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: 41°16′N 123°11′E / 41.267°N 123.183°E / 41.267; 123.183Coordinates: 41°16′N 123°11′E / 41.267°N 123.183°E / 41.267; 123.183
Country	China
Province	Liaoning
City Seat	Liaoyang County
Districts	List Baita District Wensheng District Hongwei District Gongchangling District Taizihe District Dengta City Liaoyang County
Government
- CPC Anshan	Sun Yuan-liang Committee Secretary
- Mayor	Tang Zhiguo
Area
- Total	4,731 km2 (1,826.6 sq mi)
Population
- Total	1,820,000
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 with a current population of 1,820,000. 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.

History

White Pagoda (baita)

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]

• Baita District (simplified Chinese: 白塔区; pinyin: Báitǎ Qū), has an area of 22 square kilometers and population of 220,000.
• Wensheng District (simplified Chinese: 文圣区; pinyin: Wénshèng Qū), has an area of 50 square kilometers, population 170,000.
• Hongwei District (simplified Chinese: 宏伟区; pinyin: Hóngwěi Qū), has an area of 66 square kilometers, population 110,000.
• Gongchangling District (simplified Chinese: 弓长岭区; pinyin: Gōngchánglǐng Qū), has an area of 285 square kilometers, population 90,000.
• Taizihe District (simplified Chinese: 太子河区; pinyin: Tàizǐhé Qū), has an area of 150 square kilometers, population 120,000.
• Dengta City (simplified Chinese: 灯塔市; pinyin: Dēngtǎ Shì), has an area of 1,349 square kilometers, population 500,000.
• Liaoyang County (simplified Chinese: 辽阳县; pinyin: Liáoyáng Xiàn), has an area of 2,822 square kilometers, population 600,000.

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

• Cao Xueqin, the author of Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng, 红楼梦).

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Liaoyang is twinned with:

• Los Gatos, California, United States
• Haman, South Korea

External links

• The Liaoyang Government website
• Brief description of Liaoyang White Pagoda and a few pictures
• Information about infrastructure, service facilities and tourism
• Article about Liaoyang at the Encyclopaedia Britannica, with much about the history

References

v • d • e Liaoning Province History • Politics • Economy Sub-provincial cities Dalian • Shenyang Prefecture-level cities Anshan • Benxi • Chaoyang • Dandong • Fushun • Fuxin • Huludao • Jinzhou • Liaoyang • Panjin • Tieling • Yingkou See also: List of Liaoning County-level divisions