The prefecture-level city of Foshan ("Buddha Mountain") is located about 25 kilometers southwest of the city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province (Guangzhou was known as "Canton" during the colonial era... and to round things out, Foshan itself was known by outsiders during the colonial era as "Fatshan", for some reason, either inexplicable or humorous... Buddhas are generally depicted as being rather corpulent, and the British are known for their wry humor).

The municipality that would be renamed Foshan was founded in ancient times as Jihua Town, perhaps as early as the Han (BCE 206- 220) Dynasty, though evidence of large habitations dating back to the Qin (BCE 221-207) Dynasty have been unearthed here. The town of Jihua had grown considerably ... [ View Details ]