Shamian Island and the White Swan

The White Swan Hotel sits on Shamian island on the Pearl River. This little island is a quiet and peaceful cul-de sac. Formerly it was a French and British concession area, and the island has magnificent colonial style architecture. Apparently the government still own the buildings and fortunately there has been very little in the way of inappropriate development. There are very few cars and the narrow streets are quiet and lined with trees and little parks full of children playing in them. Each morning the locals are out practising tai chi, exercising and having dancing lessons. We even saw a choir practising down by the Pearl River. This is not the real China people come to see but for us it is a wonderful sanctuary for our special journey.

The White Swan is amazing because not only is it a 5 star hotel, but it is a truly Chinese version of it. There are jade sculptures, wooden carvings and paintings everywhere you look. Less is certainly not more in this hotel. Just near the dining area there is a huge waterfall which spans a couple of levels and is landscaped with large rocks as in a typical Chinese style garden. Hundreds of carp swim in this indoor pond. Kind of kitsch and fantastic at the same time.

The White Swan is close to the US Consulate. About 8000 babies are adopted by people from the US each year. The White Swan is where all the families stay while applications are being processed by the Consulate. Everywhere you look there are tiny Chinese babies. In particular breakfasts are fascinating, with babies enjoying rice congee everywhere you look. In the surrounding streets all the shops are geared to the adoption market, with clothes, toys, souvenirs and touters working hard to get your business,

The breakfast area overlooks the massive Pearl River, which makes the Yarra seem like a very small river. Amazing buffet breakfasts cater for American, Chinese and European tastes. There are swimming pools with little waterfalls (sadly not heated), tennis courts, a gymnasium, a few restaurants and probably more that we haven’t yet discovered. A huge complex.

Jo and I are fortunate enough to have a room overlooking the Pearl River. Although the sky is always grey and polluted (sadly I don’t think it’s fog), it is still a magnificent sight. Ships, little ferries and junks constantly pass up and down the river (no sighting of Ping yet). At night there is an extraordinary over the top laser show across the river.

Yes Jo and I are definitely enjoying the perks of our first true 5 star experience. Bring on that room service.