People say that Guangzhou is a paradise for food, but in fact, Guangzhou also has many places worth checking in. Before I even arrived in Guangzhou, I had always heard of Shamian, known as "Little Gulangyu", because there were once more than 10 national consulates, multiple banks, and more than 40 foreign companies there, which was really similar to Gulangyu. Since I have been to Guangzhou, I of course have to go for a walk in Shamian. However, the weather in Guangzhou is really changeable in summer. It was still sunny just now, but it will be raining heavily in a short while. However, now that I have arrived at the place, rain will not make me shrink. Walk in the rain and treat it as something romantic.

Transportation:

It is very convenient to get to the Shamian subway. Get off at Exit F of Huangsha Station and Exit A of Metro Cultural Park Station. This time, I got off the ground from the Cultural Park Station, walked across the road, and then crossed a small bridge.

With an area of 0.3 square kilometers, Shamian is a small island in the Pearl River. It was once called Shicui Island. It is named Shamian because it is a sandbank formed by alluvial flow of the Pearl River. The place is not big, but the environment and buildings are unique. It has eight streets and alleys, large and small. During the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was a key trade and tourist destination at home and abroad in China. After the Opium War, it became the British and French Concessions after the eleventh year of Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty (1861).

Shamian Island has eight streets, three horizontal streets from south to north are Shamian South Street, Shamian Street, and Shamian North Street, and five vertical streets from east to west are Shamian 1st to 5th Streets. It is called the "Museum of European Architecture". The narrow river courses surrounding Shamian Island in the east, west and north directions were artificially dug back then. Walking into the sand surface, I found that there had been changes. The original walls had been demolished, and the streets were clean and tidy. There is a flower garden in the middle, and on both sides are lined with old buildings half covered by ancient trees, which adds a mysterious color. Walking here in summer also feels cool. Surrounded by ancient trees, it is full of greenery.

Architecture:

It had just rained heavily. Although it was the weekend, there were not many people. Our Lady Catholic Church of Lourdes is a good place to take wedding photos. In the past, many newcomers took pictures here, but this time I only ran into one couple, probably because of the heavy rain. The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church originally belonged to a building in the French Concession, formerly known as the Shamian Catholic Church. It was named because of the original building of a Notre Dame Mountain on the south side of the garden of the church, where the statue of the Virgin of Lourdes was placed. It was established by members of the French Consulate in Guangzhou to live their religious life.

Shamian Christ Church is a church established by the Anglican Church in the British Concession of Shamian Guangzhou for foreigners to worship. On Shamian Fifth Street, because the building is relatively special, you can notice it at a glance. It was built in 1864. It is a rare century-old Christian building in Guangzhou that has been preserved intact.

There are more than 150 European-style buildings in various shapes, but they are neatly arranged, very close to the architectural style of Gulangyu Island in Xiamen. Each building has its own introduction. Since I have been taking photos all the time, I came back and found that it was no longer clear.

There are many cafes here. If you are tired from walking, you can sit down and rest and quietly feel the sand. With the changes of history, there are exotic Shameian, and each of the buildings that have been preserved has its story. They stand quietly on Shameian Island, witnessing the historical changes of Shameian and telling people the story of this small island.