广州沙面导游词

广州沙面英文导游词

Shamian

Shamian Island is a reminder of Guangzhou colonial history, covering an area of 24.000 sq meters at the side of Pearl River. It is not a true island, the name shamian means sandbank with white swan pond in its south and Shaji in its north.

Huajie pavilion was built in Ming Dynasty to manage foreign trades. Guangzhou is the starting port of silk searoad. Xigu Fort was built in the mid-Qing Dynasty to guard the city of Guangzhou. The island also became a strategic point, and the location of some conflict, during the Opium Wars.

In 1856, Britain and France invaded Guangzhou. Out of anger, the locals burned the foreign merchants’firms. In 1859, after the second opium war, they made a request the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi that shamian should become a settlement under the pretext that the previous commercial firms was destroyed in the war, so new ones should be established. They dug an artificial river to the north of shamian, making it an island. During this time the territory was divided into two parts, the French concession and the British concession. The differences in architecture and cultural legacy remain to this day. Shamian Island is home to a number of colonial-era buildings, including a restored French Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes; its British Protestant complement,

the Christ Church; and many former hotels, embassies, trading houses and residences.

From the mid 18th to the mid19th century, it was the only place which foreign merchants were allowed to stay and live in Guangzhou. The large villas and shady tree have a faded charm and create a contrasting atmosphere to much of the city.

The island is pleasant for strolling and sightseeing. There is a youth hostel for backpackers and several hotels provide a higher degree of accommodations, with the five-star White Swan Hotel.

T hey’re especially popu lar for wedding photos. But the architecture is unique and really quite beautiful, and there are at least a couple sites worth hunting down. One of the first that you are likely to find is the French Catholic church, (露德圣母堂) located at 14 Shamian Dajie. Completed in 1892, this building was recently renovated as a cultural artifact and is one of the oldest foreign structures in China that is still standing.

Another site worthy of note is the Art 64# art gallery. Located at 64 Shamian Dajie, this small art venue, in the basement of a local store complex, houses a number of abstract and thought provoking pieces. They also have a number of bilingual art books that are available to read so, if you are looking for a nice atmosphere to escape the hot sun for a little while, Art 64# gallery is a great place to stop.