Shenyang

Shenyang (沈阳 Shěnyáng), known as Mukden in the Manchu language, is the capital of Liaoning Province in China. Shenyang is the largest city in the northeast of China, and it is steeped in history.

Understand
Nurhaci built his imperial palace and was laid to rest in one of the first two imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty, Fuling Tomb. His son Hong Taiji is buried in Zhaoling tomb, which is the second of the first two imperial tombs. The imperial palace and the two tombs are all listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. It was in Shenyang that the Russian army was defeated by the Japanese in 1905, resulting in Japan taking control of the Liaodong Peninsula from Russia. It was also here, on September 18, 1931 that Japan would stage the Mukden incident in order to use it as a pretext to occupy all of Northeast China. This city was also the home to the warlord Zhang Zuolin and his son Zhang Xueliang who ruled over the Northeast during the 1920s. In the 20th century, Shenyang developed as a major industrial centre. Today the city is rapidly losing its older structures with large scale construction throughout the city, as in all other cities in China.

Climate
Shenyang has a monsoon-influenced continental climate with large seasonal variation. Winters are very cold, but dry, and can easily feature nights of −20 °C or below. Summers are hot and humid, with daytime temperatures near 30 °C, rarely pushing above into the high 30s °C, though.

Read

 * The Underbelly of the Dragon by F.S. Upp

By plane
The city is served by the Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, and by several smaller, regional airports. There are direct flights to Shenyang from most Chinese airports.



Tramway line 2 connects the airport with the Shenyang subway system. With the transfer to the subway, it takes a bit over an hour to get into downtown. An airport shuttle also runs from the airport to the main China Northern Airlines ticket office (117 Zhonghua Road; 中华路117号; Zhōnghuálù) and back frequently.

By car
Shenyang is connected by a major expressway, the 6-lane Jingshen Expressway, from Beijing, some 685 km (425 mi) away. Expressways also link Shenyang with Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The Shenda Expressway connecting Shenyang and Dalian was the first expressway ever built in China (383 km/238 mi). It is the fastest highway (8-lane) linking one of the largest port cities to Shenyang.

By train
Train service is provided through two train stations, the North Railway Station and the Railway Station. The North Railway Station handles the majority of the long-distance trains while the Railway Station handles most of the northeast trains and does local service around the province. Some trains travel to both stations so be aware of which station you need to board your train. High Speed Rail is available from both stations (D train). The train stations are connected with metro.




 * Beijing - takes about 8 hours (or 4-5 hours by 'D Train')
 * Dalian - takes about 6 hours (express trains take 3 - 4 hours or 2 hours by 'D Train')
 * Dandong - takes about 5 hours
 * Guangzhou - takes about 30-48 hours
 * Harbin - takes about 7 hours (3 hours by 'D Train')
 * Jilin - takes about 6-9 hours (2½ hours by 'D Train)
 * Shanghai - takes about 27-34 hours
 * Tianjin - takes about 7 hours (or 5 hours by 'D Train')
 * Qinhuangdao - takes about 5 hours (or 2½ hours by 'D Train')


 * Baihe via Songjianghe - takes about 9 hours
 * Beijing - takes about 8-10 hours (4-5 hours by 'D Train')
 * Changchun - takes about 4 hours (2 hours for 'D Train')
 * Dalian - takes about 5 hours (2 hours by 'D Train')
 * Dandong - takes about 4 hours
 * Harbin - takes about 7 hours (3 hours by 'D Train')
 * Jilin - takes about 7 hours (2½ hours by 'D Train')
 * Tianjin - takes about 9 hours (5 hours by 'D Train')
 * Tonghua - takes about 7 hours
 * Tumen - takes about 16 hours
 * Tumen - takes about 16 hours

By bus
Long distance bus service is handled by two bus stations.

Main Long-Distance Bus Station (Shenyang Qiche Kuaisu Keyun Zhan) Located on Huigong Jie, this station serves routes to and from major cities. You can also find night buses to Beijing being hawked outside the north train station.


