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Foshan

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Foshan
佛山
Prefecture-level city
City of Foshan · 佛山市
Foshan
Foshan
CountryChina
ProvinceGuangdong
City SeatChancheng District
Government
 • CPC Committee SecretaryLin Yuanhe (林元和)
 • MayorChen Yunxian （陈云贤）
Area
 • Prefecture-level city3,813.64 km2 (1,472.45 sq mi)
 • Water690 km2 (270 sq mi)
 • Urban
153.69 km2 (59.34 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • Prefecture-level city7,194,311
 • Density1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard Time)
Postal code
528000
Area code757
License plate prefixes粤E（for cars registered in Chancheng, Sanshui and Gaoming District）,
粤Y(for cars registered in Nanhai District),
粤X(for cars registered in Shunde District)
- Total¥ 481.5 billion (2009)
- Per capita¥ 80,579 (2009)
Websitehttp://www.foshan.gov.cn/
Foshan
Chinese佛山
Literal meaningBuddha Mountain
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinFóshān
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFaht Sāan

Foshan (Chinese: 佛山; pinyin: Fóshān) is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper (year 2000 figures).

It is shown on some older maps as 'Fatshan', which is a phonetic spelling of the city's Cantonese name.

History

The town of Foshan is many centuries old, and was famous for its porcelain industry. Now, the third largest city in Guangdong, it has become relatively affluent compared to other Chinese cities, and is home to many large private enterprises. Foshan has recently seen a transformation brought by China's booming economy. Foshan is also famous for its numerous Wing Chun schools where many come to train and spar.

City of Guangfo

In January 2009 the National People's Congress approved a development plan for the Pearl River Delta Region. On March 19, 2009 the Guangzhou Municipal Government and Foshan Municipal Government both agreed to establish a framework to merge the two cities.[1]

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Foshan administers five county-level divisions, all of which are districts.

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010 census.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
City Proper
1 Chancheng District 禅城区 Chánchéng Qū 1,101,077 154 7,150
Inner Suburbs
2 Nanhai District 南海区 Nánhǎi Qū 2,588,844 1,074 2,410
3 Shunde District 顺德区 Shùndé Qū 2,461,701 806 3,054
Outer Suburbs
4 Sanshui District 三水区 Sānshuǐ Qū 622,645 874 712
5 Gaoming District 高明区 Gāomíng Qū 420,044 960 438

These are further divided into 64 township-level divisions, including 37 towns and 27 subdistricts.

Foshan is close to Guangzhou and considers its link with Guangzhou very important. A Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan region is being formed.

Geography and climate

Guangzhou lies to the east, Zhongshan to the southeast, Jiangmen to the southeast, Yunfu to the west, and Zhaoqing to the northwest.

Foshan experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Template:Guangzhou weatherbox

Transportation

FMetro

Main article: FMetro

The first line of FMetro opened in 2010, making Foshan the tenth city in Mainland China to have an underground railway system. Currently the underground network is made up of one line, covering a total length of 20.4 km (12.7 mi), while another two lines are under construction and due to be completed in 2015 and 2020. A long term plan is to make the city's underground system expand to 8 lines.

Being a prominent link to Guangzhou city, the Guangfo Line of the FMetro and Guangzhou Metro is the first inter-city subway in mainland China. The line was open in time for the 2010 Asian Games making it very convenient to go from Foshan downtown area to any place in Guangzhou.

The existing line of FMetro network:

Air

Foshan Shadi Airport was once a regional airport with mixed usage (both military and domestic transport) since January 22, 1987, as it became a base of China United Airlines (CUA) in Guangdong Province. When CUA ceased domestic flights on November 1, 2002, Foshan Airport remained military service only. The airport resumed its regional airport status in 2005 when the regrouped CUA, which was partly purchased by Shanghai Airlines, resumed domestic flight service. It is expected domestic flight linkage between Foshan and at least ten Chinese cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Yinchuan etc.

Rail

Foshan is a main interchange for railway routes linking Guangzhou, Hong Kong and the western Guangdong Province. It is connected with Hong Kong via the KCRC Guangdong Through Train service from Foshan railway station. The inter-city through train service was extended from Guangzhou to Foshan since the 1990s.

