Shangchuan Island

Shangchuan Island (Chinese: 上川岛; pinyin: Shàngchuāndǎo, 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, China. Administratively, it is a part of Chuandao (川岛镇), Taishan. Located 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) from the mainland, it became the largest island in Guangdong after Hainan Island (the largest island in the country) was carved out of the province in 1988. The area of the island is 139.87 square kilometers (54.00 sq mi), 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 The island was called Shangchuan Shan (上川山) in the Ming dynasty, as recorded in the Records of the Unity of the Great Ming (大明一統志) published in 1461. 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 in 1557. The Spanish (Navarrese) Jesuit missionary 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 and completed in 1869. Geography The island has been isolated from the mainland since the last ice age. 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 (沙堤), a fishing port on the southwestern coast Climate Economy Shangchuan and Xiachuan have been established as a Tourism Open Integrated Experimental Zone (旅游开发综合试验区, pinyin: lǚyóu kāifā zōnghé shìyàn qū). Feisha Beach Resort (飞沙滩旅游区) is a commercial tourist resort located on the island's eastern shore. Transportation Shangchuan Island is linked by ferry to Guanghai, Haiyan (Shanju) and Xiachuan Island. Shanzui Harbor provide ferry services between the islands and mainland. See also Chuanshan Archipelago Tamão, Lampacau, Shuangyu List of islands of the People's Republic of China List of islands in the South China Sea List of Jesuit sites Notes and references Further reading Guillemin, Philippe François Zéphirin (1870). Lettres sur l'erection de la chapelle de S. François Xavier dans l'île de Sancian et autres faits récents de la mission (in French). Rome: Imprimerie de la Propagande, P. Marietti. Masson, Matthieu (2019), "Sancian: Landscape and Architecture in the Burial Place of St. Francis Xavier", Tianzhujiao Yanjiu Xuebao 天主教研究學報 n.10, 173–222. De Caro, Antonio (2025). “Pilgrims to Shangchuan Island: (Re-)Constructing a Holy Topography and Celebrating St. Francis Xavier (1688–1933)” in From Europe to Overseas: Saints, Martyrs, Heroes, Models and Soft Power in an Early Modern Global Perspective, edited by Michela Catto and Eleonora Rai. Refo500 Academic Studies series (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2025), 123–137. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.13109/9783666502057.123) External links General Stuckey, Peter; Bailey, Chris (2002). "Visiting St. John's Island" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 42: 435–448. ISSN 1991-7295. Satellite view on Google Maps Website about Shangchuan (in Chinese and English) Shangchuan on taishan.com (in English) on tsinfo.com.cn (in English) Pictures of the island (click on the links on the left to view more) Maps Old map Francis Xavier Chapel Picture of Shangchuan island. The chapel marks the location of Francis Xavier's death Another picture of the chapel Satellite view of the chapel