 * Beijing - takes about 8 hours
 * Changchun - takes about 4 hours
 * Dandong - takes about 3 hours, ¥85 one-way as of May 2015. Buses leave from 05:30 to 19:00, in 30 -inute intervals.
 * Dalian - takes about 4 hours
 * Harbin - takes about 7 hours
 * Jilin - takes about 5 hours
 * Jinzhou - takes about 3 hours

South Bus Station Buses queue along Minzhu Lu (opposite the south train station), around Minzhu Square and some nearby streets. On most buses you pay the conductor on the bus but for Anshan and Liaoyang you must purchase tickets at the office on the east side of Minzhu Square. These buses run medium distance routes to neighbouring cities within Liaoning. Buses stop departing this bus stations around 18:00. Passengers arriving to this station may be offloaded from the bus on a nearby street or some distance away at a yard used for storing coaches, sited behind the post office on Zhongshan Jie.


 * Anshan - takes about 1 hour 40 minutes
 * Benxi - takes about 1 hour
 * Liaoyang - takes 1 hour
 * Fushun - takes 50 minutes

Get around
Sights in the old city, Shenhe District, can be walked between, but other areas such as those in Beiling or Dongling require transport.

The Shenyang Metro has three lines. Line 1 runs east-west across the city (serving Shenyang rail station). Line 2 runs north-south (serving Shenyang North rail station). Line 9 runs in an L shape, from northwest to southwest to southeast. Line 10 runs in an L shape, from northwest to southwest to southeast.

Shenyang has a comprehensive bus system, but it can be incomprehensible if you do not read Chinese. Make sure you pick up a city bus and area map at either train station. Very handy to help get around. Buses charge ¥1-2 and major bus lines congregate around the train stations. Bus 203 travels between the two train stations.

There are plenty of taxis whose meters start at ¥8 for 3 km, then ¥1.8 per kilometer. Make sure you get a taxi in which the meter is mounted on the dashboard and easily visible from your seat instead of behind the gear shift - it is possible the driver may be pulling some sleight of hand to increase your fare.

Winter sports
There are three ski resort areas within Shenyang prefecture.

Major shopping areas
Shenyang has three main shopping areas.



Other stores


A good place to check for electronics and repairs is 三好街 San Hao Jie, which boasts a "music city" near the music academy on the north end, and an extensive selection of electronics malls on the southern end.

For foreign expats looking for the comforts of home, there are numerous import grocery stores, including Olé in the MixC at 工业展览馆 Gongye Zhanlanguan station and at Palace 66, Yoo-Hoo by 金融中心 Jinrong Zhongxin station, and METRO and Ikea out in 铁西区 Tiexi district. Many of these stores will offer free membership cards for foreign workers.

As a possible souvenir, by incorporating traditional Chinese painting techniques, artists of Shenyang have turned feather patchwork scrolls into something as refined and appealing as Chinese painting and calligraphy.

Eat
Liaoning is home to Liaocai (辽菜), a distinctive cuisine named after the area. Liaocai tends to be strong in flavour with plenty garlic, ginger and other spices but not hot. Shenyang has a large Korean and Mongolian population, who operate a lot of barbecue stands on the street corners of the city. Some of the city's best types of cuisine include 火锅 hot pot, 麻辣烫 mala tang, or spicy pay-by-weight soup, and 串儿 chuan'r barbeque. There are many Muslim hand-pulled noodle places, and also a number of very good Korean restaurants. All of Shenyang's top hotels feature fancy restaurants serving Cantonese, Japanese and Western food. At least two different places offering Mexican specials. There are also some decent noodle shops, as well as the national chain California Beef Noodle, on some of the small roads near the train station. Fast food and coffee shops are plentiful. The imported, western style food tends to be at the higher end of the price market. By going after local cuisine you will save money. One of the absolute best places to try cheap and savoury local foods is at the 彩电塔 Cai Dian Ta night market near the Liaoning Radio Tower, located just west of the Kempinski hotel and 青年公园 Qingnian Gongyuan Station. This market is full of cheap barbeque 串儿 chuan'r, with selections as various as chicken necks, pig feet, or tofu rolls. There are also various noodle dishes, potato dishes, soft-serve ice cream and fruit jelly desserts, and a Liaoning starch specialty known as 闷子 Menzi. It stretches across several streets, and is generally open from the end of March until late October as crowds die down over the winter months.



Splurge


Shenyang also has its share of Western 4-star properties such as Marriott, ShangRi-La, and Holiday Inn. There is a 24-hour spa at the north train station.

Cope
Consulate offices listed below:


 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇰🇵 North Korea
 * 🇰🇷 South Korea
 * 🇷🇺 Russia
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * 🇩🇪 Germany

Go next

 * Dandong
 * Dalian
 * Changchun
 * Harbin
 * Vladivostok
 * Beijing
 * Chengde