Sanshui, Foshan

Sanshui District, formerly romanized as Samshui, is an urban district of the prefecture-level city of Foshan in Guangdong province, China. It had a population of 803,226 as of the 2020 census. It is known for the "Samsui women", emigrants who labour in Singapore, and for a large fireworks explosion in 2008.

According to archaeology sites discovered within the region, there were human beings inhabited in the today town of Baini (白坭鎮) Sanshui District about four thousand years ago. Sanshui County was established in the fifth year of Jiajing (1526) in the Ming Dynasty. It was temporarily merged into Nanhai County in 1959, revoked and restored in 1960, and reorganized into a county-level city in 1993. In 2002, it was reorganized into a district and belonged to Foshan City.

In February 2008, twenty fireworks warehouses exploded in Sanshui. In total, over 15,000 cartons of fireworks were set off over a period of 24 hours. The loss of inventory was extensive enough that U.S. markets faced real shortages of supply.

The neighbouring cities, counties and districts are Gaoyao, Dinghu District and Sihui in the west, Qingxin County and Qingyuan in the north, Huadu District and Nanhai District in the east and Gaoming District in the south-west. Sanshui administers 2 subdistricts and 5 towns:

Oil, coal, and slate are found in the surrounding area. However, Sanshui is also an important producer of food for Guangdong Province, especially fruit. The mainstay of the former city's economy was the Jianlibao Company, which produced a soft drink made from oranges and honey.

The Budweiser Foshan Production Base in Sanshui District is a key AB InBev brewing facility in China. Established in the early 2000s, this modern brewery produces Budweiser products for the South China market. It represents significant foreign investment in the region, provides local employment, and contributes substantially to Sanshui's industrial economy.

The Red Bull Sanshui Factory manufactures the popular energy drink for distribution throughout southern China. This modern facility has created local jobs and strengthened Sanshui's position in the beverage manufacturing sector. As a prominent international brand operating in the district, Red Bull has contributed to Sanshui's economic development and industrial diversification.

While Sanshui District is geographically integrated within the Greater Bay Area region, its wage levels remain moderate compared to core urban centers. According to the 2024 Guangdong Provincial Minimum Wage Standards (粤人社规[2023]25号), Foshan's monthly minimum wage stands at 1,900 RMB (Class II area), with hourly rates at 18.1 RMB for non-full-time employment.