The Shameen Incident or the Shameen Attack occurred on June 23, 1925, and is also commonly referred to by the Chinese side as the Shaji Massacre. It was an armed conflict that took place in Canton City. During the incident, British and French soldiers opened fire on a demonstration march along Shaji Road, resulting in severe civilian casualties on the Chinese side. There were significant discrepancies — and even outright contradictions — between the accounts given by the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government and those of the British and French concession authorities regarding the responsibility for and details of the conflict. The incident also triggered corresponding diplomatic disputes.
On June 21, 1925, workers in Hong Kong and Canton went on strike in support of the May Thirtieth Movement in Shanghai. Two days later, on June 23, over 100,000 people convened in Eastern Jiaochang (today, the Guangdong Provincial People's Stadium), announcing their plans to expel the foreign powers, cancel the unequal treaties and walk to the Shakee in protest. At 3 am when the protest had moved to the west bridge, the conflict began. British and French soldiers, perceiving gunshots being fired at them, began to fire on the protesters. In addition, British warships fired on the north coast of Shamian (then spelled Shameen). Over 50 were killed and more than 170 people were seriously injured.
Among the dead there were 20 civilians and 23 cadets and military personnel from Whampoa Military Academy. The death toll included one woman and four minors under 16. One estimate listed the dead at 52.
After the massacre, the national government in Canton (now Guangzhou) appealed to the British and French consulates, requesting a formal apology, punishment of related military officers, the removal of warships, the return of Shamian to the national government and reparations for the families of the dead. The request was rejected by the consulates. On October 29 Hong Kong made a counter strike, in which 130,000 from Hong Kong moved back to Canton.
On July 11, Canton held a public memorial ceremony for the casualties of the massacre. The next year, a memorial and a road were built in memory of Shakee. The road was named 六二三 (Six two three) Road—the numeric date of the event.
According to records handled by the Canton District Prosecutor's Office, the bodies of two Lingnan University students — Qu Lizhou and Xu Yaozhang — were found west of the Shameen West Bridge. At the Shakee entrance, over ten corpses of military officers and Whampoa cadets were found. Between the East and West Bridges, several civilian corpses were also discovered. On-site casualties on the Chinese side, including both military personnel and civilians, amounted to more than 50 people killed instantly during the clash.
By October 3rd, during the state funeral held for the "June 23rd Shakee Martyrs," the number of deceased prepared for burial totaled 61. Among the dead were 31 individuals affiliated with the Whampoa Military Academy, including, according to Chiang Kai-shek's Statement on the Shaji Tragedy, 12 enlisted cadets, 4 officers of the Nationalist Army, and 8 soldiers. The Guangzhou Headquarters Bulletin listed 32 deaths among Nationalist troops and students, while another source cited 27 deaths.
Battalion Commander Cao Shiquan of the First Regiment, Third Battalion of the Eastern Expedition Army, a Communist Party member
Platoon Leaders Yi Mingdao and Chen Gang of the Second Regiment, Second Company
Recruit Platoon Leader Wen Qidai of the Seventh Company
Zhou Enlai narrowly escaped unharmed.
Due to varied orders issued to different units during the firefight, casualty figures varied. For instance:
The unit led by Jiang Xiangyun suffered 2 platoon leaders and 3 soldiers killed, with 8 wounded
Song Xilian's unit reported only 3–4 wounded and no deaths
According to A Tragic Record of Shaji, 29 members of Whampoa and the Nationalist Army died. Civilian casualties included a 13-year-old child, four students, one teacher, nine merchants, and six workers; Cao Yaoyi, a student movement leader from the private Lingnan University, was also wounded. Four of the civilian dead were under 16 years old. More than 170 people were seriously wounded , while the number of minor injuries was uncounted.
Total casualty numbers—civilian and military—remain contested:
A 1925 report from the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions claimed 52 deaths
Guangzhou Republican Daily reported 47 deaths