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Liaoning Province Attractions

Liaoning Radio and Television Tower

The Liaoning Radio and TV Tower, at 305 meters, is easily the tallest structure in Shenyang. It’s commonly known in English as “the TV tower,” and in Chinese as 彩电塔 (cǎi diàn tǎ). The sign outside proclaims that the tower is one of the “top 50 tourist lo...
The Liaoning Radio and TV Tower, at 305 meters, is easily the tallest structure in Shenyang. It’s commonly known in English as “the TV tower,” and in Chinese as 彩电塔 (cǎi diàn tǎ). The sign outside proclaims that the tower is one of the “top 50 tourist locations in Liaoning Province,” and one of the “top 15 in Shenyang.”
 
For 50 yuan visitors can take an ultra-fast elevator 200 meters up into the tower (70 yuan with dinner included). Inside the tower there is a rotating restaurant, a small bar with wine and beer, a few arcade games, and some pictures of “famous towers of the world.” The tower’s top attraction is likely the open-air viewing platform just upstairs from the restaurant and bar area. On a clear day Shenyang can be viewed in it’ entirety, and it can be very pleasant on a clear autumn evening.
 
Recommended: To make the most of your experience, go up the tower in the afternoon so you can see the city in daylight. Then enjoy a bottle of wine in the bar area, and head back up to the viewing platform for sunset. 
Note: You must have a reservation if you want to dine in the restaurant!

 

Location:  There are entrances on qīng nián dà jiē (青年大街) and xī bīn hé lù (西滨河路), just west of Qingnian Park (青年公园, qīng nián gōng yuán). 
Useful Bus Routes:
238 from Wu Ai Market
 
 

Local bus routes: 207、214、223、244、246、603.

Beiling Park and Zhaoling Tomb

 
Beiling (literally “north tomb”) is one of Shenyang’s largest parks, and certainly it’s most famous. The park itsel...
 
Beiling (literally “north tomb”) is one of Shenyang’s largest parks, and certainly it’s most famous. The park itself is huge and quite nice, and you could easily spend half a day wandering around the ponds and trees. In the summer the park is filled with people flying kites, dancing, cycling, and practicing Tai ji (太极). In the winter you can ride horses, skate, and go sledding on the frozen ponds. 
      
The Zhaoling tomb is located in the center of the park. Entrance to the tomb area requires a separate ticket (30 yuan). Built in 1643 by famous Qing Dynasty Emperor Kangxi, the shrine is walled in by a large stone wall. Within the walls are several Qing Dynasty style buildings, and the tomb itself is a large earthen mound with a single elm tree growing from the top. 
   
The Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Manchus, whose home was in northeastern China. Shenyang (then called ‘Shenjing’) served briefly as the Manchu capital before they moved to Beijing and established their dynasty. For the next 200 years, the Qing emperors periodically made tours through the northeast to visit their homeland and pay homage to their ancestors, including Huang Taiji (皇太极) and his empress who are buried here at Zhaoling.         
The Zhaoling tomb, along with the Imperial Palace, are Shenyang’s most significant historical sites, and well worth a visit. All the buildings are beautiful and very well preserved; and the signs are interesting and informative with fairly good English translations.  The shrine is particularly beautiful and serene in the winter with freshly fallen snow.  Plan on spending half a day in Beiling Park, and 45-60 minutes in the Zhaoling shrine. 
 
 
 
 
  
Location:  On the far north side of the city. The entrance is located at the intersection of Beiling da jie (北陵大街) and Taishan lu (泰山路).  All taxi drivers will know "běi líng gōng yuán".
  
                                                                                              
 
 

Sunny Night Club

       The newly remodeled (May 2008) Sunny Night Club is one of the largest, and overall the most popular club in Shenyang. It is packed with people pretty much every night of the week, and attracts Chinese customers, as well as foreigners from every p...
       The newly remodeled (May 2008) Sunny Night Club is one of the largest, and overall the most popular club in Shenyang. It is packed with people pretty much every night of the week, and attracts Chinese customers, as well as foreigners from every part of the world. 
          
