Foshan,which"wasfoundedinJinDynastyandwasgiventhenameinTangDynasty",isafamousculturalcitywithalonghistory.AsearlyasinQin

　　andHandynasties,thiswasalreadyaconsiderableinhabitingvillageofpeopleengaginginagricultureandfishery.

　　AttheZhenguangSecondYearofTangDynasty(A.D.628),threeBuddhistfigurinesweredugoutatTapoganginthecity,hencethecitywasnamed

　　'Foshan'

　　IntheTangDynastyandSongDynasty,Foshanwasalreadyfamousforhandicraft,commerceandculture,whichwasanimportanttradeportin

　　SouthernChina.IntheMingDynastyandQingDynasty,itevolvedintoaneconomicallydevelopedtowninLingnanarea,whichtogetherwithHankou

　　TowninHubei,JingdeTowninJiangxiandZhuxianTowninHenanwerelistedasFourFamousTownsinChina.Itwasalsothebiggest

　　commoditiesterminal,listedasoneofthe¡掳FourTerminals¡卤(BeijinginNorth,FoshaninSouth,SuzhouinEastandHankouinWest).

　　AfterestablishmentofthePeople¡¯sRepublicofChina,theFoshanCity(ChanchengDistrict)wassetuponJanuary12,1951.In1958,theFoshan

　　AdministrativeRegionwasestablished,governing3citiesofFoshan,JiangmenandShijiand13countieslikeZhongshan.In1970FoshanAdminis-

　　trativeRegionwasrenamedFoshanPrefecture,governing14counties(cities);InJune1983thesystemofCityLeadingCounty(City)wasimple-

　　mented.Since1985,theareaunderadministrationwastotallytransferredintothePearlRiverDeltaEconomicOpenZone.

　　Foshanmainlyhasthenaturalsourcesofpotclay,rocks,glasssand,raremetalsandpoolfishes,rice,sugarcaneandvariousfruitsandflowersetc.

　　Foshanwasoneoftheancientfamouscities,wellknownathomeandabroadforitshandicraftindustry.Theexquisitefolk-artshavealonghistory,

　　whichissaidtostartfromMingDynasty,famousforitslocalstyles.

　　Foshanfolkartshaveuniquefeatures.Tensofartisticitemslikepaper-cut,bindingitem,colorlantern,Qiuse(includingpaperpuff,sculpture,engraving,

　　stickybrickandcastingproducts),woodNewYearpicturesandpaintingsandhandwritings,aremadewiththetechniquesofcutting,

　　engraving,puffing,sculpting,casting,paintingandsticking.TheFoshanfolkartsarepopularamongpeopleforitslocalstyles.

　　FoshanFolkArtsResearchAssociation,establishedin1956,isanorganizationdedicatedtoresearching,inheritinganddevelopingthetraditionalartsin

　　Foshan.ThetraditionalFoshanfolkartsareinheritedanddevelopedhere.IteverreceivedthePartyandStateleaders,foreignchiefsofstate,govern-

　　mentdelegation,famouspersonsandartistsforvisitingandculturalandartisticexchange,whohavegivenhighevaluationtoitsachievements.

　　Foryears,FoshanFolkArtsResearchAssociationhasheldartisticshowsofdifferentformsandscalesinAustralia,America,Europe,African,

　　South-eastAsia,HongKong-Macao-TaiwanRegion,partialdomesticprovincesandcitiesanddifferentareasinGuangdong.Ithasalsosenttechnolog-

　　iststotheUnitedStates,Japan,Australia,Holland,Malaysia,HongKongandMacaotoholdcircuitartisticseminarsorartisticperformances.

　　IntheceremonyofcelebratingHongKo