Shenyang, formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden or as Fengtian, is the provincial capital and largest city of Liaoning Province, as well as the largest city in Northeast China by urban population. Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and serves as the transportation and commercial hub of China's northeast—particularly with Japan, Russia, and Korea. A center of heavy industry in China since the 1930s, and the spearhead of the Chinese central government's Northeast Area Revitalization Plan, the city has been diversifying its industry and now has a solid industrial foundation, a good land and air transport network, abundant natural resources, and a skilled workforce.
History
The city’s name, Shenyang, contains a reference to the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang. It literally means "to the Yang side of the Shen River", a reference to the fact that the Hun River, which was formerly known as the Shen River is on the city’s south side. (In accordance with Chinese tradition, a river's north bank and a mountain's south slope are considered to be the "sunny" – or "Yang" – side.)
Archaeological findings show that humans resided in present-day Shenyang as early as 8,000 years ago. The remains of the Xinle culture, a Neolithic period society over 6,800-7,200 years old, are located in a museum in the north part of Huanggu District. It is complemented by a recreated village on site. A wood-sculptured bird unearthed there is the earliest cultural relic in Shenyang, as well as one of oldest wood sculptures found anywhere in the world. The City of Shenyang was first established by Qin Kai, a general of Yan in the Warring States period about 300 BCE. It was at that time named Hou City. It became known as the Shen Prefecture in the Jin dynasty and Shenyang Circuit in the Yuan dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, it became Shenyang Zhongwei.
Geography and climate
Shenyang ranges in latitude from 41° 11' to 43° 02' N and in longitude from 122° 25' to 123° 48' E, and is located in the central part of Liaoning Province. The western parts of the city's administrative area are located on the alluvial plainof the Liao River, while the eastern part consists of the hinterlands of the Changbai Mountains, and is covered with forests. The highest point in Shenyang is 414 meters (1,358 ft) and the lowest point only 7 meters (23 ft). The main urban area is located to the north of Hun River, a major tributary of the Liao River. The average elevation of the urban area is 45 meters (148 ft). North Canal and South Canal flow to the north and south of the urban area respectively, which follows the historic course of Hun River.
The four seasons here are distinctive. Nearly half of the annual rainfall occurs in July and August. Annual average is 8.39 °C (47.1 °F). The frost-free period is 183 days. The city receives 2,468 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Districts and zones
In general, agriculture, animal husbandry, and agricultural product processing dominate northeastern Shenyang; eastern Shenyang is an auto parts hub; southern Shenyang is a high-tech industrial base; and western Shenyang is home to heavy machinery manufacturing. The city center specializes in retail and financial services.
The sub-provincial city of Shenyang has direct jurisdiction over 9 districts, 1 county-level cities and 3 Counties.
Economy
Shenyang is an important industrial center in China and is the core city of Shenyang Economic Zone, a New Special Reform Zone. It has been focused on heavy industry, particularly aerospace, machine tools, heavy equipment and defense, and recently on software, automotive and electronics. The heavy industry started in the 1920s and was well developed before the Second World War. During the first five-year plan (1951–1956) many factories were built in Tie xi district. At its peak in the 1970s, Shenyang was one of the top three industrial centers in China, alongside Shanghai and Tianjin. After the 1980s, the heavy industry had declined gradually and the city became a rust-belt city. However, the economy of the city has revived significantly in recent years, thanks to the central government's "Revitalize Northeast China" campaign and the rapid development of software and auto manufacture industries. Investment subsidies are granted to multinational corporations (MNCs) that set up offices or headquarters in Shenyang.
Meanwhile, the services sector—especially banking—has been developing in Shenyang. Shenyang has a few foreign banks, such as South Korea's Hana Bank, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ of Japan. Hong Kong's Bank of East Asia Ltd., Singapore's United Overseas Bank Ltd., and HSBC Holdings. In 2006, the city hosted a total of 1,063 banks and bank branches and 144 insurance-related companies. By 2010, it aims to attract 30 foreign banks and 60 non-bank financial institutions.
The city has been identified by the Economist Intelligence Unit in the November 2010 Access China White Paper a member of the CHAMPS (Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Maanshan, Pingdingshan and Shenyang), an economic profile of the top 20 emerging cities in China.
Transportation
As the transport hub of Northeast China, Shenyang is served by air, rail, a two-line subway system and an extensive network of streets and expressways, with bus service throughout the city. Terminal 3 at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport is the largest terminal in the northeast China. A new tram network system was built in the city's south in 2013.
Research and education
Shenyang has one of the highest concentrations of educational institutes in China. Roughly 30 colleges and universities and numerous research and training institutions are located in Shenyang, including core institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Population: 8.1million
Temperature: average 8.39 ℃ (47.1℉)
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