Art, architecture, and selfies

An afternoon stroll on Shamian Island

Art, architecture and selfies
An afternoon stroll on Shamian Island

There is a young woman sitting on the edge of a bed of pink busy Lizzies, holding up a shoe and talking to a camera. Elsewhere, a bride, dressed in a long white gown, and with groom held tightly to her right, stands at the entrance to Our Lady of Lourdes chapel. The chapel doors are closed, but that doesn’t matter; it is the photo that counts.

The woman changes shoes, perhaps the same style but a different colour, the cameraman watches attentively in case the sun should move, or the branches of the ancient trees sway, changing the shadows and messing up his lighting. Though there is little chance. The afternoon air is still, the sun moves slowly, and the influencer is confident in her pitch.

I am on Shamian Island, a small corner of Europe on the Pearl River in Guangzhou. Originally, it was a sand bank crowded with boats that would load and unload their cargoes. Local produce, and passengers as well as porcelain, silk, and huge quantities of tea ready for export, via the thirteen factories, or Hongs, to the ocean-going ships that were moored downriver at Huangpu.

Sharing shoes for social media

The Hongs, essentially warehouses and offices used by foreign trading companies, occupied about 300 metres of riverfront. It was the only part of the city in which foreigners were allowed, but were destroyed during the Second Opium War. As part of the Treaty of Tianjin, which ended the war in 1858, the sandbank was leased, as a concession, to the British and the French.

A canal was promptly dug along the north side of the sand bank, creating an island. A bridge at the northwest was guarded by the British, and another on the eastern side was guarded by the French. Both would close at 10.00 pm each night. Between them, along its almost kilometre length, a wide, tree-lined boulevard was laid out with two other roads flanking its northern and southern shore. Over the next 60 years, banks, trading companies, and consulates built their offices there. On the five intersecting lanes, residences for their officials.

Most were designed in European neoclassical or baroque style, often incorporating balconies, arcades, verandahs, and other adaptations conducive to the subtropical climate. There are well over 150 colonial era buildings, 56 of them, including the Shamian Christian Church and Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, and nationally protected buildings, and a further 80 are protected by the Guangzhou municipal government.

Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel (left), Former Indian residences (middle), and post box with ornate elephant (right). Li Weiguang Art Museum (below)

Both churches have been restored and are offering services again. Indeed, many of Shamian’s buildings have been renovated and are now occupied by restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and galleries. One gallery I was particularly impressed with is the Li Weiguang Art Museum on Shamian North Street. This is a private art space in a gorgeous, 100-year-old building, curated by artist Li Weiguang, and shows both his own work as well as guest exhibitions.

The peoples artwork

Bronze statues of everyday scenes share space with the colourful flowerbeds along the central boulevard. Musicians, dancers, children, and evolving fashions are all represented. But perhaps the best shows are the numbers of people creating their own personalised art.

Photography is hugely popular in China, and with such inviting backgrounds, it seems that everyone is either in front of or behind a camera or phone, touching up make-up, practising poses, checking the light, and all the best angles. Many are just having fun, while others are creating adverts for social media. For those who just want a slick, professional shot, there is an army of photographers, dripping with expensive cameras and tablets, keen to offer their services. One young man even tried to convince me to have my visit immortalised in pixels, though I suspect his real motive was to get a little English language practice.

Checking the light and the composition

Guangzhou had been a major entrepôt for 2,000 years. From 1757 to 1842, it was the only port open for western trade. Shamian developed as a result of the enforced loosening of those restrictions. The British and French relinquished their concessions in 1943, and the island reverted to Guangzhou City’s control after the defeat of Japan at the end of World War 2. It was designated a national heritage site in 1996.

The city’s financial heart has moved downriver to Zhujiang New Town in Tianhe district, but impressive though its skyscrapers and upscale malls are, Shamian remains a unique and very well-preserved corner of old Guangzhou.

• Shamian is served by Huangsha metro station on Lines 1 and 6. Leave through Exit F, cross the main road via the footbridge, and then across the old arched bridge to the island.
• Go in the morning to avoid the crowds, but the light for photography is best in the afternoons.

Main picture: The old HSBC Bank building

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