Foshan

Foshan (佛山 Fahtsāan in Cantonese, Fóshān in Mandarin) is an industrial city in Guangdong. Though it has about seven million people, it is relatively little known and feels almost like an extension of Guangzhou; hence the saying "Guangzhou and Foshan are the same city" (广佛同城). It is regarded to be the birthplace of Cantonese opera. Perhaps its biggest claim to fame is as the birthplace of famous martial artists Wong Fei-hung (黄飞鸿) and Ip Man (叶问), the latter of whom was the martial arts teacher of Chinese-American film star Bruce Lee. It is also the ancestral home of Bruce Lee.

Towns
Shunde is a district of Foshan, one of the wealthiest areas in mainland China, and a popular destination for foodies.

Talk
Cantonese is the main local language spoken in Foshan, though most locals are able to speak Mandarin as well, albeit often heavily accented. Like other prosperous southern Chinese cities, Foshan is home to many migrants from other parts of China who speak Mandarin but not the local language. As with elsewhere in China, English is not widely spoken, though some younger people may speak basic English.

By plane
The closest large airport is Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. From the airport, there is an intercity bus  to Foshan, taking about 50 minutes.

There's also Foshan Shadi Airport in Foshan, with flights to a handful of domestic destinations.

By train
There is a train station in Foshan. The station is served mostly by local trains heading west towards Guangxi and Hainan. There are only a handful of trains a day to Guangzhou (1 hour), so if you are coming in from Guangzhou it's much more convenient to use buses or the metro.

By bus
There are coaches that arrive in Foshan from Guangzhou every fifteen minutes. It takes approximately one hour to get there from Guangzhou. It will cost approximately ¥10-20. Coaches depart from the Guangfo Bus Terminal in Fangcun (Fancun Dadao Xi - metro Line 5 Jiaokou) and serve both the Nanhai bus station and the downtown bus station in Chancheng district. There are also buses from most other cities in Guangdong as well as a handful of longer-distance services from Nanning and Guilin. However, for most long-distance destinations it's more convenient to travel to Guangzhou and then use the metro.

If you are going to Nanhai District from Guangzhou, another option is to take public bus 232 from Fangcun Long Distance Bus Station (Metro Line 1 Kengkou station) which costs ¥2 (Yangchengtong cards are accepted) and reaches Nanhai Square via Pingzhou Town in approximately 40 minutes. Every 10 minutes.

By Metro
The Guangfo Line, China's first intercity rapid transit line, connects Foshan to the Guangzhou subway system. From downtown Guangzhou to downtown Foshan costs approximately ¥5 and takes around 1 hour. The Guangfo line starts from Xilang (at the eastern end of Line 1) and runs to Kuiqiang Lu in Foshan's Chancheng district, running via Nanhai district. Trains run every few minutes from 6am to 11pm and can be packed at the weekend when many Foshan residents head to Guangzhou to go shopping.

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.

By metro
The metro is an efficient, convenient, understandable way of getting around. However, there is only one metro line, so many sites cannot be reached by metro. The line is known as the Guangfo line and is integrated with the metro system of Guangzhou. Fares depend on the distance traveled, with ¥2 as the minimum fare.

Additional lines are under construction, with several scheduled to open between 2019 and 2022.

By taxi
This is the most convenient way to get around, since they can be found all over. However, during rush hour or when it is raining, meaning you will have to wait to find an available taxi. Fares are very inexpensive by Western standards - ¥7 for the first 2.6 km and increasing by ¥1 increments as you go farther. Drivers are supposed to add a ¥1 fuel surcharge to the fare displayed on the meter, but some may forget to do this. Most drivers speak Cantonese, though some only speak Mandarin (but they can usually understand Cantonese). It is very rare to find a taxi driver who can speak or even understand English, so it is best to have your destination written or printed out in Chinese characters if you cannot speak Chinese.

By bus
The public bus system is the most inexpensive way to get around the city, the fare is only ¥2 (make sure you have exact change). Most of the busses are modern and air conditioned. However, the bus system is only recommended if you are familiar with the routes and the city or if you know which bus to take and which stop to get off. Most people will not know any English so you will have trouble finding directions if you get lost and cannot speak Chinese.

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

Drink
The bar areas are scattered in different locations in Foshan. The most famous chill out area is near Jihua Garden called Bar Street (Jiubajie).

A couple of decent clubs include



Sleep
Foreign visitors were once restricted to staying specific hotels, but as of 2024, all licensed hotels by law must accept foreigners; show front desk staff the official notice in Chinese if they reject you. Hotels that are not used to serving foreigners might not be familiar with the registration process, so you might face some delays, and in rare cases staff might escort you to the nearest police station to fulfil the registration requirement.

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 kind 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.

Budget
There a lot of hotels that charge between ¥100 and ¥300, such as HTHT, Like Business Hotel, family inns, and Home Inn.

Mid-range
3 star hotels are a good choice.

Go next

 * Guangzhou, the provincial capital with centuries of history as an international trading port
 * Shunde, perhaps the most famous culinary destination in Guangdong