       Since the 2008 remodeling project, Sunny’s has a unique layout. The club is actually separated into two bars. The larger section now attracts mostly Chinese customers and features a stage show with Chinese and Filipino singers and dancers. The smaller bar, unofficially known as “the foreigner bar”, is located near the club entrance. This bar is meant to be more suited to foreigners’ preferences, and has already become an extremely popular late-night stop for many foreigners. From about 8pm-midnight the Filipino musicians switch back and forth between the two bars. From about 11-midnight, the “foreigner bar” switches between the live music and several different DJs. After midnight it’s all dance music, and the bar can get very crowded. 
               
       The new Sunny’s is quite an improvement because the club now can appeal to a variety of different tastes. If you like techno music and late-night dancing, this is the place to be. Now, it’s a also a good place to have a relaxed drink or two if you come a bit earlier in the evening. 
           
The new bar now has a wide variety of foreign and Chinese food. 
                 
Costs: There’s no cover charge. Beers and cocktails start at 25元。   
          
                
Location: At the corner of Ba Jing Jie (八经街) and Jiu Wei Lu (九纬路), a few blocks east of Zhong Shan Square (中山广场).  All Shenyang taxi drivers know "wǔ yè yáng guāng."
 
 

Four Ancient Towers

The four towers, like most of Shenyang’s historical sites, were built around 1643 during the early Qing Dynasty. The towers symbolize the four Buddhist Heaven Kings, and originally marked the borders of the city. The four towers, aptly named “North Tower”, “Sou...
The four towers, like most of Shenyang’s historical sites, were built around 1643 during the early Qing Dynasty. The towers symbolize the four Buddhist Heaven Kings, and originally marked the borders of the city. The four towers, aptly named “North Tower”, “South Tower”, “East Tower”, and “West Tower”, do in fact appear quite similar to each other. The towers themselves are white, bulb-shaped structures, with gold decoration on the top. Each one is surrounded by a small Buddhist temple. Reportedly the North Tower is the best restored and maintained tower. 
 
The towers are pretty unspectacular, so don’t plan a whole day around visiting them. Entrance is free, however, so if you happen to be in the area of one of the towers, they are worth a look. The official operating hours are a bit unclear. The apparently sometimes close a bit early, so it’s best to go in the morning. 
 
Locations: (click on pictures for larger images)
 
North Tower 北塔 běi tǎ:
  
Useful Bus Routes:
131 to/from Beiling Park East Gate, Shenyang University
213 to/from Beiling Park, Orthopedic Hospital, Middle Street, Imperial Palace, Wu Ai Market, South Tower
245 to/from Beiling Park, Orthopedic Hospital, South Tower
 
 
South Tower 南塔 nán tǎ:
South Tower is located in Shenhe District (沈河区) on Wencui Lu (文萃路) just behind Shoe City. 
Useful Bus Routes:
113 to/from Shenyang University
135 to/from Tiexi Square, Heping Square, San Hao Street, Exhibition Center
213 to/from Beiling Park, North Tower, Middle Street, Imperial Palace
239 to/from San Hao Street, Exhibition Center, Heping Square
282 to/from Xi Ta, Fangxing Square, Nanhu Park, San Hao Street, Exhibition Center, Sports Park
286 to/from Summer Palace
  
  
West Tower 西塔 xī tǎ:
The area surrounding the West Tower is known as “Korea Town”, and is home to a large population of Koreans, as well as many Korean bars, restaurants, massage parlors, etc. click for more info on "Korea Town". The tower is at the east end of Shifu Road, at the beginning of Xi Ta Korea street. 
 
 
Useful Bus Routes:
611 to/from South Station, Taiyuan Street, South Tower, Huigong Square
  
  
East Tower 东塔 dōng tǎ:
Located in Da Dong District (大东区) on Chang An Lu (长安路). 
Useful Bus Routes:
237 to/from Wu Ai Market, Ma Lu Wan, Taiyuan Street, South Station, Tiexi Square
 

North Market--Huang Temple

The North Market is comprised of two perpendicular pedestrian-only streets. The market includes an array of food vendors selling meat sticks (肉串, ròu chuàr), dumplings (饺子), baozi (包子), beer, and other goodies. The street is surrounded by several shops, including a jade marke...
The North Market is comprised of two perpendicular pedestrian-only streets. The market includes an array of food vendors selling meat sticks (肉串, ròu chuàr), dumplings (饺子), baozi (包子), beer, and other goodies. The street is surrounded by several shops, including a jade market, while other street merchants sell books, artwork, decorations, and miscellaneous trinkets. 
   
