Shamian Island is a narrow sandbank in the Pearl River in the western part of the old city, connected to the mainland by two small bridges. In the 19th century it was the British and French concession — a walled foreign enclave in what was then one of the world's busiest trading ports. The original colonial buildings are almost entirely intact: wide-verandahed banks, a French Catholic church, consular buildings with arched colonnades, and tree-lined avenues whose shade makes them pleasant even in summer.
The island is small enough to walk end-to-end in twenty minutes. The main boulevard runs east-west through the centre, flanked by banyan trees and old buildings that now house boutique hotels, cafes, and antique shops. White Swan Hotel — a landmark from the 1980s when it was the first joint-venture hotel in China — sits on the southern bank. The island makes a natural base for visiting Qingping Market, which begins just across the bridge on the mainland.