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Saturday 2 January 2016

Shenyang Part 1: Glimpses Of Shenyang


We arrived in Shenyang two days before Christmas. The temperature has dropped below freezing point but that was just the beginning of our cold wintry journey. We expected the weather to get harsher and colder as we headed for our ultimate destination, Harbin located 546km north of Shenyang. We have come to the coldest part of China mainly to see the International Ice And Snow Festival In Harbin. Shenyang was deemed a good start as it provided some kind of orientation to get adjusted to the extreme cold in Harbin. Though not necessary for some this certainly came in beneficial for people with cheimatophobia like me. Coming  from a country where the temperature perennially hovers around 30°C there was already a drastic drop of 36°C as the lowest temperature recorded in Shenyang on the day we arrived was -6°C. On the second day it reached a new low of -14°C.
Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province is also the largest city in northeast China in terms of urban population. (Northeast China was formerly Manchuria). With a history that spans a few centuries, this city is historically well-known as the birth place of the Qing Dynasty.
The city has obviously transformed. Modern buildings and high rises have taken over most parts of the city.  It is a very developed and modern city today.

Middle Street
Middle Street is the oldest commercial street in Shenyang, stretching 1.5km across a number of road junctions in the city centre. It is pedestrianized and is one of the places to get great bargains as many shops were having sales and the goods looked reasonably priced.
Architecture with Russian influence
Diagonally behind is Lao Bian Dumpling, a famous food chain in Shenyang.
Middle Street is a pedestrianized street.
A small store on a road off Middle Street
At a busy road junction where Middle Street cuts through
The street and shops were decorated for Christmas with Christmas songs belted out in English.That's an irony though, as you can hardly find anyone who speaks the language here.

Cloud Nine Shopping Mall
Cloud Nine Shopping Mall is just a two minutes walk from The Longemont Hotel where I stayed. It is a huge mall covering 300000 sq metres of retail, entertainment and dining space and Carrefour is one of the anchor tenants.

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