History & Culture
History of Shenyang
Shenyang lies on the north bank of the Hun River (known as Shenshui in ancient times; that is how Shenyang got its name). According to textual research on the Xinle Site, the ancestors of Shenyangers lived here in 7200 BC. From 300 BC, when the Yan Kingdom dispatched General Qin Kai to station troops here for border defence, the general founded Hou City. Shenyang has a history of more than 2,300 years. It is called ‘the birthplace of one dynasty and the capital of two generations of kings’. In 1625, the founder of the Qing Kingdom,Nurhaci,moved the capital here and changed the name to Shengjing. In 1636, the son of Nurhaci changed the name of his kingdom to ‘Qing’ and established the Qing Dynasty. In 1644, when the Qing troops crossed the Gate of Shanhaiguan and made Beijing the capital, Shenyang became the second capital. In 1657, Fengguan Fu (Government office) was set up. In 1945, when the Anti-Janpanese War was over,the city’s name was changed to Shenyang.
Imperial Palace
The Mukden Palace or Shenyang Gugong (simplified Chinese: 沈阳故宫;pinyin:Shěnyáng Gùgōng),also known as the Shenyang Imperial Palace,is the former imperial palace of the early Qing Dynasty of China.
It was built in 1625 and the first three Qing emperors lived there from 1625 to 1644. It is located in the centre of the city of Mukden, Manchuria (Shenyang, China).
The Mukden Palace was built to resemble the Forbidden City in Beijing. However, the palace also exhibits hints of Manchurian and Tibetan styles.
After the Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty in 1644 in Beijing, the Mukden palace lost its status as the offical residence of the Emperor. Instead, the Mukden Palace became a regional palace.
In 1780, Emperor Qianlong further expanded the palace. Successive Qing dynasty emperors usually stayed at Mukden Palace for some time each year.
In 1955, Mukden Palace was converted into the Shenyang Palace Museum.
In 2004, it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an extension of the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties site in Beijing.
