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Foshan Tourist Guide (March
2010)
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Shopping |
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Introduction
Culture
City Tour
City
Districts
Regional
Attractions
Sample
Day at Dong Jian
Shopping - This Page
Kung Fu
Zoos,
Water and Theme Parks, Museums
Where to Shop:
Bai Hua
In the main shopping plazas you will find all the famous
international brands, and if this is what you want to
see, then please enjoy. I would prefer to show you the
real China, the real people, the local communities,
and street markets that literally buzz with humanity
- come with me and haggle with a market trader over
the price of an orange, or let us choose a live fish
from one of the many fish tanks for our dinner.
The main shopping centre is Baihau Plaza (Ba Far in
Cantonese), and this is the green building with a ball
on top. Set to the side is a smaller and busier Chinese
mall that specialises in clothes and shoes. Prices here
are very reasonable and the array of offerings admirable.
Expect to haggle with the traders, but not too much.
Outside are several other malls within a minutes walk,
although some may not be obvious until you enter Crossing
Zumiao Road here and bearing right will bring you to
a pavement of high street shops. Bai Hua also features:
MacDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut; all set around the
same interchange.
Dong Jian
The other main shopping area is centred around Dong
Jian Century Plaza on Jia Hua 5 Road. This is OK and
has a restaurant occupying the top floor (Normal for
Chinese malls). This mall also has toilets on the ground
floor, set towards the rear and left a bit. There is
a Western style WC in the associated KFC for those that
prefer a little comfort.
If you were to stand facing KFC, then on your right
is a busy sideroad which is crossed bring you to a China
Unicom mobile phone shop. This is one of the few places
you can obtain China Unicom top-up cards; as Foshan
mainly uses China Mobile, whose shops are everywhere.
Continue a few yards up this road and you will see the
Bank of China on your left. This has one of the most
reliable international ATM machines in Foshan. If you
have a visa card that does not work in most Chinese
ATM's then the middle machine is the one you want. However,
please note it is usually out of order between 10 and
11 each morning due to servicing and topping up with
cash. If your card is not so pedantic, then the right-hand
machine should work for you, as will ATM's of ICBC.
You are now adjacent to a very busy crossroads, and
one of the best places to catch a taxi during rush hours.
Opposite the Bank of China is a small private hospital
that is excellent. Some of the staff speak English to
enough of a degree, and Doctors are readily to hand.
I don't recall there being a consultation fee, but expect
to be taken to their pharmacy to purchase medications
for your treatment. Injections are administered intravenously
via a drip, and this can take a while - but is excellent
for your body. You really don't want to go anywhere
near a major Chinese hospital without a Chinese friend
and a lot of time to kill.
Next to this hospital is a doorway, being the entrance
to a Chinese hotel. Rooms are very adequate although
basic, and prices very cheap. Another 100 yards further
along this road brings you to the Kingdom Hotel, which
is a lot higher class. This road is also lined with
restaurants, some of which are described elsewhere on
this page. At the southern end of this block is a RBT
restaurant - a sort of trendy bar thingymagig. On your
left and across a block is the red light district. Authorities
run purges from time to time, the locations and girls
change, but it carries on regardless. Carrying straight
onwards brings you to more restaurants, one of which
is notable for excellent fish. Bear right and walk down
a bit of a boring road. The next interchange features
two good restaurants on your right, and street bars
across the road and left. These open around 5pm. If
you duck down the obliquely set alleyway of a China
Town, then the other end brings you out into another
streetbar area.
Head right from here, back towards the main road. on
your left is a large and tranquil park. The right side
features many restaurants, most of which are open late
or very late at night. You can complete this block by
turning right again, which brings you back to the small
private hospital. On your left is a large mall featuring
all manner of electrical appliances, and is hosted by
Suning Group. Internally this block is made from a warren
of interconnecting streets, and is quite safe to enter
- although expect locals to stare at you. There is an
excellent wet market here, many more local style eateries
of questionable hygiene standards, and I am told, rooms
available for Y400 per month. Second-hand furniture
sales are also located in some of the garages hereabout.
Lets continue our tour by heading back to the pedestrian
walkway near KFC.
Opposite we arrive outside the main bus stop which fronts
a Chinese supermarket called 'Gwi Wah Fo' Chong' in
Cantonese. This is the local landmark everybody knows.
