- UNESCO sites
- Museums for curious tourists
- Architectural monuments
- Lunch break
- Country trips
In the northeast of China, there is the Liaoning province, the main city of which is the old Shenyang. It was founded two thousand years ago, but reached its heyday under the ruler of the Manchus Nurkhachi in the 17th century. His son was able to subjugate all of China and moved the capital to Beijing. Shenyang, as the birthplace of the emperor, did not lose its significance and was considered the second city in the country. The city received a further impetus in its development when a railway began to be built here at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This important mission was entrusted to Russian engineers.
Now tourists from Russia and other countries of the world come here to see the fifth largest city in China, on the territory of which several important historical monuments, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, have been preserved. There are also modern architectural structures in Shenyang that cause surprise and delight. Locals also recommend spending a few days traveling around the city. Lovers of antiquity and shopping, gourmets who dream of trying Manchu cuisine, families with children and romantic couples come here. And all of them are worried about the question: "Where to go in Shenyang?"
UNESCO sites
Once in Shenyang, first of all, you need to see three sights that are under the protection of UNESCO. These are Shenyang Beiling, Dongling and Gogong.
In the northern part of Shenyang, the Beiling Park is located, formed around the imperial tomb, erected in the middle of the 17th century. Emperor Abakhai is buried here. Apart from the main building. the architectural complex includes several pavilions for different purposes: in one it was necessary to change clothes before performing rituals, in the other - to sacrifice animals. The alley leading to the sanctuary with an altar is decorated with animalistic statues. The tombs of the emperor and his family are located behind all buildings.
Dongling is the tomb of another emperor named Nurhachi. Under him, Shenyang became the capital of Manchuria. You need to look for this impressive monument in the eastern quarters of the city. It occupies a smaller area than Beiling, and is more modest in size. The tomb complex includes 32 buildings, among which there is a tea pavilion, a waiting room, a silk pavilion, a treasury, etc. To the main entrance you need to climb a staircase consisting of 108 steps.
The Shenyang Gugong, that is, the Forbidden City, is the name of the complex of the Mukden Palace, an imperial residence built in the Manchu style in 1625. Until 1644, the first three emperors of the Qing Dynasty lived there. In the following years, the courtyard moved to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Currently, the Mukden Palace has been turned into a museum. The palace complex consists of 114 buildings. The main building is called Chong Zheng Dian. In it, the ruler made important decisions, for example, changing the name of the people - earlier his subjects called themselves Huchen, and then they began to be called Manchu. Behind this pavilion are the Phoenix Tower and the Heavenly Peace Palace, where the imperial concubines lived. The oldest building in the complex, called Da Zheng Dian, was intended for celebrations. It is surrounded by various pavilions.
Museums for curious tourists
Shenyang has a number of interesting museums that will appeal to both adults and children. You should definitely visit the Liaoning Provincial Museum, which contains historical and ethnographic collections that tell about the past of the region. The museum displays more than 50 thousand exhibits dated from the Paleolithic to the present day. A significant place in the collection is occupied by a selection of ancient paintings and calligraphy. The colored ceramics of the era of the Liao Empire (916-1125) are also unique. One of the most valuable exhibits is the bones of animals, on which letters are carved. Scholars believe that this is one of the first examples of Chinese writing.
Anyone interested in history can be advised to go to the Museum on September 18th. All Chinese know the date 1931-18-09. It was on this day that the military conflict between China and Japan began, which led to the seizure of the northeastern lands of China. The collection of the museum occupies the original building, built in the form of an open tome. Its halls contain archival documents, letters, a selection of weapons - everything that can become an illustration of the Sino-Japanese War.
Another unusual museum is dedicated to the ancient history of northeastern China. In the Neolithic era, the banks of the Liaohe River, flowing through the territory of Liaoning Province, were chosen as a place of residence by people belonging to the Xinle civilization. All artifacts discovered during the excavation of their sites were transferred to the Xinle Museum of Relic Culture. Several halls of the museum are reserved for the demonstration of carefully recreated dwellings of ancient people.
