Liaoning Province - Shenyang 沈阳市

The past dynasties have left the city a wealth of cultural relics, such as palaces, city walls, pagodas, temples, and town sites. The most famous is the Shenyang Imperial Palace. Built in 1625, it is the only existing integrated royal architectural complex in China besides the Forbidden City in Beijing. The palace was named the “accompanying capital” after 1644 when the Qing emperor Shunzhi moved the capital to Beijing. Scattered in the city’s four corners are four Tibetan Buddhist pagodas built in 1643, which are rare in China for their special layout. With carved Sanskrit and animal designs on the surface, the four pagodas were once taken as the symbol for good weather and peace. The stupa possesses great historical and artistic value as it shelters a gold-plating copper Buddhist sculpture of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, four gracefully-lined murals and a number of Buddha niches, porcelains, altars, silk fabrics, and scripture books. Efforts have been made to improve the conditions of Shenyang Imperial Palace, the Yongling, Fuling, and Zhaoling tombs to make it possible for these sites to have been included on the World Heritage List in July 2004. Historical relics are priceless treasures left by our ancestors, and we should hand them down. Shenyang is the howetown of soccer足球之乡in China.

Beiling Park, also known as Zhaoling 北陵，又称昭陵

Encompassing 180,000 square meters, Beiling (North Tomb), also known as Zhaoling, which was the resting place of Huang Taiji(1592-1643), founder of the Qing Dynasty. Workers have demolished different structures including hotels, restaurants, markets and parking lots. The surrounding area has been redesigned and the park has been restored to its original royal flavour. Restoring Beiling Park to its original look has been part of Shenyang’s efforts to protect the city’s cultural and historical relics. A new storehouse has been built in a corner of the palace grounds to house and preserve the large number of ancient words of calligraphy, paintings, porcelains, sculptures, enamel ware, jewels and stone vessels from the palace.

Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang 张学良故居

The Former residence of Zhang Xueliang, better known as Chang Hsueh-liang or Peter H. L. Chang opened to the public on August 1, 2003, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. Zhang’s home “the residence of the chief commander” was the political and military center of Northeast China at the beginning of the 20th century. The mansion, consisting of several buildings, and a garden was built in 1914 and is a classic hybrid of traditional Chinese architecture and Western style. Zhang Xueliang (1901-2001), was the most powerful man in Northeast China after his father Zhang Zuolin (1875-1928) was assassinated on June 4, 1928 by the Japanese. He survived difficult times, declared his support for Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang, and co-organized the 1936 and demanded he end the civil war in China and unite with the Communist Party to fight against Japanese aggression. Chiang Kai-shek was released unharmed after negotiations in which the late Premier Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) played a crucial role. However, Zhang was imprisoned by Chiang Kai-shek and spent decades under house arrest in Taiwan under the control of the Kuomintang.

The mansion, which encompasses 160,000 square meters, consists of two parts, east yard and west yard. The main buildings include small and big black buildings and one built for Miss Zhao Si. The larger of the two black buildings is one of the most important of the museum. It witnessed a series of important historical events such as Zhang’s decision to change flags and support Chiang Kai-shek and to kill two of his father’s followers, Yang Yuting and Chang Yinkui. The mansion was previously used as Liaoning Provincial Library. It was not until 1988 when Zhang’s mansion was listed as a cultural treasure under the protection of the provincial government. Sponsored by the Shenyang government, the renovation of the mansion began in 2001 at a cost of 60 million yuan (US $ 7 million). The museum staff searched the country for lost items, from telephones to photos. And General Zhang’s former chamberlain and servants were also invited to help restore the complex to its original design.

The Liaoning Province Department of Culture invested another 19 million yuan (US $ 2.3 million) to remove the surrounding houses and other inappropriate buildings around the mansion.

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