Liáoníng

Introducing Liáoníng

Beaches, borders and bridges – those are the highlights of a visit to Liáoníng, the gateway to China’s northeast, in the region formerly known as Manchuria.

For beaches, head to the seaside city of Dàlián, where stretches of sand lure sun-seekers and restaurants specialise in fresh seafood. Nicknamed ‘Hong Kong of the North’, fast-growing Dàlián is managing to retain some grand early-20th-century buildings and peaceful parklands even as skyscrapers continue to sprout up. Shopping is a favourite pastime here, with modern malls all around town.

For borders, go east, where Liáoníng meets North Korea. Dāndōng, just across the river from the North Korean city of Sinuiju, draws visitors hoping for a peek at the closed society on the opposite bank. There’s not much to look at, but Dāndōng itself offers a mix of Chinese and Korean culture, and just outside the city is the easternmost stretch of the Great Wall, a restored section that still sees comparatively few tourists.

If it’s bridges you’re after, both Dāndōng and the provincial capital of Shěnyáng oblige. In Dāndōng, a bridge to North Korea ends suddenly mid-river, the result of US bombing in the 1950s. In Shěnyáng, bridges take on a more light-hearted tone, at least if you swing on the hilarious suspended ones in the Shenyang Botanical Garden. Though it’s a frenzied modern metropolis, Shěnyáng also lures history buffs with its majestic Imperial Palace; its serene temples, tombs and pagodas; and its intriguing museum about the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s.

Last updated: Jul 22, 2009