Liaoning Province | China Travel Guide
Liaoning Province
Introduction
Location
History
Liaoning Province Cities
Liaoning: Introduction
Liaoning (Mandarin: 辽宁, liáoníng) is the smallest, most populated and wealthiest of the three provinces that make up China’s Dongbei (Northeast) region (the other two being Jilin province and Heilongjiang province).
The region is home to many ethnic Koreans due to its close proximity to North Korea.
It was also a hotbed of activity for Chinese, Korean and Russian guerilla fighters opposing the Japanese occupation of the province and its surrounding regions.
Liaoning: Location
Liaoning province borders Inner Mongolia to the north, Jilin province to the east, the North Korean city of Sinuiju to the south and Hebei province to the west.
It also contains the Liaodong Peninsula, which stretches into the Yellow Sea to the southwest.
Liaoning is the southernmost province in China’s Dongbei (Northeast) region.
The capital city, Shenyang, can be easily reached by train from Beijing.
Those of you who have taken a train into North Korea from Beijing may recognize this province on the map and will have passed through several cities in Liaoning as it is the province where you exit China and enter into Sinuiju, North Korea from the Chinese border city of Dandong.
Liaoning: History
There are many significant sites and locations in Liaoning that relate to Korean history. This includes the founding site of the Koguryo Kingdom in Benxi, and its second capital near Ji’an.
The Dongbei region was previously referred to as Manchuria, a region controlled by the Manchu population.
It then became the site of a Russian and Japanese power struggle for influence in the region, resulting in the full occupation of Manchuria by Japanese imperial forces.
From then, it became known as Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan.
This occupation ended with the Japanese surrender in WWII when control was given to Chinese Communists by the Soviet Union.
Subsequently, it became a major site of clashes between the Communists and the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War.
It’s proximity to North Korea also resulted in large numbers of the Dongbei population volunteering to join the Korean War and fight against the impending American influence along its southern border.
Liaoning Province Cities
There are several things to do and see throughout Liaoning province. 
Here’s a short list of the main cities and their highlights:
- Shenyang – The capital city of the province, the main hub of trade and industry with a large Korean population and the world’s second-largest Koreatown.
- Dandong – The main overland port for North Korean-Chinese trade and tourism and a city with a heavy Korean influence.
- Benxi – The founding site and first capital of the Koguryo Kingdom and a region brimming with natural wonders.
- Dalian – Located on the Liaodong Peninsula, surrounded by the northern waters of the Yellow Sea.
Interested in learning more about this region of China?
Check out this blog about Shenyang.
Koryo Tours
China Travel Guide
Share