Shamian (also romanized as Shameen or Shamin, both from its Cantonese pronunciation) is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
The island is the location of several hotels, a youth hostel, restaurants and tourist shops selling curios and souvenirs.
[1] From the 18th to the mid 19th century, the foreigners lived and did business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, on the banks of the Pearl River to the east the present Shamian,[3] which was then an anchorage for thousands of boat people.
[4][5] In 1859, Great Britain and France dug an artificial river (now called Shajichong) to the north, making it an island.
[4] Trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront.
[3] The construction on the island was characterized by climate-adapted but Western-plan detached houses with hipped roofs and large verandahs.
Huangsha Station of Guangzhou Metro is located within a short walk from the island, via an overpass crossing the busy Liu'ersan Road.