Liaoyang

Liaoyang
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
 • Simplified 辽阳
 • Traditional 遼陽
 • Pinyin Liáoyáng
Location of Liaoyang in Liaoning
Liaoyang
Location within China
Coordinates:
Country China
Province Liaoning
City Seat Liaoyang County
Districts
Government
 • CPC Anshan Sun Yuan-liang Committee Secretary
 • Mayor Tang Zhiguo
Area
 • Prefecture-level city 4,731 km2 (1,826.6 sq mi)
 • Urban 210 km2 (81.1 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
 • Prefecture-level city 1,859,768
 • Density 393.1/km2 (1,018.1/sq mi)
 • Urban 527,850
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s) 419
Website http://www.liaoyang.gov.cn

Liaoyang (simplified Chinese: 辽阳; traditional Chinese: 遼陽; pinyin: Liáoyáng) is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River and forms with Anshan a built up area of 2,057,200 inhabitants in 2010. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang by car. Liaoyang is home to Liaoning University's College of Foreign Studies and a number of vocational colleges. The city hosts a limited number of professional basketball and volleyball games in a modern sports facility.

Contents

History

Liaoyang is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in northeast China. The city has a number of sites of historical interest. Among these is the White Pagoda (baita), which dates back to the Yuan dynasty. The Liaoyang White Pagoda sits in White Pagoda Park.

Between 1621 and 1625, Liaoyang (then called Dongjing) was the capital of the Later Jin Dynasty, which at the time already ruled all of Manchuria (Dongbei, i.e., "the Northeast", in Chinese) and was to change its name to Qing soon. The Emperor Nurhaci moved the capitol to Shenyang in 1625.

Liaoyang was the site of the Battle of Liaoyang (August 24-September 4, 1904), which was one of the major battles of the Russo-Japanese War.

Administrative divisions

Within Liaoyang prefecture there is 1 county, 5 districts and 1 city.[1]

Map
# Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2003 est.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
1 Baita District 白塔区 Báitǎ Qū 210,000 24 8,750
2 Wensheng District 文圣区 Wénshèng Qū 180,000 38 4,737
3 Hongwei District 宏伟区 Hóngwěi Qū 110,000 59 1,864
4 Gongchangling District 弓长岭区 Gōngchánglǐng Qū 90,000 288 313
5 Taizihe District 太子河区 Tàizǐhé Qū 120,000 148 811
6 Dengta City 灯塔市 Dēngtǎ Shì 510,000 1,331 383
7 Liaoyang County 辽阳县 Liáoyáng Xiàn 590,000 2,853 207

Tourism

Although the lack of greenspace throughout the city is noticeable, there are a few historical sites to be visited. The LiaoYang museum - built in 1921 and open to public since 1984 - contains many antiques. The temple surrounding BaiTa (White Pagoda) was destroyed during WWII and recreated to become one of LiaoYang's main tourism attraction in recent years. Other tourist attractions in LiaoYang include memorial sites and old cities. In the downtown area busy shopping malls can be found. The shopping area includes a total of 5 malls and traffic-free streets with many Chinese brand name stores. Within the malls, you can find unique stores and cheap goods. On the streets, there are many interesting and delicious regional snacks. Also in the shopping area is a street with many Korean BBQ restaurants (street name?). Further afield, you'll find many more different types of Chinese restaurants including Huo Jia Jiaozi, a traditional dumpling restaurant. Also look for Ming Du Sangna, a place where the wealthy elite meet for a bath.

Famous people from Liaoyang

Military

Liaoyang is headquarters of the 39th Mechanized Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the three group armies that comprise the Shenyang Military Region responsible for defending China's northeastern borders with Russia and North Korea.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Twin towns — Sister cities

Liaoyang is twinned with:

External links

References

  1. ^ Liaoyang Municipal Government (2007-07-03). "辽阳市人民政府网站" (in Chinese). http://www.liaoyang.gov.cn/view071.asp?id=6436&flbs=1. Retrieved 2008-05-30.