Shenyang

Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, lies in its central part. It is located on the Hun River, a tributary of the Liao River, on a fertile plain. It is one of China's heavy-industrial centers and the largest industrial city in northeast China, occupying 12,980 square kilometers with a population of 6. 7 million. Its urban area is 3, 495square kilometers with a population of 3.3 million. Its four seasons are very distinctive. The annual average temperature is about 8. 1 ℃. It is hottest in August, averaging 23. 8 ℃ and coldest in January, averaging-8. 5 ℃. It rains mainly from June to August.
The city began to take shape back in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC24 AD) and was called Houcheng County. The rulers of the Liao Dynasty made Shenyang into an important military base in the 10th century. Later the Liao rulers were replaced by the JinDynasty rulers. A Jin Dynasty (265-420AD) ruler changed the name into Shenzhou. In 1296, the Yuan government rebuilt the city wall and renamed the town Shenyanglu. Nurhachi of Houjin (Qing) Dynasty moved his capital here in 1625. In 1634, it was renamed Shengjing. In 1644, the Qing army overran the Great Wall and a Qing government was established in Beijing. In 1657, it was renamed Fengtian (Mukden). It acquired its present name after the Revolution of1911. During the past 100 years, the fate of the city has largely been determined by foreign powers. In the spring of1946, the city was occupied by Kuomintang troops. On October 30,1948, the PLA succeeded in taking the city. Shenyang was ever the capital of northeast China, from 1949 --1954, northeast China was one of six large administrative regions into which China was divided at that time.