Of great interest is the Museum of Steam Locomotives, which contains an excellent selection of locomotives from around the world.
Architectural monuments
Shenyang is a rapidly developing and expanding city, where every year new monuments appear that can be called architectural masterpieces. These include:
- Statue of Mao Zedong. The nine-meter sculpture of Chairman Mao is raised on a pedestal of the same height. At the basement level, the monument to Mao Zedong is surrounded by other sculptural compositions depicting groups of workers and peasants. Locals believe that this is one of the largest images of the Great Helmsman in their country. It will be all the more surprising to learn that this is not the work of a venerable sculptor recognized by all, but students.
- Shenyang Olympic Center. The sports complex, consisting of a football stadium, tennis court and swimming pool, was erected in time for the 2008 Olympic Games. A few years after the Olympics, the stadium was at the disposal of the local football club.
- Sanhao Bridge over the Hun He River. It is located in the southern part of Shenyang and connects the city center with Heping District and Changbai Industrial Park. The bridge has an original design. In its center, there are two steel arches, which from the shore resemble the outlines of the wings of a butterfly. The Sanhao Bridge was inaugurated on October 10, 2008 and has since received several awards for its unusual design.
- Shenyang TV Tower. It rises 305 meters above the city blocks. A revolving panoramic restaurant is located at about 200 meters. The high-speed elevator lifts there. From the restaurant there is a passage to the upper observation deck, from where you can see the panorama of Shenyang spread out below.
- Memorial to Soviet tank soldiers. Until 2006, it was located on the Railway Station Square. Currently, it has been transferred to the necropolis, where local residents who died in the Korean War are buried. The memorial is made in the form of a tank mounted on a high base. There are graves near it, in which the ashes of 20 Soviet soldiers who gave their lives in the fight against the Japanese lie.
Lunch break
Tired of organized excursions or self-driving around the city in search of interesting places, tourists pause and go to try Chinese and Manchu cuisine in local cafes and restaurants. And there are a lot of them in the city. One of the oldest restaurants in Shenyang, Lumingchun, operating since 1929, is very popular with tourists. This is one of the few places in the city where the Man-Khan banquet is organized - a feast where the most famous traditional local dishes are presented.
The Laobian Jiaozi Guan restaurant, founded about 160 years ago, deserves special attention. People come here to try the famous laobyan dumplings. Experts assure that one portion is not enough here: you will have to take a supplement. Pork dishes are especially good at the Manchu restaurant Najia Guan, opened in Shenyang in the late 19th century. Boiled pork sausage is excellently prepared here. Special seasonings are added to it, giving the product an original aroma.
If tourists want to get Western-style food for lunch, then they should go to restaurants at luxury hotels, for example, Sheraton Shenyang Lido Hotel or Hotel Inter-Continental. Along with European restaurants, large hotels also have establishments where you can taste culinary masterpieces traditional for Asian countries. Hotel Inter-Continental has restaurants serving Chinese and Japanese cuisines. Also in the city there are many eateries of famous world chains: "KFC", "Pizza hut", etc.
Country trips
All the most interesting is in the vicinity of Shenyang, where you can go on your own. To see the Meteorite Park, head to Lisian Village. It will take 2-3 hours to go to him. The park was founded on the site of the fall of a huge meteorite, whose age, according to scientists, is 4.5 billion years. He fell on the slope of Mount Huashitai. In past centuries, people were afraid to come close to the "stone from the sky." Now the situation has changed: scientists are actively studying the meteorite, and its surroundings, strewn with smaller stone "aliens" from space, have been declared a park where tourists are allowed.
Good entertainment awaits travelers in the village of Qingshuita. In its surroundings there is an unusual mountain slope of Guaypo, 80 meters long. Items that are placed on this slope behave contrary to all physical laws. Put an apple on it - and it will go up, not roll down. Water behaves the same way. A car with the engine off will also drive slowly towards the top. People are amused by trying to get off the slope by bike. Despite the fact that the road goes downhill, you will have to actively pedal to get to the village located below.
