shenyang: where history and industry collide (and it's freezing)
so here i am in shenyang. don't ask how long it took to get here or why my socks are damp. things are... happening. the weather app says it's currently -1.97°C, feels like -4.75°C. yeah, i just checked and it's... well, there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. honestly, my fingers don't.
shenyang's this giant sprawl in liaoning province, north china. it's called the city north of the shen river (which is now the hun river-confusing, i know). 12,980 km² of mostly flat land west of the liao river and forested mountains east. someone told me the soil's fertile, which is great if you're into farming or just not stepping in holes.
history-wise? it's been kicking around for 7,000-8,000 years. got started as hou city in 300 bc, then got abandoned. later became a mongol trading hub and then the manchu capital (mukden or fengtian-pick a name). it's all about that heavy industry vibe now: metal smelting, coal mining, petrochemicals. basically, if it's dirty and industrial, they probably do it here.
climate? northern temperate continental. fancy way of saying brutal winters, hot summers, and monsoons that probably ruin picnics. they call it a "green city" because of parks along the hun river and canals-south canal, xinkai river, weigong river. but let's be real: the industries have trashed the air, water, and soil. someone told me the pollution's so bad sometimes you can taste it. they're trying to fix it with UN help, but i saw a factory smokestack on the way here that looked like it was actively mocking me.
if you get bored, beijing's about 500 miles south (5 hours on high-speed rail), dandong's 1.5 hours away, and you can hop to dalian, changchun, harbin, or fushun via railways. convenient if you need to escape the industrial vibes. hunnan district's where the municipal government moved in 2015, in case you care about municipal stuff.
attractions? there's the shenyang imperial palace-old manchu history stuff. botanical garden and expo garden (hosted a flower expo in 2006) in hunnan. parks along the water, which are... green. also, a north korean consulate. because nothing says "fun vacation" like proximity to geopolitical tension.
population's over 8 million. it's the industrial, commercial, transport hub of dongbei-aka manchuria. diverse mix of manchu heritage and industrialization. culture-wise, it's all about being a railway and economic gateway to japan, russia, korea, and north korea. exciting, right?
things to know: bring a parka. winters are harsh. pollution's a real issue, so maybe don't breathe too deeply. transport's decent with high-speed rail and airports, but industrial zones make the air... interesting. someone told me the city's trying to be more eco-friendly, but i saw a river that looked like it gave up years ago.
distinctive? shenyang's the geographical center of northeast asia. core of the northeast asia economic circle and bohai economic rim. one of china's chief industrial centers for steel, coal, and chemicals. it's this weird mix of manchu history, green waterways, and pollution-challenged megacity. sixth-largest urban core in china. satellite pics show snow-covered industrial landscapes-looks like dystopian christmas.
yeah. that's shenyang. it's big, it's cold, it's industrial, and someone told me the food might be good? but the search results didn't say. so... maybe pack snacks. and a gas mask.
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