Shenyang

Shenyang Map

The past dynasties have lets the city a wealthe of cultural relics, such as palaces, city walls, pagodas, temples, and town sites. The most famusis the Shenyang Imperial Palace. Built in 1625, it is the only existing integrated royal architectural complex in China besides the Forbidden City in Beijing. The palace was named the "accompanying capital" after 1644 when the Qing emperor Shunzhi moved the capital to Beijing. Scattered in the city's four corners are four Tibetan Buddhist pagodas built in 1643, which are rare in China for their special layout. With carved Sanskrit and animal designs on the surface, the four pagodas were once taken as the symbol for good weather and peace. The stupa possesses great historical and artistic value as it shelters a gold-plating copper Buddhist sculpture of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism,
four gracefully-lined murals and a number of Buddha niches, porcelains, altars, silk fabrics, and scripture books. Efforts have been made to improve the conditions of Shenyang Imperial Palace, the Yongling, Fuhng, and Zhaoling tombs to make it possible for these sites to have been included on the World Heritage List in July 2004. Historical relics are priceless treasures leftby our ancestors, and we should hand them clown.