bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Mark Sharp

Foshan, nicknamed “Guangzhou’s little brother”, is reputed for its cultural life. Besides its protected historical sites, ceramics and furniture shopping and nightlife, it’s also a proud cradle of kung fu. Wing chun grandmaster Ip Man was a Foshan native, as were the family of his most famous disciple, superstar Bruce Lee.
To get a local perspective on its potential for a 48-hour getaway from Hong Kong, I book a room on home rentals website Airbnb and jump on a bus for the 3½-hour ride.

Lecong furniture market
My Airbnb host Lisa (who has “Superhost” status due to many recommendations for hospitality) whisks me 20 minutes south over the Dongping Waterway to Lecong town, Shunde district, home of the world’s largest furniture market. One mall is appropriately named Lecong Furniture Kingdom.
It would take a month to visit the whole of furniture country, which stretches for tens of kilometres and pulls in visitors from around the world. It has so many gigantic malls – specialising in home, garden, office or hotel furniture – that there are hotels in Lecong catering solely to buyers. Visitors from South Asia and the Middle East are served by a string of restaurants on and around Lecong Avenue, including Best of India Curry Palace, Lotus Indian and some named only in Arabic script.
We visit one of the smaller malls – the multilevel Louvre International Furniture Exhibition Centre, which could swallow an Olympic-sized stadium. Endless corridors are packed with everything from slick European brands to artisanal Chinese furnishings.

Foshan Lingnan Tiandi
For dinner, head to Foshan Lingnan Tiandi, in the heart of old Foshan on Donghua Lane.
A quaint mix of old grey brick buildings with “wok-handle roofs” in the southern Chinese Lingnan style, and matching new buildings, Tiandi mixes traditional culture with a trendy nightlife. It has an old winery, a wedding hall that can be rented for traditional Lingnan nuptials, and a hall dedicated to wing chun, the kung fu technique developed in Foshan.

For a bit of spice I dine on the terrace at Yunnan Taste, in the shadow of the bell tower, with friendly waiting staff in traditional minority dress. I order fish with lime-chilli sauce, purple potatoes with sauce and a Yunnan Dai Beer. The fair-sized portion of cold river fish, shredded with raw greens, was spicy and tangy, but the sweet potatoes came with ketchup rather than sriracha. For 90 yuan it’s a bargain, though.
Across from Yunnan Taste is the seemingly popular Paddy Field Irish Bar and Restaurant. Staff speak English, and Filipino waiter Rocky attends to customers with live-wire enthusiasm and a pitch-perfect impersonation of Austin Powers: “Let’s do it, baby!”

Ancient Nanfeng Kiln
Day two begins with a breakfast of congee, noodles and choi sum at a basic siu sik deem. Then Lisa takes me to the Ancient Nanfeng Kiln and adjoining 1506 Creative City in Giaomiao Street, Shiwan town. The 500-year-old, long-bodied dragon kiln is China’s oldest and still in working condition. Although its historical value is beyond doubt, the real draw is the surrounding area of Creative City, with a ceramics museum, artists’ village and streets dedicated exclusively to shops selling reasonably priced antiques, art and ceramics in traditional and modern styles.

Visitors can wander through a warren of old narrow lanes, where you may stumble across a red-ribboned wishing tree and an old Lin family home. A peculiar decorative feature of 1506 is its man-made fountains of items such as toilets, pots and horse troughs.

Lunch beckons, and for modern Chinese cuisine we head back to Tiandi, where Lisa recommends Backstreet. The decor is whimsical, with rickshaw seating, white-painted birds in the rafters and touch screen menus. We dig into yellow fried croaker, Dragon Well Tea-infused pork ribs, roast goose and fried Chinese kale.
The goose is juicy, as is the pork, which is crispy on the outside, sweet and smoky from the tea.
Feeling full, we skip the novel desserts, though I have just enough room for an ice lolly milk tea.

Zumiao Museum
In the afternoon, head to the Zumiao Museum, a protected national tourist site across from Lingnan Tiandi. Dating from the Northern Song dynasty (960 to 1127), the old Taoist compound is the site of a well-preserved historical Confucian temple and ancestors’ hall.
Zumiao Museum also has a hall honouring Ip Man. On display are weapons used by kung fu practitioners, such as swords and staffs, and photos and a bust of Ip and his story. There are also DVD covers of films starring Ip’s famous disciple, Bruce Lee, whose family’s ancestral village is further south in Shunde district.

