Foshan Guide ((Transportation, Tourism, Accommodation, Food, Shopping) - Transportation and Tourism Series Map)

Author: Guangdong Map Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Foshan is an ancient and youthful city located in the central-southern part of Guangdong Province, at the heart of the Pearl River Delta. It borders Guangzhou to the east, Zhaoqing to the west, Zhuhai to the south, and Qingyuan to the north, and is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau, enjoying a highly advantageous geographical location. Currently, it is a prefecture-level city, administering four municipal districts (Nanshui, Shunde, Sanshui, and Gaoming) and two urban districts (urban area and Shiwai). With a total area of 3,813.64 square kilometers and a population of 3.11 million, it is a renowned hometown for overseas Chinese. Foshan "traced its origins to the Jin Dynasty and was named during the Tang Dynasty." As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, Foshan became a major commercial hub in southern China, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, it reached its peak, ranking among the "Four Great Towns of China" alongside Beijing, Hankou, and Suzhou. Since ancient times, Foshan has been honored as the "Center of Cantonese Textiles," the "Pottery Capital of the South," and the "Hometown of Lingnan Medicine," enjoying a glorious reputation. In recent years, Foshan has experienced rapid economic development and has been recognized as one of the top 50 cities in China for comprehensive strength, among the top 10 in socio-economic development, among the top 40 in investment and infrastructure, and one of the first 36 cities in China to achieve a moderately prosperous society. It has also been awarded titles such as National Historical and Cultural City, National Hygienic City, and "Double" Model City. These are unique advantages for Foshan's tourism industry development. Since the reform and opening-up, Foshan's tourism industry has grown at an unprecedented rate, establishing a significant industrial scale and becoming one of the pillar industries of the national economy. Currently, Foshan's tourism service facilities are increasingly, with well-developed "Food, Accommodation, Transportation, Sightseeing, Entertainment, and Shopping" infrastructure. The city boasts over 10 comprehensive tourist attractions and resorts, as well as more than 70 hotels and inns, with 25 of them having star ratings (including 5 four-star, 7 three-star, and 13 two-star hotels). The city has more than 7,300 rooms and over 14,400 beds, as well as over 30,000 dining seats. There are 4 large entertainment venues, over 200 karaoke lounges and dance halls, 17 travel agencies (including 14 international and 3 domestic), and 295 tourist vehicles with over 2,600 seats, forming a preliminary integrated reception system. The city now employs over 30,000 tourism professionals, with over 95% having received professional training. It has cultivated a large workforce of tourism management, technical, and service personnel, creating a new, well-structured, and skilled tourism industry. Additionally, reforms and developments in civil aviation, railways, highways, and water transport have significantly improved transportation conditions in the city and scenic areas. The city has nearly 600 newly built or renovated bridges; the Rongqi, Pingzhou, and Gaoming passenger ports directly connect to Hong Kong; the newly built Foshan Railway Station offers direct trains to Hong Kong, making it the second domestic port with direct access to Hong Kong; modern highways crisscross the suburbs and rural areas of Foshan; and Foshan Airport is connected to 20 major cities, including Beijing, Nanjing, and Kunming, further enhancing the city's three-dimensional transportation network, making it more convenient for domestic and international tourists to visit Foshan. These developments have laid a solid foundation for tourism growth. Foshan is rich in tourism resources, featuring diverse natural, cultural, and artificial leisure attractions. The Foshan Ancestral Temple, built during the Yuanfeng period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1078-1085), is a temple that integrates ancient Foshan's pottery, wood carving, casting, and architectural arts, and is a nationally protected cultural relic site. It attracts nearly one million domestic and international visitors annually. The restoration project of the famous Liang Garden was completed in 1997, and it continues to attract numerous tourist groups. The Qinghui Garden in Shunde, one of the four great gardens of Guangdong during the Qing Dynasty, the National Scenic Area of Xishan Mountain in Nanhai, and historical sites such as the Confucius Temple, Renshou Temple, Kang Youwei's Former Residence in Nanhai, Shunde Xishan Temple, Sanshui Lubao Xuwang Ancestral Temple, Wenta Pagoda, Gaoming Wenchang Pagoda, and Linggui Pagoda attract countless tourists. Foshan boasts 5,000 years of cultural heritage, with countless legends and stories. Since ancient times, it has been home to many renowned figures, such as the Ming Dynasty Grand Tutor Liang Chu, the Ming Dynasty Ren Wenshu, the Qing Dynasty Cantonese opera artist Li Wenmao, the Qing Dynasty national capitalist Chen Qiyuan, the Qing Dynasty martial arts master Huang Feihong, the modern bourgeois reform leader Kang Youwei, the Chinese railway pioneer Zhan Tianyou, the late Qing Dynasty novelist Wu Jianren, the martial arts star Bruce Lee, and the labor movement leader Deng Pei, among others. In recent years, Foshan has accelerated the development of its tourist attractions, with a series of new resorts and scenic areas emerging, achieving significant economic and social benefits. Completed and open to the public include: the first phase restoration of Liang Garden, the Broadcasting and Television Center, Jihua Garden, a golf course, Foshan Amusement Park's musical fountain, and the Jinma Theater Cultural Center; Nanhai's National Garden of the South, Xishan Guanyin Cultural Garden, Huang Daixian Sacred Realm Garden, Huang Feihong Lion Dance Martial Arts Museum, Tianhu Park Art Plaza, and Qingyun Cave Taoist Site; Sanshui's Daqitou Ancient Village, Forest Park's Confucius Garden, the World's Largest Reclining Buddha, and Qianfo Mountain; the expansion of Qinghui Garden in Shunde, Shunde Mountain Tourism Center, Baolin Temple, Jun'an Ecological Park, and New World Convention and Exhibition Center; Gaoming's "Hometown Garden" construction, including the scenic belt along Xiuli River, the "Three Highs" agricultural tourism base, forest parks, natural hunting grounds, and reservoir tourism resorts. These attractions, centered around Foshan and including the four directly administered districts, represent massive investments and rich static tourism resources, transforming the city's landscape and enhancing its appeal. Meanwhile, dynamic tourism resources such as Foshan Autumn Festival, Shiwai Ceramic Art Festival, Gaoming Hunting Festival, Shunde Dragon Boat Race, Nanhai Lion Dance Competition, and Kite Festival, along with traditional tourism crafts and cuisine like Shiwai figurines, Foshan Autumn Colors, paper-cut crafts, and Fengcheng delicacies, complement these developments, making Foshan a renowned tourist city with increasing charm.