Shenyang Travel Guide & Tours
Brief Introduction to Shenyang
Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province, about 500 miles north of Beijing. The city used to be known as Mukden, a name used by the Tartar people who once ruled the area. It has a history of more than 3,000 years. When the Manchurians seized Beijing in 1644 and established the Qing dynasty with Beijing as its capital, Mukden became its secondary capital and remained so far 350 years. Now it covers an area of 13,007 square kilometers and with a population of 6.73 million. It consists of Heping District, Shenhe District, Dadong District, Huanggu District, Sujiatun District and Xinchengzi District; Xinmin city at county level, Liaozhong County, Kangping County and Faku County.
It has many cultural relics. The most famous of these is the Shenyang Imperial Palace, in the extent of its preservation Fuling Tomb and Zhaoling Tomb are two other famous imperial structures of the Qing Dynasty.
The Imperial Palace in Shenyang is of great historic and artistic significance and second only to the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is now a museum, displaying historical artifacts of the Qing Dynasty. At one time it served as the Imperial Palace of Emperors Nu Er Ha Chi and Huang Tai Ji. It covers an area of 15 acres, with 300 rooms in 70 buildings, dispersed in a dozen courtyards. Zhaoling Tomb (The Bei Ling, Northern Imperial Tomb) to the north of Shenyang was built in 1643. It covers an area of 1,113 acres, where Emperor Shunzhi's father, Huang Tai Ji, and mother, Bo Er Ji Ji, were buried. Once the exclusive domain of the Imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, it is now a magnificent public park. To the east, Fuling Tomb (Eastern Imperial Tomb, the Dong Ling) is where the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Nu Er Ha Chi, and his wife were buried. The grounds are pleasant and attractive, with flowers, shrubs, and many ancient trees.
Today Shenyang is one of China's major industrial centers owing to the rich deposits of coal, petroleum, iron ore and nonferrous ore throughout Liaoning Province. It has built up an all-inclusive comprehensive industrial system comprising machine-building as chief branch, metallurgy, light industry and textiles, electronics, building materials, foodstuff etc. Shenyang is the large concentration and distribution center for goods and materials in North-East China.
Shenyang can provide good lodging, dining, recreation and transportation for tourists from all over the world. Altogether there are five five-star hotels in Shenyang, and the service and facilities of the other star-rated hotels in the city are all good enough to make you feel at home. In addition, you can find less expensive accommodations at local universities and hostels. Famous traditional dishes and snacks will definitely make your mouth water. And there are plenty of pubs, cafes, KTVs (karaoke bars), and tea houses available to meet your food and entertainment needs. It is key communication hub of railways as well as road transport center in Liaoning Province. It has the biggest civil airport on North-East China, providing regular air service to over 40 cities at home and abroad. A visit to Shenyang must be both entertaining and relaxing.
As the host city of the 2006 International Horticultural Exposition and venue for the football (soccer) matches of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Shenyang will soon be the focus of world-wide attention.
