Butterfield & Swire - Shameen Island, Canton - 1881
The Bund, Shameen Island.
Shameen (or Shamian) was the tiny 868m x 268m sandbank in the middle of the Pearl River in Canton (now Guangzhou) which was leased to the British by the Chinese in 1859 after the Second Opium War. It was developed by both the British and the French and became a concession port for foreigners. The foreigners built their own European enclave in Canton; consulates, churches, banks, warehouses and private homes in the colonial style.
For a remarkable photo of the building taken in 1911 from the collection of John Swire & Sons, go to the archive at Historical Photographs of China website at hpc.vcea.net/Asset/Preview/dbImage_ID-19710_No-1.jpeg
Cut off from mainstream Canton (now Guangzhou), Shamian remains a tree-lined oasis of colonial architecture far removed from the frenetic city surrounding it.
Known by its Chinese name 'Taikoo', Butterfield & Swire was a British 'hong' or trading house, incorporated in Shanghai in 1865, which built its trade in shipping, sugar and insurance. It was and remains one of the leading British trading firms in China owning 40% of the airlne Cathay Pacific.
Butterfield & Swire - Shameen Island, Canton - 1881
The Bund, Shameen Island.
Shameen (or Shamian) was the tiny 868m x 268m sandbank in the middle of the Pearl River in Canton (now Guangzhou) which was leased to the British by the Chinese in 1859 after the Second Opium War. It was developed by both the British and the French and became a concession port for foreigners. The foreigners built their own European enclave in Canton; consulates, churches, banks, warehouses and private homes in the colonial style.
For a remarkable photo of the building taken in 1911 from the collection of John Swire & Sons, go to the archive at Historical Photographs of China website at hpc.vcea.net/Asset/Preview/dbImage_ID-19710_No-1.jpeg
Cut off from mainstream Canton (now Guangzhou), Shamian remains a tree-lined oasis of colonial architecture far removed from the frenetic city surrounding it.
Known by its Chinese name 'Taikoo', Butterfield & Swire was a British 'hong' or trading house, incorporated in Shanghai in 1865, which built its trade in shipping, sugar and insurance. It was and remains one of the leading British trading firms in China owning 40% of the airlne Cathay Pacific.