Adjacent to the market is the “True Victory” Temple (实胜寺庙 shí shèng sìmiào). This Buddhist temple was built in 1636 by the second Qing Dynasty emperor, Huang Taiji (皇太极), and is also known by the name “huáng sìmiào” (皇寺庙). The temple houses the cremated remains of a high-ranking Buddhist monk, and sometimes visitors are lucky enough to witness a performance of a traditional ceremonial Buddhist dance. Just outside the temple, there are large stone statues of all 12 Qing Dynasty emperors seated proudly upon their thrones. Entrance to the temple is 15 yuan.
 
 
     (Huang Temple from above)                                  (Emperor Nurhachi, first Qing emperor)

During the New Year’s Holiday and the October Holiday, the area holds a “Temple Fair” (庙会). Each year the area becomes crowded with people buying food, and tying red prayer-ribbons around the trees in the temple. There are also some special performances. The Fair starts about one week before Spring Festival, and lasts for 15 more days afterwards. 
    
Location: The market itself is Huang Si Lu (皇寺路), between San Jing Jie (三经街) and Nanjing Jie (南京街). From Government Square, go one block west on Shi Fu Lu (市府路) and you will see a large stone archway for the entrance.  From Xi Ta, go 1 km east on Shi Fu Lu. All taxi drivers will know "běi shìchǎng". 
 
 
      (Huang Temple from above)                                  (Statues of all Qing Dynasty Emperors)

(Photos by David de Jesus, 2007)    
 

 

Zhang Xue Liang's Mansion

Zhang Xue Liang is one of modern China’s most honored figures. He is something of a folk hero in Northeastern China. Born into a powerful warlord family at the e...
 
 
 
  
History buffs should enjoy the way in which the museum provides an interesting look at the development of northeastern China. Unfortunately, most of the signs have little or no English, so if you can’t read any Chinese you might be a bit bored. 
 
 
 
          
The museum has three main parts: The old Zhang residence, built in ancient Chinese style, a newer mansion (1930’s) built mimicking ancient Roman design, and another house for one of Zhang Xue Liang’s father’s wives. The buildings themselves are interesting, but the main focus of the museum is on Zhang Xue Liang’s life and accomplishments. 
           
If you enjoy history and can read a bit of Chinese, the museum is worth a visit. Those on the tourist circuit should be able to visit Middle Street, the Imperial Palace, and Zhang’s Mansion all in one day. 
     
Location: The Mansion is near Middle Street (中街) just two blocks south of the Imperial Palace. The main entrance is on nán shùn chéng lù (南顺城路). Look for a large statue of Zhang Xue Liang in military uniform. The following buses will take you there: 134, 237, 250, 330, 133, 168. There is another entrance on the east side of the museum on cháo yáng jiē (朝阳街). The following buses stop there:292, 294, 290, 222, 213, 296, 287, 257, 118, 132, 276, 117, 228, 环. The bus stop for both entrances is called dà nán mén (大南门). If you’re asking for directions or taking a taxi, the mansion is commonly known as “dà shuài fǔ”(大帅府). 
 
Offical Website (in Chinese)
   
 
Photos by Jerry Wang, 2007

Liaoning Province Articles

Top Liaoning Province Tours

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Wulong Mountain & hotspring - 1 day trip

Trip highlights :

Wulong Mountain is situated 17 kilometers northwest of Dandong City. The main peak is 708 meters high. 
In 2001 Lingfeng Buddhist Temple was constructed in the original site of Lingfeng temple, it is the largest Buddhist Temple in northeast China.

Wu Long Bei Hot Spring Resort, 40 minutes from Dandong city is one of the biggest natural hot spring resorts in Liaoning province.

1 day trip (about 8 hours) :
 8:00 pick up at Hotel
 9:00 - 11:30 Wulong Mountain
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
13:00 - 15:30 Wu Long Bei Hot Spring
16:30 return to Hotel

included in the price are all entrance fees, transport and the lunch group discounts possible!


 

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Dalian day tour (private tour)

Dalian private tours is operated locally and independently in Dalian, no matter you are in Dalian for business or leisure , alone or with a group, Wei and his team will provide the most suitable itinerary and tour that base on your timetable and personal interests.  

 

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Dalian private tours---Day tour includes:

  • Dalian Modern history museum tour
  • Xing Hai Square scenic tour
  • Ren min square tour
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