Shenyang: The Epicenter of Northeastern Indulgence – Scrub Baths, BBQ, and Bling, the Ultimate Dongbei Experience

If you enjoy urban travel as much as riding a donkey, then Shenyang, the most cost-effective provincial capital in China, is a must-visit destination for you.

It’s not just about the "1 RMB = 3 Shenyang bucks" unbeatable low prices, but also the richness of travel experiences, culinary delights, and transportation convenience, all of which stand out among provincial capitals.

© Tuchong H_king

Shenyang is often treated as a transit hub, with many considering it dull and boring, but once you get closer, you’ll find it like an endlessly fascinating book.

，

。

It’s the "birthplace of one dynasty and capital of two emperors" as Fengtian Shengjing, endured warlord conflicts, leaving behind a poignant and grand Republican-era history, and served as the "eldest son of the Republic," writing a monumental chapter in China’s heavy industrial development...

As the wheels of time roll heavily, this complex city now embraces a slow-paced life—bustling morning markets, locals greeting you warmly on the streets as if we’ve never been strangers.

Especially when snow falls in winter, adding a touch of antiquity and weight, it feels even more steeped in stories of time.

It’s also a hub for Northeastern snacks—the famous chicken skeleton, fried, grilled, boiled, or braised, never gets old, alongside Northeastern dishes, Korean flavors, barbecue, and Manchu traditional cuisine. Arrive hungry, and for less than 100 RMB, you’ll leave stuffed and satisfied.

And for friends from the southern corners like us, round-trip flights can sometimes cost just a few hundred, making it a full-value experience.

If forced to describe Shenyang in one word, I’d recall a friend who lived there for a year: "Shenyang is a city brimming with happiness!"

Come to Shenyang, where prices are low and happiness runs high—

A snowfall over the Forbidden City, a night dreaming back to Shengjing.

Shenyang’s Forbidden City, one of only two surviving imperial palace complexes in China and the sole royal architectural site beyond the Shanhai Pass.

This was the early Qing Dynasty’s palace. Though its scale is about 1/10th of Beijing’s Forbidden City, strolling through it still offers plenty of charm.

With over 100 structures blending Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan styles, it preserves the native customs of the Northeast.

When snow blankets the glazed tiles, red walls, golden roofs, and carved beams, the silence of falling snow paints a breathtaking scene.

© Tuchong YuAnn Yuan

Tour route: East Section (Dazheng Hall, Ten Kings’ Pavilions) — Central Section (Chongzheng Hall, Phoenix Tower, Qingning Palace, Guanzhou Palace, Yongfu Palace) — West Section (Wensu Pavilion, Stele Pavilion)

Visit Beiling Park to reflect on the past and marvel at the passage of time.

Beiling Park, also known as Qing Zhaoling, is Shenyang’s largest park and houses the mausoleums of Emperor Huangtaiji and Empress Xiaoduanwen.

Some say this is the imperial garden of Shenyang, where ancient pines tower into the sky, lush greenery abounds, lakes ripple, and majestic halls with dazzling golden roofs stand tall. Here, you can admire both traditional ancient architecture and picturesque Jiangnan-like scenery.

Front Garden of the Mausoleum: Qing Garden - West Lotus Lake - Xichun Pavilion - East Lotus Lake - Huang Taiji Square - Friendship Garden - Sacred Bridge - East Courtyard.

After purchasing a ticket, you can enter Qing Zhao Mausoleum: Long'en Gate - East Side Hall - West Side Hall - Long'en Hall - Crescent Wall - Corner Tower.

One Marshal's Mansion, half the history of the Republic of China.

The Zhang Family Mansion served as both the official residence of Zhang Zuolin and his eldest son Zhang Xueliang, as well as the private home of the Zhang family.

This fusion-style mansion, covering 36,000 square meters alone, witnessed the tumultuous storms of the Republic of China era.