Shopping
Cultured out, I check out the large malls near the Zumiao underground station as night falls, and find the surrounding shops have better quality everyday clothing and sportswear. One of the largest centres is A11 Shopping Mall, with an uninspiring retail mix of Apple products, a Starbucks, cheap kids’ clothes and massage chairs, a gold shop and plastic surgery practice. Next door, a blue glass skyscraper with a ball on top and no English name is better organised, with Men’s World, Women’s World and electronic products floors. The brands are local and appear to be copycats of expensive Westerns labels.
For dinner I head to Nha Trang in Tiandi for Vietnamese food. Its small, battery-powered table-top lamps are handy for reading the menu and waving about to attract the friendly but inattentive waiters.
The pho with thin slices of beef are big enough for two, but too salty. The prawn toast hits the spot for its oven-fresh baguette slices and a mashed prawn spread toasted lightly on top.
If I’d had another day, I’d have tried Hwa Hwa Korea BBQ, which has “beer and fried chicken time” starting at 8pm, and Tan Yu Charcoal Grilled Fish, which has funky decor and a long queue. But with just 48 hours, I feel I’ve managed to get a taste of Foshan’s charms.
The next morning Lisa and I have a farewell dim sum breakfast, then she drops me off at the bus pick-up. With a hug and a handshake, I thank Lisa for looking after me and promise to add my own Airbnb recommendation to her already long list.
Getting there
Several bus services run from Hong Kong airport (hongkongairport.com). Trains (it3.mtr.com.hk) also depart daily from Hung Hom, but this involves changing trains at Zhaoqing.
Where to stay
There are plenty of hotels to choose from. The Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi (marcopolohotels.com) and
Hotel Fortuna (hotelfortuna.com.cn) are both in handy locations.

Bruce Lee Paradise
There are several sites dedicated to kung fu and wing chun grandmaster Ip Man in the heart of Foshan city. However, those searching for the real Bruce Lee experience should venture farther south, to Shunde district.
In Junan town, over an hour from the centre by taxi, is Bruce Lee country. Here you’ll find a former ecology park rebranded as Bruce Lee Paradise, which is an area of natural beauty with mountains and lakes. Inside the entrance is a statue of Lee, similar in stance but much larger than the one on Hong Kong’s Avenue of Stars. The park also has a Bruce Lee Commemorative Museum.
Ten rooms in this 3,000 square metre, grey-brick building cover 10 “chapters” of Lee’s life, including stories of the star’s Shunde roots, his martial arts philosophy, struggles and the stages of his film career. His remarkable story, in Chinese and English, is brought to life with numerous rare photos.
Also in Junan is Shang village, the location of the Lee family’s ancestral village.
Lee spent most of his life in Hong Kong and the United States, where he was born, and lived for only a short time in Shang, but his memory is kept alive here. It has a Lee ancestral hall and also the home built by Lee’s father. It’s a humble brick home with photos of the star hanging on the walls, a wooden kung fu fighting dummy in one corner and an incense burner table.


How to spend 48 hours in Foshan, city of ceramics and kung fu legends Bruce Lee and Ip Man 

This image shows ceramic figurines of Bruce Lee in a shop at 1506 Creative City in Foshan Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows a toilet wall waterfall, in 1506 Creative City, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows Lisa, an Air BNB host in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows a photo of Ip Man hangs on the wall of the Ip Man Tong in the Zumiao Musuem, Chancheng district, Foshan Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows Foshan Lingnan Tiandi, a historic area, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows a ice lolly milk tea in Backstreet restaurant in Foshan Lingnan Tiandi, a historic area in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows furniture in a shop Louvre, in the 'Louvre International Furniture Expo Centre' in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows a porcelain shop 1506 Creative City, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

This image shows the Bruce Lee statue, at the Bruce Lee Paradise in Shunde, Guangdong Province, China on November. [ONLINE]

This image shows a chimney in a 'Nanfeng Ancient Kiln', part of 1506 Creative City, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China on November 11, 2015. [ONLINE]

The entrance of the Ip Man Tong in the Zumiao Museum, Foshan

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

‘Guangzhou’s little brother’ makes a great short getaway for Hongkongers. Mark Sharp gets on the trail of two martial arts legends and takes in the nightlife, a toilet waterfall and the world’s biggest furniture market


Asia travel

Bruce Lee