Shenyang city - China

Shenyang (simplified Chinese: 沈阳; pinyin: Shěnyáng; is a sub-provincial city and capital of Liaoning province in Northeast China. The city was also known as Shengjing (盛京) or Fengtianfu (奉天府). Shenyang was first used by the Manchu people as capital in the 17th century and is today the biggest city in northeastern China.
Along with its nearby cities Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial center of China's northeastern region–particularly with Japan, Russia, and Korea.
A titan of heavy industry since the 1930s, Shenyang has been diversifying its industry and now boasts a solid industrial foundation, a good land and air transport network, abundant natural resources, and a skilled workforce. Investment subsidies are granted to multinational corporations (MNCs) that set up offices or headquarters in Shenyang.
The sub-provincial city region includes the metropolitan area of Shenyang proper, Xinmin county-level city, and three counties.
Shenyang dialect
People native to Shenyang speak the Shenyang Dialect, a variant of Northeastern Mandarin. The Shenyang Dialect is very similar to the other Northeastern Dialects and it is also very close to the Standard Mandarin dialect but has some very distinctive words that the standard Mandarin doesn't have. Some people prefer to think of it as a strong accent rather than a different dialect. Shenyang dialect is used heavily by several famous skit actors such as Zhao Benshan in their performance, and has become a stereotype for northeast natives.
Art
Two northeast folk dances, Er Ren Zhuan and Yang Ge, are very popular in Shenyang. Dawutai Theatre is famous for its Er Ren Zhuan and Chinese skit performances by Zhao Benshan and his students.
Shenyang is home of many performance art organizations, such as Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe of China, Liao Ning Song and Dance Ensemble, and Liaoning Ballet. Many artists are from Shenyang, such as Zimei, Na Ying and the pianist Lang Lang.
Museums
9.18 Incident MuseumLiaoning Provincial Museum, the largest museum in north-eastern China. The museum hold many relics from Manchuria's past, including a selection of inscriptions in Chinese and Khitan.
Shenyang Steam Locomotive Museum, with 16 steam engines from America, Japan, Russia, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and China. The 9.18 Incident Museum, a museum in memory of Mukden Incident. The museum has a shape of an opened calendar, and is located on the site where the Japanese troops destroyed the South Manchuria Railway, the prelude to the invasion of Manchuria.
The Xinle Relic, located on the location where the Xinle civilisation was first discovered, containing a reconstructed Xinle settlement and housing artefacts discovered there.
Sports
Shenyang is famous for its football tradition. The local football team is the Liaoning F.C., in the Chinese Super League. Another Chinese Super League team, Shenyang Jinde moved to Changsha in 2007. Shenyang Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was a venue for the football preliminary of 2008 Summer Olympics.
Shenyang Sport University is a famous professional sports university in China. The university is the training base for winter sports in China and has many Olympic champions.
Attractions
Mukden Palace: the former imperial palace of the early Qing Dynasty. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dongling: the tomb of the first Qing emperor, Nurhaci. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Beiling Park and Zhaoling: the tomb of the second Qing emperor, Huang Taiji. The park covers an area of 3,300,000 sq. meters, and is serviced by trams for visitors who do not wish to (or cannot) traverse the length of the park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
World Horticulture Exposition garden: hosted the International Horticultural Exposition in 2006.
Qipan Mountain, Qipanshan: a recreation resort in the east of Shenyang.
Liaoning Provincial Museum： It displays a variety of artifacts that include some of the earliest forms of writing known to man.
Shenyang Botanical Garden, a peaceful garden giving priority to botanical research. The garden locates at Dongling District of Shenyang, and covers an area of 211 ha. There are altogether over 1700 kinds of plants, especially from the northeast (Manchuria) region. There are also several large-scale flower exhibitions every year: tulip in May; peony and fleur-de-lis in June, Lily in July, Dahlia in August, and Chrysanthemum in September.
Shenyang Meteorite Mountain Park, located in the southeast of Shenyang in Dongling district. The biggest meteorite lies on the Huashitai Mountain of Lixiang County of Dongling District, and it is 160 m long, 54 m wide, 42 high and about 2 million tones in weight. It is the oldest meteorite in the world which was formed 4.5 billion years ago and fallen into the Earth 1.9 billion years ago.
Xiaonan Cathedral of Shenyang: the construction of the cathedral started in 1875 and finished in 1878.