Shenyang Shenyang Stellation Category="Cities in Liaoning"Category="Prefecture-level divisions of Liaoning"Category="Subprovincial cities"[image] [image] [image] [image] Shenyang (Simplified Chinese: 沈阳; Traditional Chinese: 瀋陽; Pinyin: Shěnyáng) is the capital of Liaoning province in China. It is a Sub-provincial city with a population of 7.2 million.

History

In the 12th century, Shenyang was one of the three capitals of the empire of the Jin Dynasty (Golden Empire).

In 1625 the Manchu leader Nurhaci moved his capital to Shenyang. It was renamed to Shengjing (in Chinese, 盛京) in 1634. Shenyang remained the capital of the Qing Dynasty until the overthrow of the Ming dynasty, and relocation of the capital to Beijing in 1644. However, it retained considerable prestige as the older capital, treasures of the royal house were kept at its palaces, and the tombs of the early Qing rulers were once among the most famous monuments in China.

In 1657 Shenyang was renamed Fengtianfu (奉天府/Mukden in Manchu) it changed back to its old name Shenyang in 1914.

During the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), there was a Japanese victory at Shenyang on February 19-March 10, 1905.

The Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931), which gave the Japanese an impetus to create the Manchukuo state in Manchuria, took place near Shenyang.

During the Manchukuo era (1932-1945) the city was called Fengtian again.

Soviet forces occupies Shenyang in early August 1945. The Soviets were replaced by the Nationalist Chinese on the surrender of Japan. During the Chinese Civil War, Shenyang was a Kuomintang stronghold from 1946-1948. It was captured by the Communist Chinese on October 30 1948.

Since 1949, Shenyang has developed into a major industrial center.

Districts and zones

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Farming and mining.

Tourism

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Heping District (和平区 Hépíng Qū) (downtown)

The downtown Heping district has all manner of businesses that are brightly lit by neon at night.

At the center of the district, is the famous Zhongshan Square, featuring one of China's largest statues of Chairman Mao. To this day, flowers are still placed around a large statue of Chairman Mao around the holidays.

Heping district also contains the Liaoning Provincial Museum.

Dadong District (大东区 Dàdōng Qū) (northeast of downtown)

Dadong District is the home of the 9.18 Museum and the Northern Pagoda. It is the largest district of the urban Shenyang city area.

Shopping districts

There are several shopping districts in Shenyang. [image] One of the districts features western-style shopping and dining, including Walmart, a Pizza Hut (that is very different from those located in America, because it has an upscale interior design and a large staff), consumer electronics stores, and a number of large, multi-story department stores selling products from around the world.

Another district features a large multi-story center with hundreds of mini or boutique stores that open very early in the morning and close in the early afternoon.

Huanggu district (皇姑区 Huánggū Qū) (directly north of downtown)

[image] Huanggu district is the site of the large, historical tomb of Hong Taiji (of the Qing Dynasty), called Beiling park. The park covers an area of 3,300,000 sq. meters, and is serviced by trams for visitors who do not wish to (or cannot) traverse the length of the park.

Huanggu district also hosts the Liaoning Mansion Hotel.

Shenhe District (沈河区 Shĕnhé Qū) (east of downtown)

Mukden Palace, a former imperial palace of the Qing emperors, now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Zhang Zuolin's former home and headquarter, Shengjing Ancient Cultural Street, and Gloria Plaza.

Tiexi District (铁西区 Tǐexī Qū) (west side)

This mixed-use district contains large blocks of residential complexes, as well as strips of small to medium-sized shopping. It recently featured in a documentary called West of the Tracks (the literal meaning of Tiexi) by the young filmmaker Wang Bing .

Tiexi is also home to the Shenyang Economic and Technological Development Area, a state-level development zone. This new development area combined with Tiexi District has a population of 1 million people, a total area of 126 km², and enjoys the same administrative rank as municipality. (Administrative Committee of Shenyang)

Transportation

Shenyang is served by air, rail, and an extensive network of streets and expressways, with bus service throughout the city.

Shenyang is connected by a major expressway, the Jingshen Expressway, to the city of Beijing, some 658 kilometers away.

The city is also served by the Shenyang Taoxian International Airport (airport code SHE), as well as by several smaller, regional airports.

The Shen-Da Expressway connecting Shenyang and Dalian is the first expressway ever built in China.

Environment

[image] Although Shenyang still uses coal to generate power during its cold winters, the government is making numerous efforts to improve the environment of the city, from shutting down polluting industrial sites, to switching to cleaner power generation sources such as LPG, natural gas, and even thermal power.

Famous people born in Shenyang

Shenyang is the birthplace of the actress Gong Li and the famous singer Na Ying.

Major companies with offices in Shenyang

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Many of these businesses are operated within the SETDZ (Shenyang Economic and Technological Development Zone), a special zone overseen by the State Council of China, with the goal of stimulating foreign investment in partnerships that manufacture and market in China.

Sports

The local soccer team is the Shenyang Jinde, in the Chinese Super League.

Education System

Shenyang has many schools, both public and private. There are also a number of privately-operated training centres that provide additional English skills. Shenyang International School provides primary and secondary education for expatriates, using the American SAT system.

Colleges and universities

External link

Prefecture-level divisions of Liaoning
Sub-provincial cities:Dalian | Shenyang
Prefecture-level cities:Anshan | Benxi | Chaoyang | Dandong | Fushun | Fuxin
Huludao | Jinzhou | Liaoyang | Panjin | Tieling | Yingkou
List of Liaoning County-level divisions