Before early 2020, this area served as a parking lot, a circumstance that not only squandered valuable space but also disrupted the urban fabric. The proliferation of parking lots concentrated around the southern sector of Shamian Island impeded pedestrian access, forcing individuals to navigate around parked cars, thereby detracting from the area's appeal. Despite the presence of potentially charming waterfront dining establishments, the southern reaches of Shamian Island remained relatively lifeless and unattractive following the construction of the nearby White Swan Hotel and its accompanying 635-meter elevated ramp driveway in the early 1980s.
However, the landscape underwent a dramatic transformation in 2019 with the removal of the parking lot and its subsequent conversion into a pedestrian plaza. Concurrently, nearby parking lots in the island's southern region were also eliminated (refer to the adjacent cache for a specific example). While the removal of parking is invariably challenging, its successful execution here has resulted in nothing short of a renaissance for the entire southern section of Shamian Island. Furthermore, with improved pedestrian access from the south, reaching the island's interior has become markedly easier and more enjoyable, thereby contributing to the revitalization of the entire locale.