Meaning of Shamian | Babel Free

Definitions

An island of Liwan district, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

Examples

“No Chinaman, except those employed by foreigners, is allowed to cross any of the bridges over the stream, which completely surrounds the foreign settlement, and makes the suburb of Shameen a perfect island.”

“Last year, more than 1,500 American families came to this hotel to lodge, tour and shop while waiting to have their adoptions approved by Chinese and American authorities. Because the hotel is located in the consulate district on Shamian Island, a tiny, flowery strip of land that is tethered to the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), there is no better place to stay.”

“Today, Shamian Island is a shadow of its former self. For the 85 years leading up to the first Opium War between China and Britain in 1841, it was the centre of the universe for foreigners doing business in China, being the only port open to foreign trade.”

“A less bustling, less overwhelming — okay, I’ll say it — more Westernized part of town is Shamian Island, a territory created as a result of the Second Opium War and deeded to the British and French in 1859. Americans arriving for adoptions come here to process the papers. (The U.S. Consulate General operates from four locations scattered throughout Guangzhou. A centralized building, now under construction, is expected to open in 2013.) On a rare solo excursion, I wander Shamian’s broad pedestrian walkway, lined with elegant Baroque, neo-classical and Palladian architecture.”

““Significant work remains,” Froman told a business lunch at a venue on Shamian Island, on the banks of the Pearl River, a historical trading port for China and the West over centuries past, in the city formerly known as Canton.”

CEFR level