Foshan is an old town dated back to many centuries. It was famous for its porcelain industry. Now it has been amde the 'third largest city in Canton'. The city is relatively affluent when compared to other Chinese cities, and it is home to many large private enterprises. If you want to witness the boom of China's economy, and the transformation that the economic boom brough, here is not bad a place to start with. Of course, be warned that the air quality in Foshan is atrocious as a result of years of unregulated industrial development.
There are quite alot to see in Foshan. If you are into Chinese temple and chinese architecture, there is an old Zhu temple in Foshan that houses the city's guardian, and it was standing in its original site since many hundred years ago. That temple endured many wars and the culture revolution, and was still standing. Much of its original architecture is still intact. The temple is now used to stage the traditional Canton opera at night. If you want a different experience, this is quite an interesting place to visit.
Beside the Zhu temple, you can also get a glimpse into the traditional Chinese buildings by visiting the famous Liang Yuan. It is one of the four famous Yuan, or private estate in Canton. It epitomized the building style of the Ming-Qin dynasty, with delicate craftmanship into every inch of the building, and an compact yet elegantly designed garden. It is very well reserved, with most of its original artefact displayed in-house. Very near to the site of this Lian Yuan, you can also find a group of preserved buildings that dated back to the Qin dynasty. Although they are now private housing, you can still obtain permit to visit some of these buildings from the Tourist Bureau. These buildings all diaplay 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 to the land contraint.
Another place you must go in Foshan is the old porcelain furnace in Shi Wan. That furnace was said to be in operation since the Tang dynasty, and the fire inside was always kep alite. It is still in operation, and is still producing some of the exquisite china-ware that made Foshan famous. Surround that site are many workshop of the local artists. And if you have a day to spare, you can actually find some amazingly creative and original artwork by exploring these workshop.
The country side of Foshan is also worth a visit, as it retains much of the authentic Southern China agriculture style.