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Foshan - co-host city of the 16th Asian Games

Lingnan Pearl Gymnasium is to host Boxing events of the 16th Asian Games in November, 2010. [GAGOC]

Lingnan Pearl Gymnasium is to host Boxing events of the 16th Asian Games in November, 2010. [GAGOC]

Century Lotus Sports Centre is to host Synchronised Swimming events of the 16th Asian Games in November, 2010. [GAGOC]

Geography

Located in the mid-south of Guangdong Province, China, Foshan is at the heart of the Pearl River Delta ("PRD"). It connects Guangzhou to the east and is adjacent to Hongkong and Macao to the south. Foshan boasts its great advantage of geography: it connects the centre and the west of PRD, while also being the gate of PRD to west Guangdong and West China.

Foshan. [GAGOC]

History

Foshan,"founded in Jin and named in Tang", is a city famous for her rich historical and cultural heritage. Tang and Song Dynasties were marked as the two most important periods for the significant business flourishing in Foshan. The city was crowned as a desirable place for handicraft industry, business and cultural activities. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, Foshan developed into one of the Four Well-known Towns in China together with Hankou in Hubei Province, Jingde in Jiangxi Province and Zhuxian in Henan Province, and one of the Four Commercial Centers in China together with Beijing, Hankou and Suzhou. The city boasted its strong presence in the sectors of textile, ceramics, foundry and medicine in South China. At the end of Qing Dynasty, with the naissance of China's first filature factory and match factory in Foshan, Foshan became one of the birthplace of modern national industry in China. Nanyang Brother Tobacco Company was then established.

Culture

The long history of Foshan gestates its unique traditional Lingnan culture. Foshan has been reputed as home of Canton Opera, home town of martial arts, center of Canton yam, hometown of patent medicine in Lingnan region, center of foundry in the South and hometown of folk arts,etc.

As a cradle of folk art in the pearl River Delta, Foshan has maintained many folk art and traditional activities that feature that Lingnan culture, such as Qluse (parade celebrating autumn harvest), dragon and lion dance, monologue and singing on dragon boat, dragon boat racing, etc. The paper cutting, wood-cut New Year painting, ceramic sculpture, limestone sculpture and brick carving enjoy excellent craftsmanship in the city. Thirteen items of Foshan culture and arts including lion dance, Canton Opera, monologue and singing on dragon boat, wood-cut New Year painting, Guangdong paper cutting, Shiwan ceramic sculpture, lion head costume making, gambiered canton gauze dyeing and finishing technique, Ancestral Temple fair, Qluse Parade, "Shifan" (a type of Gong performance )Dragon Dance, Lantern, have been on the list of national intangible cultural relics, and 8 persons have been selected as symbolic spreaders of national intangible cultural heritage.

Ever since ancient times, Foshan has been home to groups of talented people. The city are proud of the outstanding historical figures like Kang Youwei, leader of the constitutional Reform in 1898, national businessmen Chen Qiyuan, scientists Zhan Tianyou, famous Canton Opera artists Xue Juexian, martial artists Liang Zan, Huang Feihong, Bruce Lee, famous doctor LI Guanghai, craftsmen Huang Bing, Chen Weiyan, Liu chuan, etc.

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