10 Days in Shenyang

Arrive by rail — Beijing runs about two-and-a-half hours on the 2021 line — and settle near Zhongjie, the retail rows that have run since 1625.

1. shenyang zhongjie

114 buildings across about 60,000 sqm, raised between 1625 and 1636 and UNESCO-listed in 2004; winter hours run 09:00-16:30 and Mondays close the complex.

1. Shenyang Imperial Palace (Mukden Palace)

The compound begun in 1914 for Zhang Zuolin (1875-1928) holds the dark-brick Daqing Tower and the courtyards of the younger marshal's years, two blocks west of the palace.

1. shenyang zhang mansion

The museum at Liutiaohu documents the night of 18 September 1931, with the Broken Calendar stele of 1991 at its gate; free entry, closed Mondays.

1. shenyang 918 museum

Opened in July 1949 as the Northeast Museum, the provincial museum runs free galleries across a big modern site in Hunnan — closed Mondays, so keep it on a weekday.

1. shenyang liaoning museum

Markets, laundry and the Hun river walkways south of the city — two-week pace starts here.

1. shenyang city markets

Zhaoling, the tomb of Huang Taiji (1592-1643), was built in 1643-1651 and entered the UNESCO imperial-tombs extension in 2004; metro Line 2 drops at the park gate.

1. shenyang zhaoling

Fuling, begun in 1629 for Nurhaci (1559-1626), joined the 2004 extension east of town; the Tiexi industrial museum opened in 2012 on a former foundry site.

1. shenyang fuling
2. shenyang industrial museum

A labelled neighbour day — Benxi is a separate prefecture about an hour southeast by rail or road. The water cave there runs a 3,000-metre underground river toured by boat, back to Shenyang by evening.

1. benxi

A last loop through the market quarter around the 1636 Huangsi temple and the Korean-dining streets of Xita, then the afternoon train out.

1. shenyang laobeishi
2. shenyang xita street