Foshan is the third-largest City in Guangdong Province of Southern China. It is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Guangzhou City, the capital of Guangdong. This city in the northern part of the Pearl River is also a vital member of the newly developing world class urban agglomeration – Greater Bay Area (GBA), together with Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, etc.
Its name Foshan means “Hill of Buddha” in English. As legend says, Foshan got its name when three statues of Buddha were unearthed from Tapo Hill in the city. Founded in Jin Dynasty (1033 BC-349 BC) and Named in Tang (618-907), Foshan has a history over 1388 years since renamed. With such a long period of history, it comes no surprise that Foshan is one of the birthplaces of Lingnan Culture and also home of Ceramics, martial arts, Cantonese opera and Cantonese Cuisine…
Why Visit Foshan:
- Pay Homage to Kung Fu Masters: Known as the Hometown of martial arts, Foshan is the place where southern martial arts originated. The most famous and represented Wing Chun style of Kung Fu was developed here. It is also in Foshan, famous Kong Fu master Wong Fei-Hong and Lp Men (Bruce Lee’s master) was born, started to learn Kung Fu and set up martial arts schools.
- Foodies! Welcome to the Cradle of Cantonese Cuisine – Shunde! If you are looking for a place to feast your taste bud with most traditional Cantonese cuisine, Shunde in Foshan must be the best choice. It is considered as the cradle of Cantonese cuisine. And in 2014, this city was picked by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Creative City of Gastronomy.
- First National Famous City of Lion Dance and Dragon Boat: You must have watched the Lion Dancing in a movie before. How about enjoy such an amazing Kung Fu Dancing up close at its birth-land? You can take photos with the “lions” and even have chance to learn the skills there!
- Explore the Source of Cantonese Opera: Foshan is also the birthplace of Canton Opera. It is also where the earliest Canton Opera organization Qionghua Hall established. Now the hall is also a museum of Guangdong Cantonese Opera. It must be a unique experience to explore the opera costumes, earliest films, records, etc. in the museum and to hear opera from the depth of the nearby alley.
Visa-Free Transit Policies in Foshan: Usually, a Chinese Visa is required for foreign visitors touring Foshan. However, transiting tourists from any one of the 53 specified countries landing at Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Jieyang first can have 144-hour visa-free entry to whole Guangdong area. Besides, tourists from 53 countries traveling from Hong Kong or Macau to Foshan can have 6-Day Visa-Free Group Tour to Pearl River Delta (Foshan is included) without visa.
How to Plan Your Foshan Tour
Usually, tourist will spend 1~ 2 days in Foshan to explore its Cantonese and Kung Fu culture and also traditional Cantonese foods.
For a one-day tour in Foshan, you are suggested to visit Ancestral Hall first, as it may be crowded in the afternoon. Also, if you visit Zumiao in the morning, you can happen to enjoy the Lion Dance performance while held on 10:00-10:40. Before savoring the Cantonese foods, continue your visit to the nearby Lingnan Tiandi. And in the afternoon, you can have fun in Ancient Nanfeng Kiln. If you want to explore more highlights of Foshan, you can spend 1-2 days more in this city, and then you can have time to visit Qinghui Gardern and Ancestral Home of Bruce Lee in Shunde!
