Shamian Dao

I'm running out of places to see in Guangzhou. Saturday brought a trip to Shamian Island, aka "Where to Get a Baby." I'm not kidding, either. Shamian Island was a concession to the Europeans, and so has many consulates, and used to be the location of the US Consulate, which was right next to the White Swan Hotel. The island is a bit of a time warp into the colonial period. Many of the buildings are European in flavor, and the whole island is quiet and more of a park. However, when walking thru, most shop keepers asked "Where's your baby?" EVERY Western couple I saw had an adopted baby with them. I did walk thru the White Swan, and it's pretty swank. If it weren't so far from work, it would be a nice place to stay. Anyways, on to the pics!

In the late 1800s, to the left was Guangzhou, to the right was colonial Europe. This is all it took to make an island.
A church. A rather rare sight in Guangzhou.
Another church. I doubt they were so brightly colored back in the day.
Paging Mr. Wickus. Your Geely is waiting. Yeah, this is about the most riced out Geely I've ever seen. Mostly because I've never seen a ricer Geely.
The island has a number of bronze statues that portray life at different times in the cities history. This is just a few of them.
The last pictures I have are just some examples of the architecture on the island. Most of the colonial buildings have been repurposed, although plaques give a small description of their previous use.
Well, that's it for today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.