Liaoning is a coastal province in Northeastern China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost coastal province of the People's Republic of China.

Historically a gateway between China proper and Manchuria, the modern Liaoning province was established as Fengtian or Fengtien Province () in 1907 and was renamed Liaoning in 1929. It was also known at that time as Mukden Province for the Manchu name of Shengjing, the former name of Shenyang. Under the Japanese-puppet Manchukuo regime, the province reverted to its 1907 name, but the name Liaoning was restored for a brief time in 1945 and then again in 1954.

Liaoning borders the Yellow Sea (Korea Bay) and Bohai Sea in the south, North Korea's North Pyongan and Chagang provinces in the southeast, Jilin to the northeast, Hebei to the southwest, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. The Yalu River marks the province's border with North Korea, emptying into the Korea Bay between Dandong in Liaoning and Sinuiju in North Korea. Liaoning is also one of China's leading provinces in research and education. As of 2025, two major cities in Liaoning ranked in the world's top 100 cities (Dalian #42 and Shenyang #82) by scientific research output, as tracked by Nature Index.

Name

Liaoning is named after the Liao River that runs through the province. Ning (宁, "peace") is used frequently in Chinese place names including Ningxia, Xining and Nanning. The current name was first adopted in 1929, and restored in 1954 upon the merging of the Liaoxi ("West Liao") and Liaodong ("East Liao") provinces.

History

From Yan to Tang

left|thumb|344x344px|Yan general [[Qin Kai (general)|Qin Kai first led the conquest of Liaoning around 300 BC]]

From 4th century BC to 9th century, Liaoning was predominantly settled and administered by Han Chinese regime. Prior to 3rd century BC, Donghu, Gojoseon and Yemaek peoples inhabited Liaoning and later, the state of Yan conquered the area around 300 BC. Two commanderies, Liaodong ("east of the Liao River") and Liaoxi ("west of the Liao River"), were established within the Liaoning region. The Yan city of Xiangping, the center of Liaodong, was located on the site of the present Liaoyang city. As the Han dynasty fell, warlord Gongsun Du and his family established and maintained a semi-independent state based in Liaodong, until it was defeated by Cao Wei in 238. The state, also known as Yan, conducted numerous maritime diplomatic and trade expeditions, and had a lasting influence on Northeast Asian culture despite being short-lived. After the end of Western Jin dynasty, Liaoning was ruled by Xianbei states of the Murong tribe – Former Yan, Later Yan, and Northern Yan. In 436, as Northern Wei seized the Yan capital, Liaodong Peninsula was taken over by Goguryeo. The Tang dynasty annexed the region during the Goguryeo–Tang War.

Cradle of various nations

In the mid 8th century the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, which greatly drained Tang's resources away from its frontiers, and the Bohai gradually expanded into Liaodong. Eventually, Liaoning was conquered by the Khitan Liao dynasty; during the Liao dynasty, the region was divided among the Eastern Capital Circuit (Dongjingdao), the Supreme Capital Circuit (Shangjingdao), the Central Capital Circuit (Zhongjingdao), and the Lower Capital Circuit (Xiajingdao).

Under the Jurchen Jin dynasty, most of the area was administered by the Eastern Capital Route (Dongjinglu), while the rest was divided among the Xianping Route, the Supreme Capital Route (Shangjinglu), and the Northern Capital Route (Beijinglu). In 1206, Liaoning was conquered by Genghis Khan, and later was incorporated into the Yuan dynasty, during the eastern part of the region belonged to the Liaoyang Route and Shenyang Route under the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat; the northern area was under the Kaiyuan Route’s Xianping Prefecture; the western area, including Guangning Route, was also subordinate to the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat; while the Jinzhou and Chaoyang regions were part of the Daning Route under the Central Secretariat.

Reconquest of Ming

The Ming Empire took control of Liaoning in 1371, just three years after the expulsion of the Mongols from Beijing. Around 1442, a defense wall was constructed to defend the agricultural heartland of the province from a potential threat from the Jurchen-Mongol Oriyanghan (who were Ming's tributaries) from the northwest. Between 1467 and 1468, the wall was expanded to protect the region from the northeast as well, against attacks from Jianzhou Jurchens (who were later to become known as the Manchu people). Although similar in purpose to the Great Wall of China, this "Liaodong Wall" was of a lower-cost design. While stones and tiles were used in some parts, most of the wall was in fact simply an earth dike with moats on both sides.

Despite the Liaodong Wall, the Jurchens conquered Liaodong, or eastern Liaoning, in the early 17th century, decades before the rest of China fell to them. The Jurchen dynasty, styled "Later Jin" before being renamed to Qing, established its capital in 1616–1621 in Xingjing (), which was located outside of the Liaodong Wall in the eastern part of the modern Liaoning Province. It was moved to Dongjing (east of today's Liaoyang, Liaoning), and finally in 1625 to Shengjing (now, Shenyang, Liaoning). Although the main Qing capital was moved from Shengjing to Beijing after it fell to the Qing in 1644, Shengjing retained its importance as a regional capital throughout most of the Qing era.

