Shamian is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the British by the Qing government in the 19th century. It was once an important business port in Guangzhou, witnessing the changes of Guangzhou's modern history, the island's European architectural style buildings formed a unique open-air museum which I like and reminded me of my revisit to France in June this year. Many of such buildings have now turned into cafes, restaurants or social community centers for the local residents. It is a very nice place to visit and on the day of our visit, it was drizzling but was wonderful to walk in the rain to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the island. There are many greenery and flowers, along with the bronze statues all around with each representing a theme. The place is not big and one can simply walk around the entire island. And you can walk here from Huangsha metro station, a mere 10-15mins walk here.

Glad we saw this area on Trip Advisor. Lovely walk around the historic area, but the food was the most memorable ! DEFINETLY go to the J.M Chef restaurant (down the end on the right). The best Chinese food that you will ever eat. The wine selection was great, but we loved their cheapest one. We returned the next day for more. There maybe a small que, but put your name down, and walk across the street to the discount Italian clothing shop across the road, while you are waiting.

Shamian is a good place for a relaxing, unrushed walk. The island greenery is well maintained. There are many very nice European architecture buildings. During my visit, I stopped for a break at a cafe, and later for ice cream. I love the bronze statues, of which, there are many spread throughout Guangzhou and other places in China.

This place is absolutely beautiful, hardly any crowds, gorgeous to walk around, just a relaxing chill for three or four hours, lots of knickknacks to buy, coffee to have, lunch to have and photos to take. This would have to be the number one place, I would recommend people to go to in Guangzhou if they’re Guajillo. Tranquil, beautiful and obviously the locals love it because of the Mount of Instagram photos and women posing for setup photos will blow your mind. I’ve never seen anything like it… But it’s interesting!

Old historical buildings scattered around the park. There are still people living here which makes the experience an interesting one. Walk further down and we can see pearl river again. There was a lot of Chinese playing musical instruments there when we visited. Not forgetting some cafes scattered around the region and we visited Starbucks, which was located inside a historical building as well. A number of great spots to take some really nice pictures.

A great space for the people to get together, dance, play music, meet and enjoy family and friend times. In addition, there is an interesting history of trade on this island. Love the historical tea rooms and well maintained buildings.

Certainly not very Chinese, but it is a beautiful area, with nice landscaping and interesting houses. The locals apparently think so too, as there were several couples getting their wedding photos taken when we were walking around the area. The fact that it is pedestrian-only really helps with the ambience. It is interesting to imagine what this would have been like in the early 1900s, when it was a European ghetto. A great place to wander and spend a few hours.