Shenyang Metropolitan Area

Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Benxi and Liaoyang: pre-Qing sites including the "one palace, three tombs", Goguryeo mountain fortresses and eastern Liaoning autumn maples.

This region corresponds to the Shenyang Metropolitan Area in Liaoning's three-region division and includes five prefecture-level cities: Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Benxi and Liaoyang, with counties such as Huanren and Xinbin belonging to Benxi and Fushun respectively. It should be noted that the official Shenyang Economic Zone also includes Yingkou, Fuxin and Tieling; here Yingkou is placed in Coastal Liaoning, and Fuxin and Tieling in Northwestern Liaoning. Shenyang was the capital of the Qing before it entered the Shanhai Pass; the Shenyang Imperial Palace, Fuling and Zhaoling are World Cultural Heritage sites, and the Zhang Family Mansion and Zhongjie Street offer a look at modern urban history. Xinbin in Fushun has the Qing Yongling Tomb and Hetu Ala City, the source of pre-Qing historical sites, and the Lei Feng Memorial Hall is also in Fushun. Benxi is known for the Benxi Water Cave and the autumn maples of Guanmenshan; Wunü Mountain City in Huanren is part of the World Heritage listing of the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom, and Huanren's scenery and ice wine are also distinctive. Qianshan in Anshan is a famed mountain of eastern Liaoning, Tanggangzi Hot Spring is suited to winter recuperation, and the White Pagoda of Liaoyang is an ancient Liao dynasty pagoda. A classic itinerary is two days in Shenyang, then a three-to-four-day loop east via Xinbin in Fushun or Huanren in Benxi. For transport, Shenyang Taoxian International Airport is the regional gateway, the Beijing–Harbin and Shenyang–Dandong high-speed railways connect Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi and other places, and the eastern mountains are well suited to self-driving. Late September to mid-October is the maple-viewing season; winters are bitterly cold, so drive carefully on icy mountain roads.

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Itineraries