© Tuchong leleLele318

Seeing it in person, it’s not as luxurious as imagined, but architecture enthusiasts will surely love it. The mansion consists of four parts: the east courtyard, central courtyard, west courtyard, and external buildings, blending Chinese and Western styles, along with Roman and Nordic influences.

After visiting the Marshal's Mansion, you can also stop by the Financial Museum, another Sino-Western fusion building, where wax figures recreate scenes of banking transactions and loan processing from that era.

© Tuchong JohnnyHsing

Filming a winter romance in Shenyang.

When heavy snow cloaks Shenyang in silver, wandering through its streets feels like stepping into a winter love song across different eras.

The four white pagodas in the north, south, east, and west, along with retro Republic-era architecture, quietly narrate the sealed tales of yesterday. The South Cathedral is a classic Gothic structure, exuding a silent mystique—when snow falls, it’s no exaggeration to call it Shenyang’s version of Hogwarts.

© Tuchong H_king

Or head to Hunhe West Gorge Park, where rime frost in the gorge, under a clear morning sky, weaves a scene of blue and white, like something out of a love letter.

Bird Island is home to many geese and ducks resting on the water, and in the early morning, stretches of rime frost along the shore evoke the scenery of Lake Baikal.

Skip the hotel and stay directly in a bathhouse!

As the saying goes, "If there’s a paradise on earth, it must be a Northeast bathhouse." A visit to Shenyang isn’t complete without experiencing its scrubbing culture.

Randomly push open the door of a bathhouse, and it’s like stepping into Doraemon’s Anywhere Door—go wherever you please.

One bathhouse is a Zen-inspired Japanese garden, while another recreates the tropical vibes of Southeast Asia, the happy homeland for Northeasterners. There’s also Roman Holiday, imperial courtyards, and even "anything that looks like a church is actually a bathhouse."

If the exterior style of the bathhouse is already a synthesis of the best from around the world, then the services of the spa center would put even Haidilao to shame.

Bathhouses elsewhere are just bathhouses, but in Shenyang, they are also KTVs, internet cafes, mahjong parlors, cinemas, buffet restaurants, libraries, amusement parks, study rooms, pet shops, juice bars, pubs, ice cream shops, dessert stores, arcades, and pool halls... offering an all-encompassing, do-it-all experience.

Even focusing solely on the "bathing" function, the options are dazzling.

Milk, red wine, apple vinegar—anything drinkable can be used for bathing. Showers, scrubs, saunas, spas, and even indoor drifting are some of Shenyang bathhouses' signature offerings. In short, you’ll want to spend the whole day here once you arrive.

Northeast China’s hidden food paradise, where culinary tension is maxed out!

Even the pickiest eaters can’t give a bad review in Shenyang—there’s too much delicious food at affordable prices. A 10-yuan buffet lunch box offers 60 dishes to choose from, embodying the idea of "everything you could want."

A must-visit here is a Northeast morning market. Xiaoheyan Morning Market is Shenyang’s oldest, dating back to the Shengjing era.

Along a narrow stretch of less than 400 meters, over 300 stalls squeeze in, selling everything imaginable—mostly fresh fruits and vegetables: frozen pears at 5 yuan per jin, frozen persimmons at 3 yuan per jin, and beef pastries at 10 yuan for 15.

A freshly baked hanging oven pancake and a bowl of golden, silky tofu pudding can solve breakfast for just a few yuan, and you can even take some frozen pears home for later.

© Xiaohongshu: Little Elf in the Forest

As the city that consumes the most chicken racks in China, Shenyang’s chicken racks are a must-try.

Freshly grilled racks are aromatic, slightly charred yet sweet; fried racks paired with beer are simple yet romantic, like the Korean drama "fried chicken and beer"; roasted racks are crispy outside and tender inside, while braised racks melt in your mouth, perfect as a cold appetizer.

