Sights in Liáoníng
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Shenyang Botanical Garden
These rambling gardens are filled with plants and flowers native to northeastern China. Special exhibitions highlight tulips (May), peonies (June) and chrysanthemums (October). Even more entertaining than the vegetation are the nearly 50 bridges suspended across a shallow river that visitors try to traverse. There are narrow log bridges - like over-water balance beams - as well as rolling barrels, swinging bridges, floating rafts and more.
Cross if you dare; you'll likely end up in the water!
Trains run about once an hour from the north and south stations to the Botanical Garden (30 minutes), about 20km east of the city centre.
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18 September History Museum
There's an obvious propagandic purpose to this museum, but the hundreds of photographs, sculptures, paintings and dioramas are informative on this notorious part of China's modern history. English captions are limited. Bus 325 from the north train station stops in front. The museum is about 2km northeast from the town centre.
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North Tomb
Another Shěnyáng highlight is this extensive tomb complex, the burial place of Huang Taiji (1592–1643), founder of the Qing dynasty. The tomb's animal statues lead up to the central mound known as the Luminous Tomb (Zhāo Líng).
In many ways a better-preserved complex than the Imperial Palace, the tomb site is worth a few hours examining the dozens of buildings with their traditional architecture and ornamentation. Lóng'ēn Hall is a particularly fine structure, and as you circumambulate the base observe the richness of traditional symbols (peonies, vases, lucky clouds) carved in relief.
The North Tomb sits a few kilometres north of town inside expansive Běi Líng Park…
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Zhongshan Sq
This is Dàlián's hub, with grand buildings, mostly from the early 1900s, encircling a huge roundabout. Dàlián Bīnguǎn, a dignified hotel on the square's south side, appeared in the movie The Last Emperor.
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Imperial Palace
Shěnyáng's main attraction is this impressive palace complex, which resembles a small-scale Forbidden City. Constructed between 1625 and 1636 by Manchu emperor Nurhachi (1559–1626) and his son, Huang Taiji, the palace served as the residence of the Qing-dynasty rulers until 1644.
The central courtyard buildings include ornate ceremonial halls and imperial living quarters, including a royal baby cradle. In all, there are 114 buildings, not all of which are open to the public.
Don't miss the double-eaved octagonal Dàzhèng Hall (at the rear of the complex), which has two gold dragons curled around the pillars at the entrance, a deep interior plafond ceiling and an elabor…
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Dalian Modern Museum
With exhibits like 'Dalian: A City Without Traffic Jams', the gleaming Dalian Modern Museum resembles a regional public-relations campaign, but it's still a fascinating look at the city's recent (and forthcoming) urban developments.
The museum is near Xinghai Sq, in the southwest of the city. Take bus 23 to the Exhibition Centre stop, about a 20-minute ride from Zhongshan Sq.
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Pagoda Of Buddhist Ashes
This 13-storey brick pagoda dates back to AD 1044. A small museum on the peaceful grounds includes relics removed from inside the pagoda. Take bus 205 from the North Tomb or the south train station and get off at the corner of Taiwan Jie and Ningshan Lu. Walk north, cross the bridge and turn right. The pagoda is a three-minute walk north of here. Look for a red gate on the right.
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Bàngchuídǎo Jǐngqū beach
Five kilometres southeast of the city centre is Bàngchuídǎo Jǐngqū beach, a secluded sandy beach on the grounds of Bàngchuídǎo Bīnguǎn, a hotel complex that's a long-time favourite with top-ranking Communist Party members. Unfortunately, there's no bus service to this area; a taxi from town will cost about Y20.
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Golden Stone Beach
The coast around Golden Stone Beach, 60km north of the city, is in the process of being turned into a domestic tourist mecca with a number of theme parks, and rock formations commanding inflated entrance fees. The long pebbly beach itself is free and quite pretty, set in a wide bay with distant headlands.
To get there take the light rail, known by the locals as Line 3 (轻轨三号线; Qīngguǐ Sānhàoxiàn), from the depot on the east side of Triumph Plaza, behind the Dàlián train station (Y8, 50 minutes). From the beach station it's a 10-minute walk to the beach, or catch a tourist shuttle bus (Y20, 30 minutes) which winds round the coast first before dropping you off at the beach. T…
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Liáoníng Provincial Museum
Three floors of exhibits highlight the region's prehistoric culture, Liao- dynasty ceramics, ancient Chinese money and carved stone tablets illustrating the evolution of Chinese calligraphy.
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Tiger Beach Park
Tiger Beach Park has a massive carved-marble tiger sculpture, a small beach and a snazzy amusement park. On either side of the park the coastal road provides excellent views of the ragged cliffs and crashing waves. Buses 30 and 712 from Zhongshan Sq travel to Tiger Beach Park (Y1, 20 to 30 minutes).
