Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family. Did you go and  have a good time there? Waiting for your feedback~

SHAMIAN

沙面岛

沙面岛，原名中流沙或石翠洲，是广州荔湾区的一个椭圆形沙洲，故名为 “沙面”，四面环水，宛如一艘停泊于码头的巨轮。

Shamian Island, previous known as Zhongliusha or Shicuizhou, is an elliptic sandbar in the Liwan District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. Surrounded by water, it is just like a giant ship mooring alongside the wharf.

再往里走走，就会发现沙面岛的精心布局。沙面大道、沙面北大道、沙面南大道三条东西向大道、沙面1街至5街五条南北向街道，将沙面分成了12个区域，其中建筑各色。周边还坐落着白天鹅宾馆、沙面酒店以及波兰驻广州领事馆。

Get further and one will find that Shamian Island is carefully planned. Three east-west avenues, Shamian Avenue, Shamian North Avenue and the South Avenue, and five north-south streets, Shamian Street 1 to the Street 5 divide the whole area into 12 parts, with various buildings, namely White Swan Hotel, Shamian Hotel, and Poland Consulate in Guangzhou, scattered around.

从宋（960-1279）到清（1644-1911），沙面一直是广州对外贸易的重要港口，具有重要的历史意义。

沙面还是第二次鸦片战争期间（1856-1860）城市防御的战略要地。1859 年，沙面被划分为两个租界，分别给予法国和英国（其中 4/5 归英国，1/5 归法国）。之后，堤坝、街道、排水系统、高大建筑开始在这里出现，沙面成为了繁华的租界地带。

1800年代末至1900年代初，大部分公共设施都已完工，包括领事馆等政治建筑，教堂和学校等文化建筑，以及银行和公司等商业建筑

1949年后，沙面里的豪华住宅变成政府机关或公寓，教堂变成了工厂。

After 1949, the mansions there became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories.

现在，每栋建筑前都会附有一个说明该建筑旧时用途的标牌。站在这些标牌前，人们可以想象到发生在这些建筑的故事，比如其中于民国时期修建的“沙面北7号”，就是原国民政府广播管理局的所在地。

Now, each building has a label telling its former purpose. One may start to imagine what stories these building held while viewing the plaque writing about its previous function. One example is "No.7 North Shamian Avenue" which was built during the Republican period and was formerly the Administration Bureau of Broadcasting of the Nationalist Government. 

沙面有着中国保存最完好的西欧风格建筑群，共150座建筑中，有42座被认为是广州最具异国情调的哥特式、巴洛克式和新古典主义建筑。周边的白天鹅宾馆，因毗邻美国驻广州领事馆，方便办理文件手续和办理官僚事务，也成为了大家的首选酒店。

The mansions there form the best preserved Western Europe style building complex in China. Forty-two out of 150 buildings are counted as the most exotic ones, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical, in Guangzhou. The White Swan Hotel, adjacent to the Consulate of United States in Guangzhou and convenient to file paperwork and handle bureaucratic matters, has become a hotel of choice.

同时，沙面也是个散步的好去处。整个岛屿东西长900m，南北长300m，就算是绕岛两圈也不会觉得累人。另外，得益于区域内的交通管制，这里没有交通拥堵、废气污染等问题，展现出独有的氛围与生活节奏。

Shamian Island is a good place for a stroll. As it is just 900m (980 yards) long from east to west and 300m (330 yards) from south to north, one will not feel tired even after walking around the island twice. Due to traffic control on the Shamian Island, it showcases a different atmosphere and pace of living. Problems such as traffic jams and exhaust gas pollution don't exist here. 

部分宽阔的林荫大道修葺得如长长的花园道径般，供行人散步。西南侧有一排酒吧和咖啡馆，酌饮几杯，畅赏珠江江景，很受外籍人士的欢迎。

Now partly reserved for pedestrians, its broad boulevards are like long gardens topiaries. A line of bars and cafes on the southwest side with views over the Pearl River serves modern expats.