Nanhai District (simplified Chinese: 南海区; traditional Chinese: 南海區), is a district of Foshan, Guangdong, China. Its government is the first to have developed e-government informatization at the county level in China.

Establishment of Nanhai is traditionally attributed two brothers carrying their father's bowls in 1271. They were fleeing south from the Mongols on a bamboo raft when a violent storm shipwrecked them and broke all the bowls. The brothers settled down there and the position of the wreck is commemorated by a shrine. This area was named Broken Bowls Point.

On 15 February 1921, the eastern part of Nanhai County was ceded to the newly established City of Guangzhou which became part of what is now western part of Liwan. On 26 June 1951, Foshan Town (present Chancheng) was ceded to the newly established City of Foshan. Nanhai County was upgraded into a county-level city on 2 September 1992 until 8 December 2002 Nanhai was consolidated as a district of Foshan.

Nanhai was a county-level city until December 8, 2002, when it became a district of Foshan prefecture-level city.

Name	Chinese (S)	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)	Area (km)
Guicheng Subdistrict	桂城街道	Guìchéng Jiēdào	542,775	84.16
Lishui town	里水镇	Lǐshuǐ Zhèn	273,914	75.38
Jiujiang town	九江镇	Jiǔjiāng Zhèn	170,179	94.75
Danzao town	丹灶镇	Dānzào Zhèn	154,955	143.50
Dali town	大沥镇	Dàlì Zhèn	614,837	95.90
Shishan town	狮山镇	Shīshān Zhèn	610,514	330.60
Xiqiao town	西樵镇	Xiqiáo Zhèn	221,670	176.63

Nanhai was designated by the central government as a pilot city for e-government and informatization in 2001.

• Kang Tongbi
• Kang Youwei
• Lin Liang
• Wong Fei Hung
• Ip Man
• Tony Leung Ka-fai
• Antonio Ng
• Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan
• Zhan Tianyou
• Zhong Naixiong

• Nanhai Experimental High School
• Nenking Group

• Mango Kwan's site contains pictures and history (in Chinese)