City guide · 沈阳 Shenyang
Shenyang
Where the Qing dynasty began: the Mukden Palace, the Zhang Family Mansion and the ginkgos of Beiling
Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province and the place where the Qing dynasty began: the red walls and yellow tiles of the Shenyang Imperial Palace and the Chinese-Western mix of the Zhang Family Mansion are only a few streets apart, and the ginkgo avenue of Beiling Park turns golden with fallen leaves every autumn. You can cover the Imperial Palace, the Zhang Family Mansion, Middle Street and Beiling in two to three days, with one day left for Qipanshan or the Benxi Water Cave, or for the Yalu River in Dandong. Also worth visiting in the city: Middle Street, Taiyuan Street, the September 18th Historical Museum, the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the Shenyang Museum, Qipanshan, the Shenyang Expo Garden, Guai Po, the Shenyang Forest Zoological Garden, Zhongshan Square and the Shenyang Science Palace.
History
How the city came to be
Shenyang was known in ancient times as Shengjing. In 1625, the Later Jin Khan Nurhaci moved the capital from the Eastern Capital to the Shenyang garrison city, and began building palaces the same year, the eastern-route buildings of today's Shenyang Imperial Palace; in 1636, Hong Taiji dropped the title of Khan and proclaimed himself emperor here, changing the dynastic name to Qing; in 1644, after the Qing moved the capital to Beijing, the Shenyang Imperial Palace became the Shengjing traveling palace, where emperors such as Kangxi and Qianlong stayed during eastern tours and kept expanding it. In the Republican period, Shenyang became the political and economic center of the Northeast, and the Zhang Family Mansion of Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Xueliang stands here; on 18 September 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army staged the Liutiaohu incident and attacked Shenyang, and the September 18th Incident broke out, marking the start of Japan's occupation of Northeast China. In 1961, the Shenyang Imperial Palace was listed among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, and in 2004 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the "Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang" project.
- 1625Nurhaci moved the capital to Shenyang and began building palaces.
- 1636Hong Taiji proclaimed himself emperor in Shenyang, changed the dynastic name to Qing, and formally named the main buildings of the palace.
- 1644The Qing moved the capital to Beijing, and the Shenyang Imperial Palace became the Shengjing traveling palace.
- 1914Construction of the Zhang Family Mansion began.
- 18 September 1931The Liutiaohu incident occurred, and the September 18th Incident broke out.
- 1945Victory in the War of Resistance.
- March 1961The Shenyang Imperial Palace was designated among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.
- 1996The Zhang Family Mansion was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.
- July 2004The Shenyang Imperial Palace was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the "Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang" project.
Stories
Stories of the city
Zhang Zuolin and the Fengtian clique
History · Marshal Zhang's Mansion
Zhang Zuolin unified Northeast China in the late Qing and early Republican years and led the Fengtian clique. He was assassinated in the Huanggutun Incident in 1928, and his son Zhang Xueliang, who took over, chose to cooperate with the Nanjing government.
From residence to museum
History · Marshal Zhang's Mansion
Construction of the mansion began in 1914, Zhang Zuolin moved in in 1916, and it opened as a museum in 1988.
Hong Taiji's death and the founding of Zhaoling
History · Zhaoling and Fuling Tombs
Hong Taiji died in 1643, and work on Zhaoling began that same year; it took eight years and was completed in 1651.
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Marshal Zhang's Mansion
The official residence and private home of Zhang Zuolin and his son Zhang Xueliang during their rule over Northeast China, a complex blending Ch…
Zhaoling and Fuling Tombs
Zhaoling and Fuling are two of the Three Tombs of Shengjing (Yongling, Fuling and Zhaoling), representative imperial mausolea of the Qing before…
Shenyang Imperial Palace
Apart from the Forbidden City in Beijing, China's other relatively intact surviving Qing palace complex — the Shengjing imperial palace before t…