Discover Shenyang

Shenyang — known historically as Mukden — is one of China's oldest cities, with human habitation dating back over 7,000 years. The city rose to imperial prominence in the early 17th century when Nurhaci, the founding khan of the Later Jin (later Qing) dynasty, chose it as his capital in 1625. His son Hong Taiji expanded the Mukden Palace — a miniature Forbidden City — and transformed the city into the seat of Manchu power.

After the Qing court relocated to Beijing in 1644, Shenyang remained a sacred secondary capital for the dynasty. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city became a centre of geopolitical contestation between Russia and Japan, culminating in the pivotal 1905 Battle of Mukden during the Russo-Japanese War. On September 18, 1931, Japanese forces staged the Mukden Incident, using it as a pretext to occupy all of Manchuria — an event commemorated by the city's 9.18 History Museum.

After 1949, Shenyang became the industrial backbone of socialist China, earning the nickname "China's rust belt capital." Since the 1990s, government-led revitalisation has modernised the city, diversifying its economy into high-tech manufacturing, finance, and trade.