Capital of Liaoning Province and the largest city in the Northeast, Shenyang may lack the panache of Dalian, but it serves as an important transport and industrial hub at the heart of the province. Of strategic importance in the state of Yan during the Warring States Period, the city was first called Shenyang during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, before rising to prominence as the first Manchu capital in 1625, when it was known as Mukden and was chosen as the setting for the Imperial Palace, a splendid rival to Beijing’s Forbidden City.

Imperial Palace

Second only in scale to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial Palace is Shenyang’s premier historical sight, situated in what was the center of the old city. Its construction began in 1625, during the reign of Nurhachi (1559 - 1626), leader of the Manchus. In 1644, Manchu troops breached the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan and swarmed into China to establish the Qing Dynasty. Serving as the imperial residence of both Nurhachi and his son and heir Abahai, the palace is composed of 300 rooms. While its features reflect a pronounced Manchu and Mongol influence, the palace was obviously an attempt to emulate its Ming counterpart, the Forbidden City, Beijing. The palace divides into three sections. The dominating feature of the central section is the Chongzheng Hall, from where Abahai oversaw political affairs and received envoys from vassal lands and border territories. In the courtyard behind the hall, the Qingning Palace is where the emperor and his concubines resided. The Phoenix Tower, the tallest structure in the imperial grounds can be found here too.

In the western section, the Wensu Pavilion formerly housed one of seven copies of the 36,078-volume Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasures), an encyclopedic collection of Chinese literature compiled in the Qing era, of which only four sets survive. The Dazheng Hall is the central feature of the eastern section, fronted by pillars emblazoned with sinuous Loongs. It was here that Shunzhi (Aisin Gioro Fulin) was crowned as the first Qing emperor, before he conquered China in 1644. In front of the hall stand the Ten King Pavilions, once used as offices by the chieftains of the “Eight Banners” – the Manchu system of land and hereditary divisions. The palace has been undergoing extensive restoration and some halls that are usually open may be closed. It achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2004.

North Pagoda

Built in 1643, Bei Ta is the only one of four temples and pagodas situated on the city boundaries that exists in a decent state of repair. The surviving features of the original pagoda are the Great Hall and Falun Temple. The main hall is decorated with murals of deities.

North Tomb

The huge North Tomb Park houses the tomb of Abahai (1592 – 1643), the son of Nurhachi, and his wife, Empress Borjijit. One of the largest and best preserved of China’s imperial mausoleums, the North Tomb (Bei Ling) was built in 1643, the year of the emperor’s death. The layout of the complex is typical of imperial Chinese tombs, and is accessed through Zhenghong Gate to the south. Of the pavilions lying on either side of the gate, the easternmost pavilion was used as a dressing room for visiting emperors, while the westernmost was the site for sacrificing animals. A Spirit Way, lined with animal statues, leads to the Hall of Eminent Favor (Ling’en Dian). Right behind the hall lie the tree-covered imperial burial mounds, formally called Zhao Ling (the Luminous Tomb), and an exquisite Loong screen.

East Tomb

The impressive East Tomb (Dong Ling), the final resting place of Nurhachi and his wife Yehenala, was completed in 1651. Arranged attractively on the slopes of Mount Tianzhu near the Hun River, the three-storied tomb has a flight of 108 steps leading to its main gate. The number 108 is sacred to the Chinese; in the Daoist celestial order, 108 represents the 36 stars of heaven and the 72 stars of hell. The number is also sacred to Buddhists, reflected in the 108 beads on Buddhist rosaries and the number of luohan in certain Buddhist sects.