This is an old revision of this page, as edited by David Vasquez~enwiki (talk | contribs) at 16:13, 14 October 2004 (Added picture of Beiling park and descriptions of a few districts (need Pinyin names)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:13, 14 October 2004 by David Vasquez~enwiki (talk | contribs) (Added picture of Beiling park and descriptions of a few districts (need Pinyin names))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Shenyang (Traditional Chinese: 瀋陽, Simplified Chinese: 沈阳, Hanyu Pinyin: Shěnyáng) is the capital of Liaoning province in China. It is a sub-provincial city. Population 6.89 million.
History
In 1625 the Manchu leader Nurhaci moved his capital to Shenyang. It was renamed to Mukden (in Chinese, 盛京) in 1634. Shenyang remained the capital of the Qing Dynasty until the relocation to Beijing in 1644.
Since 1657 Shenyang had been called Fengtianfu (奉天府) until it was 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.
Tourism
To this day, flowers are still placed around a large statue of Chairman Mao around the holidays. This statue is located in one of Shenyang's large traffic circles.
Downtown district
The downtown district in Shenyang has all manner of businesses that are brightly lit by neon at night.
Shopping districts
There are several shopping districts in Shenyang. One of the districts features western-style shopping and dining, including Walmart, a rather luxurious Pizza Hut (far nicer than most of those located in America), 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.
Parks
Shenyang is also the site of the large, historical tomb of Zhao Ling (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.
Environmental improvements
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.
File:ShenyangThermalPowerPlant.jpg
An environmentally-friendly thermal power plant in Shenyang, generating power with minimal pollution.
Famous people born in Shenyang
Shenyang is the birthplace of the actress Gong Li and the famous singer Na Ying
Sports
The local soccer team is the Shenyang Ginde, one of twelve teams in the Chinese Super League.
Education System
Shenyang has many schools, both public and private. There are a number of privately-operated schools that teach English as a second language (ESL), for a fee.