Foshan,which "was founded in Jin Dynasty and was given the name in Tang Dynasty ",is a famous cultural city with a long history.As early as in Qin
and Han dynasties,this was already a considerable inhabiting village of people engaging in agriculture and fishery.
At the Zhenguang Second Year of Tang Dynasty (A.D.628),three Buddhist figurines were dug out at Tapogang in the city,hence the city was named
'Foshan'
In the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty,Foshan was already famous for handicraft,commerce and culture,which was an important trade port in
Southern China.In the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty,it evolved into an economically developed town in Lingnan area,which together with Hankou
Town in Hubei,Jingde Town in Jiangxi and Zhuxian Town in Henan were listed as Four Famous Towns in China.It was also the biggest
commodities terminal,listed as one of the ¡擄Four Terminals¡鹵 (Beijing in North,Foshan in South,Suzhou in East and Hankou in West).
After establishment of the People¡¯s Republic of China,the Foshan City (Chancheng District) was set up on January 12,1951.In 1958,the Foshan
Administrative Region was established,governing 3 cities of Foshan,Jiangmen and Shiji and 13 counties like Zhongshan.In 1970 Foshan Adminis-
trative Region was renamed Foshan Prefecture,governing 14 counties (cities); In June 1983 the system of City Leading County (City) was imple-
mented.Since 1985,the area under administration was totally transferred into the Pearl River Delta Economic Open Zone.
Foshan mainly has the natural sources of pot clay,rocks,glass sand,rare metals and pool fishes,rice,sugar cane and various fruits and flowers etc.
Foshan was one of the ancient famous cities,well known at home and abroad for its handicraft industry.The exquisite folk-arts have a long history,
which is said to start from Ming Dynasty,famous for its local styles.
Foshan folk arts have unique features.Tens of artistic items like paper-cut,binding item,color lantern,Qiuse (including paper puff,sculpture,engraving,
sticky brick and casting products),wood New Year pictures and paintings and handwritings,are made with the techniques of cutting,
engraving,puffing,sculpting,casting,painting and sticking.The Foshan folk arts are popular among people for its local styles.
Foshan Folk Arts Research Association,established in 1956,is an organization dedicated to researching,inheriting and developing the traditional arts in
Foshan.The traditional Foshan folk arts are inherited and developed here.It ever received the Party and State leaders,foreign chiefs of state,govern-
ment delegation,famous persons and artists for visiting and cultural and artistic exchange,who have given high evaluation to its achievements.
For years,Foshan Folk Arts Research Association has held artistic shows of different forms and scales in Australia,America,Europe,African,
South-east Asia,Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan Region,partial domestic provinces and cities and different areas in Guangdong.It has also sent technolog-
ists to the United States,Japan,Australia,Holland,Malaysia,Hong Kong and Macao to hold circuit artistic seminars or artistic performances.
In the ceremony of celebrating Hong Kong Back to China in
1997,the Foshan Folk Arts Research Association designed and made the largest color binding flower boat (16m long,5m wide and 10m high) in the
history and other color lanterns and color dragons etc,which become the focus in the ceremony of Hong Kong Back to China with intense folk
features.The color dragon designed and made by this Association was listed into Guinness World Record.
For celebrating the arrival of the year 2000,the Hong Kong SAR Government held the large lantern show named ¡擄Flying Dragon Celebrating Millennium¡鹵,
where more than 2000 sets of color lanterns were designed and made by our Association,of which the flying dragon was 280m long,14m high,occup-
ying 4800 square meters,which was listed into Guinness World Record as the largest lantern in the world.
In the Spring Festival 2000,the Guangzhou Municipal Government held the large lantern joint performance named ¡擄New Millennium Flying Dragon
Celebration in Pearl River¡鹵 at the Pearl River in Guangzhou.For this activity,the Foshan Folk Arts Research Association designed and made 38 color
binding boats (each 16m long,5m wide and 5m high),floating on Pearl River for 5km,praised by the media as the tour de force in the whole history
of the Pearl River.
In Foshan traditional lantern color binding artistic articles,there are three items listed into Guinness World Record.
The Foshan Folk Arts Research Association is an open unit,with an artistic item exhibiting mall of more than 1600 square meters,where
colorful Foshan folk artistic items and the traditional artistic items from other areas in the country are exhibited for the domestic and overseas visitors.
Here the visitors may also appreciate the performance of techniques for making Foshan folk artist items.It brings artistic enjoyment to the visitors to
enhance the cultural and artistic exchange and the friendships between the people from different countries in the world.