The White Swan Pond is located in the west part in Guangzhou province. It is one of the most beautiful sceneries in Yangcheng. The scenery beside the pond and the legend of it makes it a historical place of interest where visitors from home and abroad are all interested in the place. Beside the bank of the pond, the story of the war between Sun Zhongshan and Chen Dongming happened. Sun Zhongshan returned to the Yongfeng Ship to fight with the rebel army. The heroic story of Sun gave the pond a tint of patriotism.

The total coverage area of the pond is 330 mu. The island Shamian in the pond was built in Qing Dynasty and the early years in the Republic of China, with a style resembling the European architectural complex. In ancient times, there was a island named Shicuizhou and it was a gathering place for the small boats of the fishermen. After the Second War of Opium, the invaders of the United States and French were fighting for the precious place for the convenient transportation it brought. Until now, the position of the pond is still obvious. The pond connects with the foreign merchants and attracts many investments from abroad. Besides the merchants, the convenient transportation was also helpful for the ones who want to study in China.

In Sep. 3rd, 1863, the officer who was on behalf of the Guanghzou government signed a lease with the great powers. From now on, Shamian had been the earliest concession in China and the only island concession in China. After that, 19 countries have built consulates beside the pond as well as a lot of churches, foreign banks, postal offices, telegraph offices, hospitals, wine shops and residence. A lot of the residents were foreigners who came to study Chinese in China and worked in the consulates, banks and foreign banks.

The structure of the building complex in Shamian was mainly Neoclassic, Neo-baroque and Gothic features. The Romanism and the Modernism were also the main features of the architecture. The existing buildings with European features were 150 while the old trees were 158, which was listed as the National Relic Protection Unit and the Historical Relic Protection Area in Guangzhou City.