Shenyang 
cctv.com 08-10-2005 13:56
To learn about the present, we often look into the past. So, to learn about China, Shenyang is a place you definitely don鈥檛 want to miss. It was the capital during the early Qing dynasty and the founding base of Manchu culture. Today, we鈥檙e going to explore Shenyang, the old and the new. I鈥檓 Yin and welcome to Travelogue. Let鈥檚 go.
Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province, blends the perfect ingredients for an interesting journey. This city boasts an imperial palace, tombs of two former emperors, amazing acrobatics, a magical slope, drool-inducing delicacies, and a shopping district that will catch any girl鈥檚 eye.
Although a modern metropolis today, its golden years occurred at the dawn of the Qing dynasty in the 17th century, when the Manchu emperor Nurhachu crowned Shenyang as the new capital of Manchu Kingdom. Exploring Shenyang is like having the pages of your history textbook come to life.
Our first stop is Central Temple, the closest structure to the imperial palace.
43, 44, 45. It only took 45 steps to complete my walk around this temple. Although this temple is small, it doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not important. When the imperial palace was built, it was built around this temple, so as not to interfere with the temple. That鈥檚 why you see that bend there. So let鈥檚 take a look at the imperial palace.
Welcome to the emperor鈥檚 home in Shenyang. There are two big differences between the imperial palace in Beijing and the one in Shenyang. Let鈥檚 see if we can find them.
The Imperial palace was the first palace of the founders of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century鈥擭urhachi and his son Huang Taiji. It emerged as Shenyang's showcase structure.
Upon walking through the gate, the main architecture on the central axis is the Chong Zheng Dian where the emperor attended to political affairs. Inside is an emperor鈥檚 throne decorated with intricate dragons. Since the first legendary rulers, the Emperors of China have taken the dragon as the central image that symbolize the emperor鈥檚 authority.
