Foshan

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Foshan
佛山
Prefecture-level city
佛山市
Clockwise from top right: Zumiao of Foshan, Qingyun Tower in Shunfengshan Park, Statue of Guanyin on top of Xiqiaoshan, & Downtown Foshan in Chancheng District
Nickname(s): 禅 (Chan)
Coordinates: 23°01′0″N 113°07′0″E / 23.01667°N 113.11667°E / 23.01667; 113.11667Coordinates: 23°01′0″N 113°07′0″E / 23.01667°N 113.11667°E / 23.01667; 113.11667
Country China
Province Guangdong
Municipal seat Chancheng District
Government
 • CPC Committee Secretary Lin Yuanhe (林元和)
 • Mayor Chen Yunxian (陈云贤)
Area
 • Prefecture-level city 3,813.64 km2 (1,472.45 sq mi)
 • Water 690 km2 (270 sq mi)
 • Urban 153.69 km2 (59.34 sq mi)
Population (2010)
 • Prefecture-level city 7,194,311
 • Density 1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)
 • Urban 7,194,311
 • Metro 7,194,311
Time zone China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code 528000
Area code(s) 0757
License plate prefixes 粤E（for motor vehicles registered in Chancheng, Sanshui and Gaoming District）,
粤Y(for motor vehicles registered in Nanhai District),
粤X(for motor vehicles registered in Shunde District)
- Total ¥ 481.5 billion (2009)
- Per capita ¥ 80,579 (2009)
Website foshan.gov.cn
Foshan
Chinese 佛山
Cantonese Jyutping fat6 saan1
Cantonese Yale Fahtsāan
Hanyu Pinyin Fóshān
Postal Map Fatshan
Literal meaning Buddha Mountain

Foshan (Chinese: 佛山), is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. The area under the city's jurisdiction is about 3,840 km2 (1,480 sq mi) and currently has a population of 7.1 million of which 3.6 million reside in the city proper.

Today, many areas of Foshan are occupied mostly by migrants coming from other provinces in the country who speak only Mandarin, while the native dialect here is the Foshan variant of Cantonese.

History

Foshan was founded during the Jin Dynasty but gained its name in 628, during the Tang Dynasty.[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
2 Nanhai District 南海区 Nánhǎi Qū 2,588,844 1,074 2,410
Inner Suburbs
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).

Transportation

FMetro

Main article: FMetro

The first line of FMetro opened in 2010, and another two lines are under construction and due to be completed in 2015 and 2020.

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. There is a scheduled flight between Foshan and Beijing Nanyuan Airport.

Rail

Foshan railway station

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 train service was extended from Guangzhou to Foshan since the 1990s.

Bus

Bus service is the major public transit in Foshan.

Motor Vehicle

The Foshan motor vehicle plate begin with the abbreviation of Guangdong Province "粤"

Economy

Statue of Guan Yin on Mount Xiqiao, in Nanhai

Manufacture and Industry

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:

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.[4]

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.

Education

Foshan University's front gate

Foshan is home to Foshan University,[5] a designated full-time comprehensive university.

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.

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.

Foshan Ancestral Temple

Friendship cities

Sister cities

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Foshan City". Foshan University. Retrieved 26 January 2013. 
  2. ↑ "中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年)" (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved March 2009. 
  3. ↑ "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved 2010-12-01. 
  4. ↑ RightSite.asia | Foshan Hi-Tech Development Zone
  5. ↑ "About the University". Fosu.edu.cn. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2012-02-07. 
  6. ↑ Ville de la Possession - Jumelages

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foshan.
Guangdong Province
Special Administrative Region
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