Foshan

Foshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province in southeastern China. It forms part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, which includes Guangzhou to the north and Shenzhen to the east. Foshan is the pinyin romanization of the city's Chinese name, based on its Mandarin pronunciation. The Postal Map spelling "Fatshan" derives from the same name's local Cantonese pronunciation. Other romanizations include Fat-shan and Fat-shun. Foshan means "Buddha hill" and, despite the more famous present-day statue of Guanyin or Kwanyin on Mount Xiqiao, who isn't a Buddha, it refers to a smaller hill near the centre of town where three bronze sculptures of Buddha were discovered in AD AD 628. The town grew up around a monastery founded nearby that was destroyed in 1391.

Foshan is a historical and energetic city. In the past thousands of years, it made its way among the shortlist of the four best known towns in Tang and Song dynasties. Famous as the hometown of ceramic art, Cantonese Opera, and martial art, Foshan also shows its modern face as the third largest city in Guangdong Province. Relying on its profound cultural achievements, it has developed into a tourist city supported by its advantaged geographic location and economic conditions.