Foshan

Understand

thumb|[[Sculpture at an ancestral temple]] Foshan is a large prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, forming part of the core urban area of the Pearl River Delta. Located just west of Guangzhou, Foshan is closely connected to its neighboring metropolis by metro lines, highways, and daily commuter flows. Historically known as an important commercial and manufacturing center, Foshan today combines heavy industry, traditional crafts, and modern urban life.

The city is widely regarded as one of the birthplaces of Lingnan (Cantonese) culture. It is particularly famous for its long association with ceramics, martial arts, and Cantonese opera. While Foshan does not market itself as aggressively as some nearby tourist cities, it offers visitors a more local and authentic view of everyday life in the Pearl River Delta, with historic temples, traditional neighborhoods, large urban parks, and a strong food culture.

Get around

Since Foshan is a very dense and industrial city with very few foreign tourists, getting around can be a challenge. Fortunately, the main part of the city has many shopping centers, stores, attractions and restaurants within a 20 minute walk. However, if you are not familiar with the area the best way to get around the city would be by taxi. Driving a car or riding a motorcycle is not recommended unless you are used to the hectic traffic typical in dense Chinese cities. See Driving in China for details.

Foshan's roads are prone to flooding after heavy rain. If you're planning to travel to, from, or within the city after a rainstorm, prepare for traffic disruptions and give yourself lots of extra time.

Eat

The Shunde area is known as the "food capital of Guangdong", with a wide variety of different restaurants to choose from.

Sleep

There are a large number of three and four star mid-range hotels throughout the city and in all districts. The listed rates for these kinds of hotels are often in the range of ¥500-1,000 but you can often get a discount of around 50%.

Some 'expensive' hotels are in the city centre, especially in Chancheng District, and on the eastern 3rd Ring Road in Chaoyang District, however by Western standards these hotels are still relatively cheap. For the most expensive hotels, the listed rates start at around ¥4,000, but are often discounted to a level around ¥1,500.