The ground floor is dedicated to food sales, whilst
upstairs (Up a ramp) is clothing, household items and
consumer electronics. The exit of the supermarket leads
you into an area of perfumeries, and outside, across
the road is another modern mall featuring goods by the
very top international brands (Gucci etc). Underneath
is a Hong Kong supermarket called Park n Shop. The entrance
is an escalator set to the front of the building near
Starbuck's and Pizza Hut.
If you were to exit the Chinese supermarket and turn
right, then this would bring you to 'Superline', another
mall featuring cheap clothes and related items. It is
well worth a visit, especially if you are looking for
quality at sensible prices. However, do not rely on
the label to judge any sizes, as often these goods are
slightly flawed seconds, the major season being they
have the wrong size label on them.
Outside is a MacDonald's with another Bank of China
located nearby. Foshan's largest English School is located
in the street opposite, and you will need to find a
place to cross the busy main road if this is your target.
Again, across this road and right a little is a great
shop selling genuine Chinese souvenirs. Adjacent to
Superline is a square, the other side of which is a
reasonable and cheap 'Chinglish' restaurant called Golden
Sun. A little further along is the Golden Lake Hotel.
The small square itself leads to a bridge which is renowned
as a lovers paradise. If a couple walk across this bridge
three times at consecutive National Day celebrations,
then their wedding will be blessed. On the other side
is the main China Telecom building for this area (Landlines
and internet), however, be careful here, as Chinese
internet here of the 4MB speed is actually 4 x 1Mb outlets
ideal for a small office, and not one dedicated 4Mb
connection. Behind this is a very large wet market with
excellent reputation.
Let's retrace out steps back to the Chinese supermarket
on Jia Hua 5 Road, and reaching the pedestrian walkway,
continue walking away from Park n Shop (Do not re-cross
the road). Crossing a small road junction that also
leads to Superline, passed a bank with interesting lions
no Chinese understand the meaning of, you will meet
an area set back slightly from the main road. The first
alleyway leads to another wet market behind, but you
need to know which stalls to go to in this one. However,
they do sell beef here, which can be rare in Canton.
Without venturing into the wet market, the first door
will have a few girls hanging around, and the stairs
lead up to a very large and nice Hair-Washey and massage
centre. Girl Number 51 is excellent, although number
21 is also pretty damn good.
Outside there are a very streetbar's that used to be
very busy before the main road was upgraded. These are
missable, except for the far end where there is a stall
in the wall selling Chinese 'Ham-bo-ba's'. This is Xi'an
cuisine associated with the restaurant above. However,
for Y5, the Donkey kebab is truly excellent, with a
little coriander and chilli sauce. Other meats available
are pork and beef, but the Donkey is the one to have,
and is red meat in colour out of a package in the refrigerator.
Continue along this road, but there really isn't much
to see unless you fancy visiting the Mongolian style
restaurant which is bright orange and green. A great
eating experience, but expensive if done correctly.
At the end of this block and just around the corner
is a hole in the wall with escalators that don't work.
At the top of the steps is an English language school,
and further inside (Trust me on this one), is an excellent
printing company. I get my business cards printed here,
and 300 cost around Y100, with collection 1-hour later!
This are full colour with picture, bi-lingual, and produced
by me in a normal word document. There are cheaper options
of course, but the 1-hour does it for me every time.
If you are not interested in business cards or other
printing services, then you will not the main road has
disappeared into an underpass. Opposite are silver domes
erected for the Guangzhou Asia Games 2010. Not your
thing either? Then cross right to the newly completed
Wallmart. This is another very large supermarket and
worth a visit, although their stocks of truly Western
produce appear to fluctuate on a whim. Their Pizza at
Y4 for a very large slice is very good value. This is
slowly becoming a shopping mall also, and yet another
KFC is already open and very busy. MacDonald's will
open here soon also. The goods sold in shops here is
probably of higher standard in general than Dong Jian,
but lower than the Park n Shop mall retail stores.
We are almost full circle now, so permit me a little
indulgence of these streets I know so very well. The
main road here is now called Lingnan Dong Lu, although
everybody still calls it 'Dai Fut Lo'. Walk the short
block below where I used to live, and take the first
sidestreet on your right, called Fu Hua Lu in Mandarin.
The modern political capital building of Foshan is opposite,
and whilst the first block of this street is a tad boring.
