Road No. 2 – Er Sha Di and Er Sha Island

"Er" in Chinese means "2". Curiously, very few places in Guangzhou have the word "Er" in their names.

An alluvial plain – a type of geographical phenomenon common in the Pearl River Delta – is called "Sha Di" in Cantonese. Er Sha Di (or Alluvial Plain Two) is located in Guangzhou's former Fangcun District, near the Fangcun Flower Market.

Er Sha Island (file photo)

Er Sha Island can be found in the middle of the Pearl River between Guangzhou Bridge and Haiyin Bridge. It houses the Xinghai Concert Hall, the Guangdong Museum of Art, modern housing blocks and a sports training facility on a large piece of green land. More than 80% of the residents on the island are expats and personnel from foreign invested institutions.

Er Sha Island (file photo)

Er Sha Island (file photo)

(Carrot Chan and Stephen Roach)

(The End)