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Dazheng Hall
Don't miss the octagonal Dazheng Hall with its coffered ceiling and elaborate throne, where Nurhachi's grandson, Emperor Shunzhi, was crowned. The central courtyard buildings include ornate ceremonial halls and imperial living quarters, including a royal baby cradle.
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Labour Park
In the centre of this hilly park is a giant football, a reminder of the time at the turn of the century when the local soccer team, Dàlián Shi'de, was the best in China. There are good views of the city from the TV Tower.
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East Tomb
Also known as Fú Líng, this smaller tomb complex is the final resting place of Nurhachi and his mistress. It's 15km east of the city centre. Take bus 218 (45 minutes) from the Imperial Palace.
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Friendship Sqare
West of Zhongshan Sq, Friendship Sqare is a traffic circle that surrounds a Dàlián landmark - a vast spheroid that's illuminated like a giant disco ball at night.
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Fujiazhuang Beach
A good swimming spot is Fujiazhuang Beach, a deep bay with pebbly sand. Take bus 401 (Y1, 20 to 30 minutes) from the northwest corner of Jiefang Lu and Zhongshan Lu.
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Tiger Mountain Great Wall
About 12km northeast of Dāndōng, this steep, restored stretch of the wall, known as Tiger Mountain Great Wall, was built during the Ming dynasty and runs parallel to the North Korean border. Unlike other sections of the wall, this one sees comparatively few tourists.
The wall ends at a small museum with a few weapons, vases and wartime dioramas. From here three paths loop back to the entrance. Avoid heading right, as it's simply a road. Going left you can either follow the river on a narrow dirt path (North Korea is just on the other side) or climb back up the wall stairs and look for a path on the right that literally runs along the cliff face. There are some good scram…
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Southwest Coastline
Dàlián's southwest coast is dotted with pleasant beaches that boast both a laid-back community feel and a subtly exotic distinction. At Fùjiāzhuāng Beach , a popular beach set in a deep bay, junks float just offshore, small broken islands dot the horizon, and loads of families can be seen having fun. Take bus 5 from Jiefang Lu (Y1, 20 to 30 minutes) and get off at the square across from the beach.
From Fùjiāzhuāng you can walk to Xīnghǎi Sq along a combination of sidewalks and boardwalks that runs along the contours of the coast. At Xīnghǎi Sq, which is sporting some heady architecture these days, the path crosses a pedestrian bridge, widens and continues for ano…
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North Korean Border
For views of the border, stroll along the riverfront Yālùjiāng Park that faces the North Korean city of Sinuiju.
In 1950, during the Korean War, American troops 'accidentally' bombed the original steel-span bridge between the two countries. The North Koreans dismantled the bridge less than halfway across the river, leaving a row of support columns. You can wander along the shrapnel-pockmarked Broken Bridge and get within the distance of a good toss of a baseball to the North Korea shoreline. The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, the official border crossing between China and North Korea, is next to the old one, and trains and trucks rumble across it on a regular basis.
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Museum to Commemorate US Aggression
With everything from statistics to shells, this comprehensive museum offers Chinese and North Korean perspectives – they won it! – on the war with the US-led UN forces (1950–53). There are good English captions here. The adjacent North Korean War Memorial Column was built 53m high, symbolising the year the Korean War ended.
A taxi here will cost Y7 from downtown, or you can walk there as part of a trip to the pagoda. From the entrance to the park on Shanshang Jie, it's about 1.5km to the entrance to the memorial.
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Jǐnjiāng Pagoda
The highest point around for miles, the pagoda sits atop Jǐnjiāngshān in a park of the same name. The views across to North Korea are unparalleled and the park itself (a former military zone) is a well-tended expanse of forested slopes. You can take a taxi to the entrance or easily walk there in 20 minutes from the train station, though it's another steep kilometre uphill to the pagoda.
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Huáng Sìmiào
This Buddhist complex was first built in 1636 and houses the remains of a high-ranking monk. Probably more interesting are the large black statues outside the temple representing all the Qing-dynasty emperors.
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Expo Garden
These vast gardens on the eastern outskirts of Shěnyáng have dozens of elaborate exhibition gardens featuring plants and flowers from almost every region of China, as well as some from overseas. With restaurants and snack stops scattered throughout, you can easily spend a day wandering.
Trains leave the north station at 6.15am and 9.15am (Y3.50, 30 minutes) and return at 6.15pm and 7.30pm, but you can catch bus 168 back to the city or a taxi (Y50 to Y70).
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