Shenyang is the economic, cultural, communications, trade and commercial hub of the Northeastern region of China. It is also a city of historical importance. Shenyang is located at the center of the Northeast Asian economic ring and the Bohai economic ring, so it has strategic importance. With its advantageous geographical position, Shenyang has tremendous potential to be a driving force for the whole country as well as Northeast Asia.
Shenyang is located in the central part of Liaoning Province in the heart of Northeast Asia. It sits at the base of the Liaodong Peninsula. Within a diameter of 150 kilometers around Shenyang are 7 large cities with a concentration of foundation and processing industries, forming a cluster of cities rich in resources, strong complementary structures and highly connected technology.
Shenyang is the largest city in Northeast China with a population of 7.2 million people. This ancient city is over 2,000 years old and is a thriving cultural and industrial center in the Liaoning Province. Thirty-eight of China's fifty-eight recognized ethnic groups reside in Shenyang. The city covers 12,924 sq kilometers, including five city districts (Dadong, Heping, Huanggu, Shenhe, and Tiexi) and eight outer districts (Yuhong, Sujiatun, Dongling, Shenbei, Xinmin, Faku, Kangpin, and Liaozhong).
Shenyang is located where the Liaohe Plain meets the Changbai Mountains. To the west is a vast expanse of plain, and to the east is a mountainous region covered with green forests and plants. Shenyang has a temperate sub-humid continental climate. Under the influence of a monsoon season, rainfall is concentrated and its four seasons are distinctive. The annual mean temperature is 8.3 degrees Celsius with the lowest at -28.5 degrees Celsius and highest at +36.1 degrees Celsius. Its annual precipitation is 501.5 mm and it enjoys 183 frost-free days. The region is enveloped in silvery white in the Winter, permeated with the fragrance of flowers in the Spring, covered with verdant greenery in summer and has clear skies and crisp air in autumn.
Shenyang is rich in natural resources. It has 147,000 hectares of forest and 82,000 hectares of pastureland. The total amount of water resources are 3,260,000,000 cubic meters, including 1,140,000,000 cubic meters of surface water and 2,120,000,000 cubic meters of underground water. Thirty-six kinds of minerals have been discovered, and among them, the deposits of 13 types of minerals has been ascertained, including 200,000,000 tons of coal and 10,700,000,000 cubic meters of natural gas.
Shenyang has been focused on heavy industry, particularly aerospace, machine tools, heavy equipment, and defense, and recently, on software, automotive, and electronics. Many of the major industrial companies have their headquarters located in Shenyang. Brilliance China Auto is a major Chinese automobile manufacturer. Most of its production plants are also located in Shenyang. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation produces airplanes for civilian uses as well as for military for the PLAAF. Neusoft Group is the biggest software company in China. And Shenyang Machine Tool Group is the largest machine tool manufacturer in China.
Shenyang is the transportation hub of Northeast Asia. Superhighways extend in all directions, not only connecting all cities of the province, but also cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Changchun, and Harbin. Shenyang has one of the heaviest traffic hubs of railway in China, 6 tracks intersect here reaching practically the entire country. The rail here is also the only access to DPRK and Russia internationally. Shenyang Talxian International Airport is the largest airport in the Northeast. It has airlines connecting 58 domestic cities and countries and regions, such as ROK, Japan, Russia, Thailand, United States, France, Australia, and more. Plans are also in the works to connect Shenyang with high-speed rail.
