294855457.shtml Guangzhou government page about Shamian Island]</ref>, 900m from east to west, and 300m from north to south<ref name="China daily">[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-01/17/content_299805.htm ''China Daily'' article on Shamian island]</ref>. It is bordered in the south by the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]], and it is separated from the mainland by a canal.
==History==
Shamian Island was an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade from the [[Song Dynasty|Song]] to the [[Qing Dynasty]]<ref name="Guangzhou government" />. 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<ref name="Fodors">[http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/china/guangzhou-and-shenzhen/review-110466.html ''Fodor's'']</ref>, which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people<ref name="eight things">[http://thousandyearegg.com/index.php?view=article&catid=39%3Afeatures&id=65%3Aeight-things-you-might-know-about-guangzhou&tmpl=component&print=1&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=64 Eight things you might not know about Guangzhou]</ref><ref name="Harriet Low">[http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=715 Book review of ''Everything in Style: Harriet Low's Macau'']</ref>. Shamian became a strategic point for city defense during the [[Opium Wars]] period. In 1859<ref name="Guangzhou government" />, the territory was divided in two [[concession (territory)|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<ref>[http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=129&chapterid=1110&picid=2&picturesize=medium Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 2]</ref><ref name="Fodors" />. The English bridge to the north was guarded by [[Sikh]]s, and the French bridge to the east was guarded by [[Annamite]] French troops<ref name="eight things" />.
Trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront<ref name="Fodors" />. The construction on the island was characterized by climate-adapted but Western-plan detached houses with hipped roofs and large verandahs<ref>[http://www.scad.edu/architectural-history/vaf/upload/INSULARLIVING.pdf Jonathan A. Farris ''Insular living and its exceptions''] (.pdf document)</ref>.
The island was the scene of fighting during the [[May 30 Movement|May 30 incident]] in 1925 <ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B000T9VO2U/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link|title=Chiang Kai Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost|date=2004|isbn=0786714840|author=[[Jonathan Fenby]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,720721-1,00.html|title=Shameen Shooting|date=[[1925-08-10]]|work=[[TIME]]|author=[[Alfred H. Holt]]}}</ref>.
After 1949, the mansions of Shamian became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories<ref name="Fodors" />.
[[Image:White Swan Hotel.jpg|thumb|250px|White Swan Hotel.]]
[[Image:White Swan Waterfall.jpg|thumb|250px|Waterfall inside the White Swan Hotel.]]
[[Image:Shamian Garden.jpg|thumb|250px|A public garden on Shamian Island.]]
==Features==
The French Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes, has been restored and stands on the main boulevard<ref name="China daily" />. Located at the French end of the island, it was completed in 1892<ref>[http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=129&chapterid=1110&picid=20&picturesize=medium Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 20]</ref>.
Various [[bronze statue]]s 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 [[qipao|cheongsam]], and a relatively tall and slender young Chinese woman wearing shorts and talking on a mobile phone.
==Miscellaneous==
Since the early 2000s, Shamian Island has become well known for the many Western couples who reside there while seeking to [[adoption|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.
Shamian Island is also a popular destination for Chinese couples to have their pre-wedding photos taken.
==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)<ref>[http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=129&chapterid=1110&picid=11&picturesize=medium Shamian Photos, Captioned Pictures Photo 11]</ref>. 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.
[[Image:GZ ShaMian bldgs women.jpg|thumb|250px|Statues on Shamian Island.]]
==See also==
*[[The Bund]]
*[[Gulangyu Island]], in [[Xiamen]]
*[[Treaty ports]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Shamian Island}}
▲* [http://www.dpeters2.com/adopt/shamian.html Map of Shamian island]
▲* [http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?countryid=129&chapterid=1110&picturesize=medium Pictures of Shamian Island, with detailed captions]
* [http://www.willysthomas.net/Shamian.Guangzhou.htm An American in China: 1936-39 A Memoir]
* [http://www.howardscott.net/4/Shameen_A_Colonial_Heritage/Files/Journal.html Shameen:De Ahistoria Colonial Heritagecoloniali]
* [http://www.howardscott.net/4/Shameen_A_Colonial_Heritage/Files/Documentation/Architect%20Notes%20Shameen.pdf LayoutForma of the Main Streets of Shameen Islandinsulae] (.pdf document)
* Hilary du Cros, "[http://sajth.com/02%20Indian%20JHT_Hilary%20du%20Cros.pdf Hilary du Cros ''Issue For Developing National Heritage Protection Areas For Tourism: A Case Study From China] (.pdf document)"
{{Urbs-stipula}}
{{coord|23|06|34|N|113|14|22|E|display=title|region:CN-44_type:isle_source:dewiki}}
[[Categoria:Urbes SinarumSericae]]
[[Categoria:Imperium Britannicum]]
[[Categoria:Imperium Francicum]]
| 