But the classic combo Shenyang locals swear by is pairing them with hand-pulled chicken noodle soup and the city’s signature Old Snow beer.

The noodle soup is the simplest hand-pulled variety, upgraded with Fuling pickles and chilled coriander roots. Old Snow is Shenyang’s "officially designated drink"—priced at just 3 yuan for years, it packs a punch, earning it the nickname "Knock-Out Donkey" in Shenyang.

© Xiaohongshu: Food-Loving Wu Huayou

In Shenyang, you’ll experience the Northeast’s signature traits: generous portions and unbeatable value.

A hearty iron pot stew brims with meat and veggies, paired with long strips of steamed flatbread, satisfying your taste buds in no time.

Add randomly paired dishes like sweet-and-sour pork with tomato and orange sauce, stir-fried three delicacies, sour cabbage with pork, candied sweet potatoes, and snow-coated red bean paste, then finish with a bowl of corn porridge—all for under 30 yuan per person, making for a perfectly rounded meal.

Traditional Manchu cuisine is also an essential part of Shenyang’s food scene.

Dishes like boiled pork with blood sausage, braised pork knuckle, sachima (a Manchu pastry), and sour soup noodles are all available here. Especially notable is Shenyang’s sour cabbage hotpot—as the capital of Liaoning, the only coastal province in the Northeast, it even enhances the broth’s umami with crab and shrimp.

In Shenyang, if you want to try Korean flavors, a stroll around Xita Street will satisfy your cravings.

Xita Street isn’t very long—less than 1,000 meters from south to north—but it’s packed with over a hundred Korean-style restaurants. From snacks to barbecue to traditional dishes like pork spine soup, ginseng chicken soup, rice cakes, and blood sausage, you can find it all here. The street is bustling during the day and remains a sleepless city at night.

Here, you’ll find traditional clay-pot barbecue as well as unique fusion styles blending local and Korean flavors. Large plates of beef sizzle on the grill, glistening with oil, and are served with a dipping sauce made from sesame paste, sugar, and white vinegar—absolutely delicious!

Additionally, there’s a rich variety of snacks like grilled cold noodles, jianbing (savory crepes), and deep-fried skewers. In short, there’s just too much good food to try!

As a city travel destination, Shenyang is sure to offer unexpected surprises.

Whether it’s the sweet and savory chicken skeleton, the endlessly enjoyable Northeastern snacks, the first snowfall carried by howling winter winds, or the unforgettable Northeast bathhouse culture...

Moreover, Shenyang is a central city in Northeast China, so transportation and healthcare are very convenient, public facilities are well-developed, and—most importantly—the cost of living is low and the environment is pleasant. Whether you want to stay for a few days or several months, it’s a great choice.

© Tuchong Jianwang’s Travel Photography

So, this winter, take some time to fully experience this multifaceted city!

Shenyang, Liaoning Province, is accessible by both plane and high-speed rail.

2. Cost level: Generally not too high—around 200–300 RMB per person per day allows for a comfortable and enjoyable trip.

Accommodation: Five-star hotels cost around 500 RMB, budget hotels around 150 RMB, and hostels are even cheaper at about 50 RMB per night.

Dining: For just 60 RMB per person, you can eat until you’re stuffed.

Lao Bian Dumpling, Li Liangui Smoked Meat Pancake, Ma’s Steamed Dumplings, Xita Cold Noodles, Na Family Old Courtyard, Chen Hot Pot, Qingwa Restaurant, Shenyang Little Sheep Village, Golden Travel Hotel’s Xiang Palace, Dongdong Food, etc.

D1 South Cathedral → Zhang’s Mansion Museum → Shenyang Imperial Palace → Zhongjie Street → Liu Laogen Grand Stage

D2 Zhaoling Mausoleum → September 18th History Museum → Tiexi 1905 Creative Cultural Zone → Xingshun International Night Market

D3 Guaipo → Qipanshan Mountain → Liaoning Provincial Museum.