It is a short distance however. The first street on
your left leads to The Rose Garden, a complex of vaguely
interlinked quality housing, and the very best upscale
wet market in Foshan. However, continue ahead and pass
Wallmart multi-storey car park on your right. You will
see a few retail outlets set as very small local shops
here. The one in the middle is a very talented seamstress
who we have purchased business suits for both men and
women from on several occasions. Her prices are very
fair, with a ladies business suit complete with both
skirt and trouser alternatives + two blouses, all made
to measure; coming in at around Y800. She doesn't speak
English, but is very good at what she does. She will
walk with you to a proprietary shop nearby so you can
show her the designs you want her to make for you. Allow
1-week for completion, with a fitting scheduled somewhere
in between.
Standing outside at the road junction, you are facing
the Snake restaurant, with the red light district to
your left. Let's turn right here and cross the road.
On the first corner is a DVD shop that sells good quality
DVD's and similar discs. Expect to pay Y7 for most items,
and look out for special value packs. One of the staff
may try to load the price, so settle for what you are
happy paying as fair. You can check DVD's before purchase,
and return them for another disc or full refund if they
won't play on your own machine. Nearly all Chinese DVD's
etc, and multi-regional and play on any machine anywhere
in the world.
Heading onwards you will pass a couple of car-washey's,
and turning left at the major road, find a 24 hour China
Telecom top-up card machine. If you try and top-up your
phone yourself, then press 2 at first question for English
language, and follow the prompts. Press '1 + hash' to
top up your own phone, as this is not quite clear, and
saves you having to enter your phone's own number. These
machines accept Chinese notes in denominations of Y30,
Y50, Y100, and Y300.
Continuing along this road brings you back to Dong
Jian Century Plaza, whilst bearing left at the end of
the block takes you past another 'Hair-Washey' and a
couple of vaguely Thai restaurants. Continue walking
to the end of the short block, and facing the Agricultural
Bank of China (One of China's best banks, and the one
that does Western Union incoming only, look left and
find a welcome at Martino's proper Western restaurant.
Chill with a draught beer, or have Guinness or cider
from bottles and cans. The owner is Bill, a Canadian
Chinese bear of a man, and very hospitable. He will
cook you anything regardless of the menu, although you
may need to pre-order some specialty dishes. This closes
at 2am, and has a multi-channel TV, video, and music
system. However, it is renowned for a relaxing ambience
and comfortable couches.
Almost opposite is a very small Chinese Moslem
restaurant. These people are open 24/7, and are distinguished
by wearing small white hats. Whilst communication resorts
to quite basic levels, they are welcoming and have pictures
of virtually all their main dishes plastered around
the walls. I usually go for the Chinese 'Ham-bo-bah'
late at night, and to order this simply describe a circle
with your finger - they will understand. One of their
dishes featured on the wall is actually a most excellent
doner meat, but I never worked out just how to get them
to put this into the kebab. Hey-ho!
If you just walked the above in one day, then the major
locations listed above may just come to 3-miles, excepting
shopping. I would allow one full day to do all this,
beginning at Dong Jian Century Plaza and crossing towards
superline for lunch at the Golden Sun. I would head
back for dinner (6pm) at Martino's, before exploring
the other options for evening entertainment listed previously.
Jusco
Jusco is the name of the very best Western supermarket
in Foshan, which is a one-stop for virtually everything
you may need to purchase. It is also a mall, and centre
for another of Foshan's shopping extravaganza's. There
are actually two Jusco's in Foshan, and this one is
located just inside Nanhai district, fairly near the
Foshan main bus and railway stations.
Adjacent is Tour Mall, which is another shopping extravaganza,
and behind is one of Foshan's best KTV complexes = head
down the alleyway and covered streetmarket thingymagig.
Opposite Jusco's main entrance it a traditionally fronted
Chinese Mall. This is home to thousands of restaurants
featuring different flavours of Chinese cuisine, and
those from other Asian climbs such as Vietnam. If you
have never before witnessed a shopping centre comprised
only of restaurants, then this will blow your mind!
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This information is as supplied by China Expats and
our friends, as dated 10th July 2010, and/or other reliable
sources. Please check this information yourself as it
may alter without notice, and whilst we try our best
to ensure it is correct, please do not hold us responsible
for any errors - this is intended as a simple guide
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