Bus

Bus service is the major mode public transport inside the city of Foshan.

Auto

The Foshan Auto carplates begin with the Guangdong 粤-

Economy

Statue of Guan Yin on Mount Xiqiao, in Nanhai

Agriculture

There are Agricultural Model Districts (AMD) around the prefecture, such as Shunde Chencun AMD, and AMDs in Dali Town, Shatou Town and Locun Town in Nanhai, with a total area of about 9.4 km².

The AMDs aim to provide an all-round environment for modern agriculture. Agricultural processes are upgraded through technology, and sale service is incorporated with a new style of tourism that attracts target clients. The modern integrated practice mode resulted in the reputation of the largest base for wholesale, food production, storage and logistics of agricultural products in Guangdong Province.

Manufacturing industries

Following Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Foshan is the third largest manufacturing base in the Pearl River Delta. Once home to a strong State-Owned Enterprises sector, its current economic strength lies in privates firms and Township and Village Enterprises in Shunde and Nanhai. In 2002, private firms contributed 56.12% of the industrial output and firms from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan contributed 63.44% in exports.

Key industries in Foshan include:

Towns in Foshan specialize in pillar industries as follows:

  • Beijiao Town, Shunde (顺德北滘) - household electrical appliances
  • Chencun Town, Shunde (顺德陈村) - flowers and horticulture
  • Dali Town, Nanhai (南海大沥) - aluminium products
  • Lecong Town, Shunde (顺德乐从) - furniture production and distribution
  • Nanzhuang Town, Nanhai (南海南庄) - building materials
  • Xiqiao Town, Nanhai (南海西樵) - tourism and textiles
  • Yanbu Town, Nanhai (南海盐步) - underclothes
  • Nanzhuang Town, Chancheng (禅城南庄) - ceramics

Some well-known brands to come out of these pillar industries include Midea, Kelon, and Jianlibao. Foshan's furniture and lighting industry is known as the world's largest furniture wholesale market and the world's largest lighting wholesale market.

Industrial Zone

  • Foshan Hi-Tech Development Zone

Foshan Hi-Tech Development Zone was founded in 1992. Its total planned area is 7.55 square kilometers. The zone is very close to the national highway G325 as well as Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The major industries in the zone including automobile assembly, biotechnology and chemicals processing.[2]

Development strategy

Foshan aims to become a manufacturing giant and the third largest city in Guangdong. To do this, it has pledged to make large-scale investment in the construction of the infrastructure such as transportation and energy. Urban development will focus on the central urban group and Shunde urban group, each with more than one million inhabitants.

Tourism

Foshan has many tourist spots, including Chinese temples and other examples of Chinese architecture. The old Ancestral Temple in Foshan houses the city's guardian, where it has stood for hundreds of years. The temple still stands after enduring many wars and the Cultural Revolution. Much of its original architecture is still intact. The temple is now used to stage the traditional Cantonese opera in addition to veneration.

Besides the Ancestral Temple, another example of traditional Chinese buildings is the Liang Yuan. It is one of the four famous Yuan, or private estates, in Guangdong. It epitomizes the building style of the Ming-Qing dynasties, with delicate craftsmanship throughout the building, and a compact yet elegantly designed garden. It is very well preserved, with most of its original artifacts displayed in-house. Very near to this site is a group of preserved buildings that date back to the Qing dynasty. Although they are now private houses, permits to visit some of these buildings can be obtained from the Tourist Bureau. These buildings all display the very classic building style of that era, which is the abandonment of the large and ostensible garden and space in favour to small yet multi-stories houses that is practical when there is little space.

Another potential tourist site in Foshan is the old porcelain furnace in Shi Wan. It is said to have been in operation since the Tang dynasty, and the fire inside has never gone out. It is still producing some of the chinaware that made Foshan famous. Surrounding that site are many workshops of the local artists.

The countryside surrounding Foshan city retains much of its traditional south Chinese rural characteristics.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Guangzhou and Foshan signed "City Merge Cooperation Framework"
  2. ^ RightSite.asia | Foshan Hi-Tech Development Zone
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