Rise of Later Jin (Qing)

The Qing conquest of Liaoning resulted in a significant population loss in the area, as many local Chinese residents were either killed during fighting, or fled south of the Great Wall, many cities being destroyed by the retreating Ming forces themselves. As late as 1661, the Civil Governor (Fuyin) of Fengtian Province, Zhang Shangxian reported that, outside of Fengtian City (Shenyang), Liaoyang, and Haicheng, all other cities east of the Liao River were either abandoned, or hardly had a few hundred residents left. In the Governor's words, "Tieling and Fushun only have a few vagrants". West of the Liao, only Ningyuan, Jinzhou, and Guangning had any significant populations remaining.

In the latter half of the seventeenth century (starting with laws issued in 1651 and 1653), the imperial Qing government recruited migrants from south of the Great Wall (notably, from Shandong) to settle the relatively sparsely populated area of Fengtian Province (roughly corresponding to today's Liaoning). Many of the current residents of Liaoning trace their ancestry to these seventeenth century settlers. The rest of China's Northeast, however, remained officially off-limits to Han Chinese for most of the Manchu era. To prevent the migration of Chinese to those regions (today's Jilin and Heilongjiang, as well as the adjacent parts of Inner Mongolia), the so-called Willow Palisade was constructed (). The Palisade encircled the agricultural heartlands of Fengtian, running in most areas either somewhat outside the old Ming Liaodong Wall, or reusing it, and separating it from the Manchu forests to the northeast and the Mongol grazing lands to the northwest.

Later on, the Qing government tried to stop the migrants flow to Fengtian or even to make some settlers return to their original places of residence – or, failing that, to legalize them. For example, an edict issued in 1704 commented on the recent Han Chinese settlers in Fengtian having failed to comply with earlier orders requiring them to leave, and asked them either to properly register and join a local defense group (), or to leave the province for their original places within the next ten years. Ten years later, naturally, another edict appeared, reminding of the necessity to do something with illegal migrants ... In any event, the restrictive policy was not as effective as desired by the officials in Beijing, and Fengtian's population doubled between 1683 and 1734. This discovery pushed the evolution of feathers back in time and showed that dinosaurs, not only birds, had feathers. It also showed a direct evolutionary link between theropod dinosaurs and modern birds.

Since then, dozens of ground-breaking finds have been discovered throughout the Jehol group. These including the earliest flower, earliest eutherian mammal, known as Eomaia, the earliest known metatherian, an intact embryo of a pterosaur, Repenomamus robustus—a 15 kg heavy mammal that ate dinosaurs, Sinornithosaurus millenii, as well as many birds and feathered dinosaurs. Discoveries such as Dilong paradoxus, another feathered theropod, date to the early Cretaceous Period. This is some 60 million years before Tyrannosaurus, and thus these discoveries push the evolution of feathers earlier than previously thought. Aside from the famous birds and feathered dinosaurs, the Liaoning fossils include insects, fish, aquatic arthropods, and plants. The Liaoning deposit is widely considered to be one of the world's premier fossil sites.

!! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Division

!! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Area in km<sup>2</sup>

!! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Population 2010

!! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Seat

!! scope="col" colspan="4" | Divisions

|-

!! scope="col" width="45" | Districts

!! scope="col" width="45" | Counties

!! scope="col" width="45" | Aut. counties

!! scope="col" width="45" | CL cities

|-

! 210000 !! Liaoning Province

| 145,900.00 || 43,746,323 || Shenyang city || 59 || 17 || 8 || 16

|- bgcolor="#98FB98"

! 210100 !! Shenyang city

| 12,860.00 || 8,106,171 || Hunnan District || 10 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 1

|- bgcolor="#98FB98"

! 210200 !! Dalian city

| 12,573.85 || 6,690,432 || Xigang District || 7 || 1 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2

|-

! 210300 !! Anshan city

| 9,252.00 || 3,645,884 || Tiedong District || 4 || 1 || 1 || 1

|-

! 210400 !! Fushun city

| 11,272.00 || 2,138,090 || Shuncheng District || 4 || 1 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"|

|-

! 210500 !! Benxi city

| 8,420.00 || 1,709,538 || Pingshan District || 4 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"|

|-

! 210600 !! Dandong city

| 15,289.61 || 2,444,697 || Zhenxing District || 3 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 1 || 2

|-

! 210700 !! Jinzhou city

| 9,890.62 || 3,126,463 || Taihe District || 3 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2

|-

! 210800 !! Yingkou city

| 5,365.46 || 2,428,534 || Zhanqian District || 4 ||bgcolor="grey"| ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2

|-

! 210900 !! Fuxin city

| 10,354.99 || 1,819,339 || Xihe District || 5 || 1 || 1 ||bgcolor="grey"|

|-

! 211000 !! Liaoyang city

| 4,743.24 || 1,858,768 || Baita District || 5 || 1 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 1

|-

! 211100 !! Panjin city

| 4,071.10 || 1,392,493 || Xinglongtai District || 3 || 1 ||bgcolor="grey"| ||bgcolor="grey"|

|-

! 211200 !! Tieling city

| 12,979.69 || 2,717,732 || Yinzhou District || 2 || 3 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 2

|-

! 211300 !! Chaoyang city

| 19,698.00 || 3,044,641 || Shuangta District || 2 || 2 || 1 || 2

|-

! 211400 !! Huludao city

| 10,414.94 || 2,623,541 || Longgang District || 3 || 2 ||bgcolor="grey"| || 1

|-

| colspan = "12" |

|}

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed" style="width:auto; text-align:center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"

