Shneyang 071019

  Shenyang, China
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Looking North from the Hotel

Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province, about 500 miles north of Beijing. The Province also includes Dalian.  Historically the City was called Mukden, Fengtianfu, and Shenjing.   It is the largest city in northeast China with a metro population of about 7 million people, composed of some 40 distinct nationalities - Han, Man, Korean, Hui, Xibo, Mongolian among others.

The area's history includes significant Neolithic and Paleolithic occupation. The city has a history of more than 3,000 years as a center of agriculture, bronze, iron and ceramics.  Today Shenyang is one of China's major industrial centers thanks to the rich deposits of coal, iron and nonferrous ore throughout Liaoning Province.  

Shenyang Imperial Palace 2

Shenyang lies on the north bank of Hun River, called shenshui, "deepwater", in ancient times, from which the current name originates.
 
Prior to the 17th century, this part of China was an  independent nation, loosely occupied by the Jurchen, ancestors of the Manchus, a nomadic tribe. 

Throughout recorded history, there had always been warfare between Manchuria and the Chinese dynasties with the Shenyang area being one of strategic importance as early as the Warring States period (475-221BC).  In 300 BC, the Yan Kingdom dispatched troops here for border defense and founded Hou City at that time.
 
The Great Wall was started about 220 BC by Emperor Shih Huangti of the Qin Dynasty to keep these pesky Manchus and other barbarians out of China. Construction continued for 1,500 years, culminating in the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) which completed the extent known today.
 
In the 12th century, Shenyang was one of the three capitals of the empire of the Kin Tartars (Golden Horde), given the name Mukden. The town was first called Shenyang during the Yuan dynasty  (1279-1368 A.D.)
 
In the early 17th century, a great leader,  Nurhachi (1559-1626), emerged from the Jurchen tribe. He united the Manchuria area and in 1616, established the Later Jin State, independent from the Ming.  In 1625, he moved the capital to Shenyang and started the Imperial Palace.  His son Abahai (Huangtaiji, 1592-1643) made further improvements.  The City was renamed Mukden in 1634.  

North Tomb 1

 In 1636, Abahai named the dynasty Qing, so called because they claimed descent from the Qin dynasty, and declared war on the Ming.   In 1644, Fulin, son of Abahai, captured Beijing (the Ming Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide), and later that year moved the capital there, marking the beginning of the Qing reign over China, though they spent the next decade or so cleaning up, finally destroying the last Ming pretender in 1659.  Mukden retained considerable prestige as the older capital.  Treasures of the royal house were kept at its palaces, and the tombs of the early Qing rulers were regarded as among the most famous monuments in China.   In 1657 Mukden was renamed Fengtianfu.

North Tomb 12

The Qing Dynasty was considered a foreign government when it took over China, but it turned out to be one of China's most successful dynasties, lasting for almost 300 years, regarded as imperial China's zenith of power and influence.  It was also the last feudal dynasty in China, ending in 1911. 

North Tomb 2

In its early years, the Qing Dynasty flourished as no other age in China's history. The Qing proved to be savvy leaders, manipulating land, taxes and the military to its advantage, and to a peaceful period of production and growth.  The early rulers are highly regarded in Chinese history - Emperors Kangxi (1622-1723), Yongzheng (1723-1736) and Qianlong (1736-1796).  By the mid-18th century economic development was strong, Qing power was centralized, and the population was on its way to some 300 million by the end of the century.  The Qing acquired Taiwan, negotiated a border treaty with Russia, established tolerance with the Northern nomads, and took measures to develop the economy, culture and transportation in the frontier areas. They laid the foundation for modern China's territorial boundaries.

North Tomb 4

Shenyang was a favorite of the Qing Dynasty throughout its history, a reminder of their Manchurian heritage.  Even after the capitol was moved to Beijing, Qing Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, the two longest-ruling emperors in China's history, expanded the Shenyang palace, adding Han and Mongol architectural styles to its original Manchu style.  Shenyang Imperial Palace is the second best preserved palace cluster after Beijing's Imperial Palace.  It is divided into east, middle and west part, has more than 100 ancient buildings and covers an area of more than 60,000 m2 .  The 3 story Phoenix Building was the tallest building in Shenyang.
 
In addition to the Palace, tombs of Nuhachi and Abahai are also located in Shenyang. 
 
11 kilometres northeast of Shenyang, the East Tomb, Fu Ling, is the burial place of Nuraci and his wife, Yehenalashi (Yehelana). The tomb is in Dongling Park, "built to lean on the Tianzhu Mountain amid pine trees almost reaching to the sky and overlapping the green hills."  

North Tomb 3

The North Tomb (Beiling) is the burial site of Abahai (Huangtaiji) and his wife, Xiaoduanwen (Boerjite). It was constructed in 1643 and covers an area of 450 hectares, once the exclusive domain of the Imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, now the public Beiling Park.
The Imperial Palace and tombs in Shenyang are now museums, displaying along with the Architecture itself, historical artifacts of the Qing Dynasty.  These sites are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, listed in July 2004.
 
Shenyang grew from this Imperial background.  Its robust industry and strategic location made it a target for foreign interests.  Japan and Russia both had designs on Liaoning Province in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The latter Qing Dynasty lost a miserable war to Japan and the control of Liaoning Province.  Russia came to China's aid (with their own acquisition agenda) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was fought throughout Liaoning Province, heavily involving Shenyang and Port Arthur (Dalian).  The Japanese victory was secured at Shenyang on February 19-March 10, 1905.  Japan was held back diplomatically from seizing the territory for a while, but the Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931) took place in Shenyang and gave the Japanese an impetus to create the Manchukuo state in Manchuria.  During the Manchukuo era (1932-1945) the city was called Fengtian again, changing once again the old name Shenyang which had been re-adopted in 1914.

Food Prep

At the end of WWII in early August 1945, Soviet forces occupied the city, changing its name back to Shenyang.  The Soviets were replaced by the Nationalist Chinese on the surrender of Japan.  During the Chinese Civil War, Shenyang was a Kuomintang (Nationalist China) stronghold from 1946-1948.  It was captured by the Communist Chinese on October 30, 1948.
 

Shenyang Buildngs 1

Since 1949, Shenyang has developed into a modern city, a vibrant economic base, a major industrial center, and one of China's premiere tourism cities.  Some very well designed modern architecture, and the craftsmanship on these signature buildings appears to be quite good, as opposed to the average apartment buildings which look OK structurally (concrete frames), but the finishes are an afterthought (as they should be says the engineer), leaving an impression that the contemporary Chinese don't put a lot of emphasis on craft.  That's not entirely fair since there are exceptional skills being demonstrated in all aspects of the culture, but when floor coverings are worn, electrical boxes open, and vinyl covered composite door and window mouldings throughout the entire 10 year old building are missing, cracked, bubbled and hanging loose, as I saw in a building the other day, it leaves a sense that nobody cares much for the detail.  Obviously, a dry, warm, clean pad is the emphasis.  By contrast, fortunately, in Shenyang, like Dalian, the best buildings are competition for any city worldwide.  Blatant and very powerful architecture.

Shenyang Buildings 4