Shamian Island
Time
1.5-2 hours
Ticket
None
Attribute
Architecture / History / Culture / Tradition / Shopping / Green /
Introduction
Stone Heart Cathedral In 1861, the unequal treaty between China and France stipulated that France forced the government to rent the original of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi to build a church. The laying of the foundation stone was held on December 8, 1863, and construction was completed in 1888, which lasted 25 years. The church suffered major damage during the Anti-Japanese War and the “Cultural Revolution” and then it was repaired many times. After the completion of the third major repair in the autumn of 2006, it was reopened. It is the cat of the Catholic Diocese of Guangzhou and one of the most magnificent Gothic buildings with two spires in China. It is also the largest Catholic building in Southeast Asia. has the reputation of “Paris of the Far East”. In 1996, it was announced by the State Council as the fourth batch of national key cultural rel protection units.
Full-day tour
8-10 hours
Lowest price
160¥ / per
Guangzhou urban culture one-day tour
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South China
This international hub gathers 68 Fortune 500 regional HQs, with CTF Finance Centre generating over 30,000 yuan tax revenue per square meter annually. Foreign executives comprise 30% of Zhujiang New Town’s workforce, while Huacheng Square’s underground network connects Michelin restaurants from 10 countries, and K11 mall hosts 85 global luxury debuts.
Church
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Shahe was built in 1889, located in the French concession of Guangzhou during late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The church worships Our Lady of Lourdes as its patron saint. The entrance is Gothic-style. It named after a Mary Mountain built in the garden of the church, where a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was placed. Our Lady of Lourdes is depicted in white a blue ribbon. The church has witnessed colonial history and the changes of the world.
The former HSBC building
The Baroque style of the tower base and the Roman order of the Doric double-column are all very classic Western classical architectural styles. A pav with a dome is built on the top of the building on the southwest side. The tower on the southwest corner of the roof is highlighted. A hemispherical shell dome is added the cylindrical drum seat to form the top of the tower, and a flagpole is erected on the bent top.
Starbucks
The landmark Starbucks on Shamian Island, with its mint green exterior like a slab of cream kissed by the sun, the seats in the courtyard hidden among theenery and shadows of the plants, every shot is a breath of fresh French air. This unique hue nestled among the European architectural cluster comes with a soft filter, no wonder its dubbed as “the most beautiful Starbucks in Guangzhou”, where sipping a coffee feels like being on vacation.
Shamian Church
When it was first built, Shamian Church was called the Church of England in Canton. After 1919, was rented out to other Protestant sects for their services in addition to its own use. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China to the period of the of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Shamian Church was the only church in Guangzhou where foreign Christians could worship and gather.
Guangdong Foreign Affairs
Museum The first local foreign affairs museum in the country, built in 1890 in the Baroque style, originally French consulate in Guangzhou during the Republic of China period, is a Class A cultural relic in the Shamian architectural group and a national key cultural relics protection unit
The White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou
The first Sino-foreign joint venture five-star hotel in China, officially opened on February 6 1983, has hosted heads of state and government leaders from more than 40 countries, including Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. It was included the first list of China’s 20th Century Architectural Heritage in 2016. In 2018, it received the title of “Best Luxury Hotel of the Year 2017” and has several restaurants and bars with distinctive designs, such as Yu Tang Chun Nu, which has been honored with a Michel star for six consecutive years, offering Cantonese cuisine. In 2024, Musk’s mother stayed at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou
Blend the essence of traditional Chinese gardens and Lingnan traditional garden design, the central courtyard adopts a design of a walled mountain waterfall, and the “ometown Water” landscape uses elements such as small bridges, rocks, pavilions, and flowing water that are characteristic of Lingnan, seamlessly integrated with the elegant tranquility Shamian.
Jade Hall Spring Warmth
Jade Hall Spring Warmth The restaurant has been awarded one star in the Michelin Guide for seven consecutive years and has been rated as a three- restaurant in the Dianping Black Pearl for six consecutive years. With the support of professional platforms such as the “Cantonese Chef Master Studio”, the restaurant actively develops dishes every month, and a large number of innovative dishes are launched every year.
Signature dish white cut sunflower chicken, crispy skin, tender meat, sweet and crunchy bones. There are also black truffle sunflower chicken, salt bakedmongrass pigeon, braised osmanthus razor clam, Iberian black pork barbeque and other delicacies, which are favored by food lovers, not only conqu the mainland market, but also becoming a food card that food lovers in Hong Kong and Macao are always thinking about.
Street environment
The island of Shamian covers an area of about 0.3 square kilometers, with eight streets and alleys crisscrossing vertically and horizontally forming a “three horizontal and five vertical” pattern, which is known as the “Museum of International Architecture”. The streets are lined with many historical buildings of different styles, you can feel the strong European style. The island runs east-west, extending along the Pearl River, with unique buildings on one side and the beautiful Pearl River scenery on the other The river breeze blows on your face, the scenery is pleasant, and you can enjoy the boats coming and going on the river and the urban scenery on the other side while walking here
Sand Island is a group of well-preserved Western classical buildings in China, mainly in English and French style, known as the “Little Europe of Guzhou”. Most of these buildings were built in the late 19th century, gathering the architectural styles of various European countries, bearing the modern history of Guangzhou and extremely high historical and artistic value, neoclassicism, Gothic, Victorian, arcade.