Guangzhou-Foshan Lion Dance Cultural Immersion Tour

When you arrive in Guangzhou, our staff will greet you and take you to your downtown hotel to check in. En route, your tour guide will walk you through the trip itinerary. If you have any questions or special requests, please feel free to consult your tour guide or our travel consultant at any time.

In the afternoon, head to Canton Tower and ride the 460-meter Ferris wheel. As the gondola glides slowly, overlook the city views on both sides of the Pearl River and watch the stunning sunset glow fill the sky at dusk. In the evening, walk to Yongqingfang and wander the historic Xiguan Arcade Streets, where you can see the beauty of Lingnan architecture with Manchu windows and wok-ear gables. Visit Bruce Lee's former residence, soak in the new vibrancy of old Xiguan under the twinkling lights, and experience authentic Cantonese nightlife.

The Ferris wheel of Canton Tower

Your Journey's Rewards:

Admire the landmark night view of Guangzhou, encounter the beauty of Lingnan architecture, feel the new charm of old Xiguan, and immerse in the lively Cantonese life and urban vitality.

Educational Focus:

Why can the arcade buildings in Yongqingfang become a classic representative of Lingnan dwellings?

Takeaway:

Arcades combine Lingnan's climatic features with Chinese and Western architectural styles. The colonnade design provides shade and shelter from rain, adapting to the rainy southern climate. Manchu windows and wok-ear gables stand out as classic Cantonese architectural features, paired with the practical design of Western arcades. Restoring old buildings to their original look preserves Xiguan's historical character, letting these ancient structures serve new living and business purposes and making them a Lingnan model for balancing use and beauty, heritage and innovation.

Thoughts Challenge:

How to balance the historical heritage and modern living needs in the protection and revitalization of old buildings?

Head to Sacred Heart Cathedral to appreciate the architectural beauty of one of the world's four all-stone Gothic churches and see the gorgeous light and shadow as sunlight filters through the stained glass. Afterward, visit the Chen Clan Hall, admire exquisite Lingnan decorative arts like brick carving, wood carving and pottery sculpture, learn the folk stories behind these artworks via the interpreter, and experience the cultural depth of Qing Dynasty Lingnan ancestral halls.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Chen Clan Hall

Stroll along Shamian Island, visit Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Museum and other colonial European-style buildings, and experience the blend of exotic charm and local Cantonese life beneath the thick banyan trees. In the evening, travel to Foshan by coach for a 1-hour drive. Upon arrival, check into your local hotel and take a short break, then you can explore Chancheng's old town to taste Foshan's special desserts such as double-skin milk and ginger curd.

Shamian Island

Your Journey's Rewards:

Discover Foshan lion dance's roots, watch real southern lion stunts, feel Lingnan folk customs blend with modern life.

Educational Focus:

Why can the lion dance performances at Foshan Ancestral Temple become the core representative of southern lion dance culture?

Takeaway:

Foshan is the birthplace of southern lion dance. Authentic southern lion skills shine in the Ancestral Temple's lion dance shows. Plum blossom pile climbing and green plucking reveal its vigor and agility, and it blends deeply with Lingnan martial arts, holding both visual and cultural worth. As Foshan's cultural landmark, the temple passes down these shows through generations, acting as a key platform to show and spread southern lion culture, fully preserving and carrying forward its skills and core meaning.

Thoughts Challenge:

How to balance the original skills and innovative expression in southern lion dance inheritance?

Head to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall of Foshan Museum, visit the "Dragon and Lion Dance" themed exhibition area, and learn about the origin and development of Foshan lion dance via the 18-meter colorful dragon and multimedia interactive exhibits. You can also experience the Autumn Pageant via panoramic projection, feel the lively vibe of Lingnan folk customs, and gain a full understanding of the cultural essence of Foshan lion dance.

Head to Foshan Ancestral Temple, arrive early for the lion dance performance, watch the amazing stunts of southern lions climbing plum blossom piles and performing the green plucking, and admire the vigor and agility of the southern lion. Visit the ancient structures including Wanfu Stage and Lingying Archway in the temple, and visit the Wong Fei-hung Memorial Hall. Then head to Lingnan Tiandi, wander among the cultural and creative shops and taste Cantonese food in the restored historical arcades, and experience the blend of Lingnan style and trendy life.

Foshan Ancestral Temple

Lion dance performance

Your Journey's Rewards:

Get to know Foshan lion dance's origins, see real Southern Lion tricks, feel how Lingnan folk customs mix with modern life, and enjoy the Ancestral Temple's ancient architectural charm.

Educational Focus:

Why can lion dance performances at the Foshan Ancestral Temple become the core representative of Southern Lion culture?

Takeaway:

Foshan is the birthplace of the Southern Lion Dance. The lion dance performances at the Ancestral Temple integrate authentic Southern Lion Dance techniques. Stunts like climbing plum blossom piles and green plucking show the characteristics of the Southern Lion Dance, vigorous and agile. It's deeply combined with Lingnan martial arts, with both ornamental and cultural value. As a cultural landmark of Foshan, the Ancestral Temple has kept lion dance performances passed down from generation to generation, becoming an important platform for the display and spread of Southern Lion culture, and also keeping its techniques and cultural connotations fully preserved and carried forward.

Thoughts Challenge:

How to balance original authenticity and innovative expression in Southern Lion dance technique inheritance?

Head to Zhangcha Liantang Dragon and Lion Dance Training Base, visit the training hall and watch the exciting daily training of the professional lion dance team. Listen to explanations about the origin legend of the Southern Lion's "Three-Star Lion" and the meanings of the colors and patterns on lion heads. You can also get up close to gongs, drums and lion head props, and experience the dancers' daily training and their perseverance in inheriting this intangible cultural heritage.

Visit Li Wanzhen's Studio, and under the one-on-one guidance of the inheritor of Li Family Lion (an intangible cultural heritage), experience the "painting" and "assembling" steps of making miniature lion heads. Paste patterns and attach whiskers to create your own unique intangible cultural heritage handicraft . In the evening, go to the Kung Fu Night Market: wander the intangible cultural heritage fair, taste Foshan's local snacks, and watch street kung fu and lion dance flash mobs, fully immersing yourself in Foshan's kung fu and lion dance culture.

Exquisite lion heads

Your Journey's Rewards:

Visit the dragon and lion dance training base, learn the legend of the Three-Star Lion, experience lion head making processes, and appreciate the blended charm of Foshan kung fu and lion dance.

Educational Focus:

Why is Li Family Lion head making a distinctive intangible cultural heritage craft of Lingnan?

Takeaway:

The "painting" and "assembling" processes of Li Family Lion head making have strict and unique technical requirements. Material selection, pattern pasting and whisker attaching all need exquisite craftsmanship. The colors and patterns of lion heads carry the cultural connotations of southern lion dance and serve as an important carrier of Lingnan lion dance culture. Passed down through generations, this craft retains the essence of traditional handcrafts with no mechanical replacement, and is a precious achievement of Lingnan folk handcrafts, thus becoming an intangible cultural heritage craft.

Thoughts Challenge:

How to protect the uniqueness and vitality of purely handcrafted intangible cultural heritage in a fast-paced life?

On the trip's last day, have breakfast at your hotel, pack up and check out after. We'll take you to the airport or high-speed rail station as planned, ending your Lingnan Dragon and Lion Dance Culture Tour. You'll head back home with plenty of intangible cultural heritage experiences and wonderful memories