Liaoning

A short primer on Liaoning Province our current location. Our adventures to follow on Monday:

Liaoning, also known as the “Golden Triangle,” consists of an area of more than 145,900 square kilometers with borders including the Yellow Sea and the Bo Hai Sea. Liaoning has always been significant to China because of its strategic position by the seas and proximity to Korea.

The economy of Liaoning has historically focused on heavy industry. The city of Anshan, known for its steel and iron production, is called the Steel Capital of China. Liaoning also provides petroleum, natural gas, and salt to China. In addition, Liaoning has iron, diamond, and boron deposits that are mined.

Dalian, a beautiful city located on the Liaodong Peninsula, is a heavily developed city that is one of China’s major ports. Most recently, it hosted the World Economic Forum, or the Dalian Summer Talks. Other ports in Liaoning include Yingkou and Dandong.

Most of the apples and peaches that China exports are grown around Dalian. In addition to apples and peaches, Liaoning is known for producing maize, soybeans, peanuts, traditional Chinese medicine, and cotton.

The climate of Liaoning is cold during the winter months and warm and rainy during the summer months. Windy spring and fall seasons are short in comparison to summer and winter.

Liaoning can be divided into three geographical areas. The highlands, consisting of low hills including the Nulu’erhu Mountains, are located in the western portion of Liaoning. In the middle of Liaoning, flatlands with rivers such as the Liao, dominate. The eastern portion of Liaoning is mountainous and includes Mt. Huabozi, the highest point in the province.

The majority of the population of the approximately 40 million people who live in Liaoning are Han Chinese. Minorities include Manchu, Koreans, Hui, Mongols, and Xibe. Liaoning ranks 14th in population in China as of 2004.

During the early 1600s, the Manchu used Shenyang, the city that is now capital of Liaoning, as their capital and went on to conquer the rest of China to establish the Qing Dynasty. This dynasty lasted until 1911.

The 20th century was a turbulent time for Liaoning and China as a whole. Many of the important battles of the 1905 Russo-Japanese War were fought in Liaoning. The Japanese invaded the area in 1931 and would occupy Liaoning until the end of World War II in 1945. The Chinese Civil War erupted after the end of the War with some of the first important battles being fought in the Liaoning era. The Civil War ended with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Liaoning was created in 1954 by merging the provinces of Liaodong and Liaoxi with five other municipalities.

The Shenyang Imperial Palace, located in Shenyang, is a smaller version of the Forbidden City. Completed in 1636, the Shenyang Imperial Palace is more intact than is the Forbidden City today.

The Benxi Water Cave National Park hosts the largest water cave in Asia. The Benxi Water Cave National Park, consisting of 45 square kilometers, includes Mt. Tiecha, the Spa Temple, and Tanggou Valley. Mt. Tiecha, also known as Jui Ding, or Nine Tops, is thought to be where Taoism originated in northeast China.

In addition to being an important trade and manufacturing city, Dalian has beaches and hosts the Dalian Spring Fireworks Spring Fireworks Festival.