There is a corner of Guangzhou that in many hearts will be forever England. It is an island in the middle of the Pearl River, where names like John Swire and Sons echo from centuries-old buildings, reminding visitors of one of the most infamous chapters of Chinese history: the Opium Wars.
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.
Along with the British came American, Belgian, Danish, Dutch, French, Spanish and Swedish entrepreneurs. All rushed in to set up 'factories' or agencies, on the 300,000-square-metre island. They spent six months on the island and the rest of the year in Macau with their families because foreign women and children were not allowed in.
After the second Opium War in 1859, the island was leased to Britain and France. It became a European enclave as other nations set up consulates, banks and trading offices.
Evidence of their endeavours, obscured for more than half a century (since the end of the second world war), is slowly starting to reappear. For a start, the island is less congested than it used to be. Tens of thousands of people who once crammed into the neighbourhood after the communist victory over the Kuomintang in 1949 have since moved out, leaving 4,800.
More than a dozen of the stately homes lining the neighbourhood's long, leafy boulevards have been lovingly restored, while several others have been given a scrub in anticipation of investment.