Foshan Travel Guide 2027: Ancestral Temple, Lion Dance, Shunde Food

Foshan is a city in Guangdong right next to Guangzhou. The fast train from Guangzhou South to Foshan West takes about 20 minutes on board. It is known for southern lion dance, martial arts and Cantonese food. This Foshan travel guide covers how long to stay, what to see, and how to get there. If you are based in Guangzhou, see also things to do in Guangzhou.

Is Foshan a day trip or worth a night?

A day trip covers central Foshan, in Chancheng district. One night lets you add Shunde, a district of Foshan known for its food, without rushing.

A simple day trip looks like this:

1. Take the Guangfo metro from Guangzhou in the morning. It stops at Zumiao station, next to the temple.
2. Reach the Ancestral Temple in time for the 10:00 lion dance.
3. Have lunch and a walk in Lingnan Tiandi, next to the temple.
4. Spend the afternoon at the Nanfeng Ancient Kiln. Allow about three hours. It closes at 17:00.
5. Go back to Guangzhou in the evening.

If you stay a night, spend the second morning in Shunde. See the Qinghui Garden, then take a long Cantonese lunch.

When to go

October to December is the best time. It is drier, and the days are warm to mild. Average highs are about 29 °C in October, 24 °C in November and 20 °C in December.

May to September is hot and wet. Highs reach 29 to 33 °C, and heavy rain falls most months. June is the wettest. January and February are cool, with highs of about 18 °C. These figures are 1981 to 2010 averages for Foshan.

Avoid the longer 2027 holiday breaks if you can. These are Spring Festival (5 to 13 February), Qingming (3 to 5 April), Labour Day (1 to 5 May) and National Day (1 to 7 October). Sights are usually crowded then. The temple is often packed at Chinese New Year.

What can you see at the Foshan Ancestral Temple?

The Ancestral Temple, or Zumiao, is a large temple and folk museum in central Foshan. It is open from 08:30 to 18:00, and last entry is 17:30.

Lion dance shows run every day at 10:00, 14:15 and 15:30. Each lasts about 40 minutes, weather permitting. Show times can change, so check on the day. Get there early for a good spot.

Cantonese opera plays from 13:30 to 15:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. It also plays on the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month.

The temple dates back to the Northern Song dynasty, almost a thousand years ago. Its halls show local folk art and martial arts. Two memorial halls honour the martial artists Wong Fei-hung and Ip Man. For the film trail, see Bruce Lee and Ip Man places.

The temple is at 21 Zumiao Road. To get there from Guangzhou, take Guangzhou Metro Line 1 to Xilang and change to the Guangfo line. Ride it to Zumiao station, a short walk from the temple.

What else is there to do in Foshan?

Three more places fill out a visit: Lingnan Tiandi, the Nanfeng Ancient Kiln and Shunde. "Lingnan" is the old name for the far south of China around Guangdong.

Lingnan Tiandi

Lingnan Tiandi is the restored old Donghuali quarter, just east of the temple. It has bluestone lanes and old houses with curved gable walls. Cafes and shops now fill many of the old buildings. It suits lunch or an evening walk.

Nanfeng Ancient Kiln

The Nanfeng Ancient Kiln is in Shiwan, a pottery district of Foshan. Its dragon kiln is a long, sloping, wood-fired kiln built in the Ming dynasty, about 500 years ago. It is one of the oldest kilns of its kind still in use. Pottery streets and studios surround it.

The kiln's own site gives opening hours of 08:30 to 17:00, all year. Allow about three hours.

Qinghui Garden and Shunde food

The Qinghui Garden in Shunde is one of Guangdong's four famous classical gardens. The site was once the residence of Ming scholar Huang Shijun and was later developed by generations of the Long family. Today you walk past ponds, pavilions and covered walkways.

The garden is open from 09:00 to 17:30, and entry stops at 17:00. You enter in a time slot. Book ahead on the garden's official WeChat account, which is the only official ticket channel. Take Foshan Metro Line 3 to Daliang Zhonglou station. Leave by exit E and walk about 450 metres along Qinghui Road.

Shunde is one of the cradles of Cantonese cooking. Its food is known for light, fresh flavours. Three local sweets to try:

• Double-skin milk: a smooth milk custard made with milk, egg white and sugar. It sets with two thin skins.
• Fried milk: a milk dessert fried until the outside is crisp and golden, while the inside stays soft and white.
• Lunjiao cake: a steamed cake of rice flour and white sugar, named after Lunjiao in Shunde. It is white and smooth.

For more Cantonese eating, see Guangzhou morning tea. For the wider culture of the region, read about Guangdong Lingnan culture.

How do you get to Foshan?

From Guangzhou, take a fast train or the Guangfo metro. On the fast train, Guangzhou South to Foshan West takes about 20 minutes on board. Add time to reach the station and to get from Foshan West into the centre.

These on-board times come from the 12306 timetable for one sample date, Friday 20 November 2026. Schedules vary, so check yours when you book:

• Guangzhou South to Foshan West: many trains a day, about 17 to 20 minutes.
• Guangzhou Station to Foshan Station: about 18 to 21 minutes. Foshan Station is in central Chancheng.
• Guangzhou South to Shunde: about 8 to 11 minutes.
• Shenzhen North to Foshan West: about an hour to an hour and a quarter.
• Hong Kong West Kowloon to Foshan West: only two direct trains that day (three the other way), about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. Otherwise, change at Guangzhou South.
• Guilin West or Guilin North to Foshan West: about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Book on 12306, the official China Railway site with your passport. For help, see 12306 tickets for foreigners. Coming from Hong Kong, read Hong Kong to Guangzhou by high-speed train. Coming from the karst hills, see Guilin and Yangshuo.

Set up Alipay for foreigners before you fly. It also pays for metro rides.

Where should you stay in Foshan?

You can visit Foshan as a day trip from Guangzhou. If you stay, pick central Chancheng, near the Ancestral Temple and Lingnan Tiandi, for easy walking. For food, stay in Daliang in Shunde, near the Qinghui Garden.

Trips you can customise to include Foshan

None of our published routes includes Foshan yet. Each one below can be customised to add it, which makes the trip longer than the length shown:

• East to South China, 10 days: Shanghai, Yangshuo, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Foshan could be an extra day from Guangzhou.
• First-time China, 9 days: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. Guangzhou and Foshan could be added at the end.
• Grand China, 14 days: Foshan could be added after Yangshuo. From Guilin West or Guilin North, the fast train to Foshan West takes about 2 to 2.5 hours on board.
• See all our China tours.

LocalKey plans private trips for your own party only, at two levels under private China tours: Independent and Private Guided. On Independent, a local guide, a car and driver, and an airport pickup are optional add-ons on the days you choose.