Shangchuan Island (, also known as "Schangschwan", "Sancian", "Sanchão", "Chang-Chuang", "St. John's Island" or "St John Island") is the main island of Chuanshan Archipelago on the southern coast of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Its name originated from São João ("Saint John" in Portuguese). Administratively, it is a part of Chuandao (),

Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai or Taishan (), Shandong, China *Taishan District, Tai'an (), named after the Mount Tai, a district in Tai'an, Shandong, China *Taishan, Guangdong (), a county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China **Gre ...

. Located from the mainland, it became the largest island in Guangdong after

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Island was carved out of the province in 1988. The area of the island is , and has a population of 16,320. It is known for having been the place of death of St. Francis Xavier. Nowadays, it is a tourist site in Guangdong.

History

Chapel of the Tomb of St Francis Xavier at Shangchuan Dao

Shangchuan Island was one of the first bases established by the Portuguese off the China coast, during the 16th century. They abandoned this base after the Chinese government gave consent for a permanent and official Portuguese trade base at

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

in 1557. The Spanish (

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

)

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

St. Francis Xavier died on the island on December 3, 1552, as he was waiting for a ship to take him to mainland China. There is a small chapel that commemorates his death place, designed by

Achille-Antoine Hermitte Achille-Antoine Hermitte (1840–) was a French architect who is known for designing the Hong Kong City Hall and the Palais du Gouverneur, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). His life is not well-documented and there is uncertainty about the date and plac ...

and completed in 1869.

Geography

The island has been isolated from the mainland since the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

. It is located near Xiachuan Island, which lies west of Shangchuan. The two islands, together with smaller islets, form Chuanshan Archipelago. Shangshuan Island has an area of 137.3 km² and a 217 km coastline. Settlements on the island include: * Dalangwan * Shadi (), a fishing port on the southwestern coast

Climate

Economy

Shangchuan and

Xiachuan Xiachuan Island () (Hsiachwan Shan) is an island of the South China Sea, on the southern coast of China, part of the Guangdong province. Administration Administratively, Chuandao () is one of the 16 towns of Taishan. Geography The island is l ...

have been established as a Tourism Open Integrated Experimental Zone (旅游开发综合试验区,

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''lǚyóu kāifā zōnghé shìyàn qū''). Feisha Beach Resort () is a commercial tourist resort located on the island's eastern shore.

Transportation

Shangchuan Island is linked by ferry to

Guanghai Guanghai is a Town of China, town in Taishan, Guangdong, Taishan Prefecture in Guangdong, China. External links Interactive China province map with city guides and more.Map of Guanghai Town
Towns in Guangdong Taishan, Guangdong {{Guangdo ...

, Haiyan ( Shanju) and Xiachuan Island.