! colspan="5" |Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations

|-

! English !! Chinese !! Pinyin

|-

| Liaoning Province || || Liáoníng Shěng

|-

| Shenyang city || || Shěnyáng Shì

|-

| Dalian city || || Dàlián Shì

|-

| Anshan city || || Ānshān Shì

|-

| Fushun city || || Fǔshùn Shì

|-

| Benxi city || || Běnxī Shì

|-

| Dandong city || || Dāndōng Shì

|-

| Jinzhou city || || Jǐnzhōu Shì

|-

| Yingkou city || || Yíngkǒu Shì

|-

| Fuxin city || || Fùxīn Shì

|-

| Liaoyang city || || Liáoyáng Shì

|-

| Panjin city || || Pánjǐn Shì

|-

| Tieling city || || Tiělǐng Shì

|-

| Chaoyang city || || Cháoyáng Shì

|-

| Huludao city || || Húludǎo Shì

|}

These prefecture-level cities are in turn divided into 100 county-level divisions (56 districts, 17 county-level cities, 19 counties, and 8 autonomous counties), which are then further subdivided into 1511 township-level divisions (613 towns, 301 townships, 77 ethnic townships, and 520 subdistricts). At the end of the year 2017, the total population is 43.69 million.

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"

|+ Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities

|-

! # !! Cities !! style="background-color: #aaaaff;"| 2020 Urban area !! style="background-color: #aaaaff;"| 2010 Urban area !! style="background-color: #ffaaaa;" | 2020 City proper

|-

|1||Shenyang||7,229,320||5,718,232||9,070,093

|-

|2||Dalian||5,286,743||3,902,467||7,450,785

|-

|3||Anshan||1,480,332||1,504,996||3,325,372

|-

|4||Fushun||1,228,890||1,318,808||1,861,372

|-

|5||Yingkou||1,027,117||880,412||2,328,582

|-

|6||Jinzhou||1,021,478||946,098||2,703,853

|-

|7||Panjin||980,422||663,445||1,389,691

|-

|8||Benxi||808,221||1,000,128||1,326,018

|-

|9||Liaoyang||764,504||735,047||1,604,580

|-

|10||Huludao||764,241||646,482||2,434,194

|-

|11||Dandong||748,983||775,787||2,188,436

|-

|12||Fuxin||742,318||750,283||1,647,280

|-

|13||Haicheng||680,033||687,223||

|-

|14||Chaoyang||580,995||477,610||2,872,857

|-

|15||Wafangdian||454,388||413,921||

|-

|16||Tieling||424,200||396,505||2,388,294

|-

|17||Donggang||357,229||290,957||

|-

|18||Zhuanghe||348,028||304,233||

|-

|19||Dashiqiao||309,066||330,328||

|-

|20||Kaiyuan||257,822||242,412||

|-

|21||Fengcheng||252,921||247,219||

|-

|22||Lingyuan||247,488||200,354||

|-

|23||Gaizhou||228,059||218,478||

|-

|24||Xingcheng||219,545||178,291||

|-

|25||Xinmin||218,041||484,287||

|-

|26||Beipiao||190,315||168,620||

|-

|27||Dengta||185,623||163,064||

|-

|28||Diaobingshan||179,480||195,673||

|-

|29||Linghai||167,909||134,716||

|-

|30||Beizhen||152,033||127,101||

|- bgcolor="lightgrey"

|—||Pulandian||||319,942||

|}

Economy

thumb|[[Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province]]

thumb|right|[[Dalian, second largest city in Liaoning Province]]

Liaoning has the largest and wealthiest provincial economy of Northeast China. Its nominal GDP for 2017 was 2.39 trillion yuan (ca. US$354 billion), making it the 14th largest in China (out of 31 provinces). Its per capita GDP was 54,745 yuan (US$8,108). Among the three provinces of Northeast China, Liaoning is the largest in terms of GDP and GDP per capita.

In 2008, Liaoning was the region with the highest GDP growth among global G8x8, the eight provinces or states below national level with the highest GDP of the top eight GDP nations. According to preliminary statistics, Liaoning maintained its GDP growth rate of 13.1 percent in 2009 and held its position as the province with the highest economic growth. Economic growth has since slowed down, with the economy expanding 3% in 2015 and contracting 1.3% in the first quarter of 2016.

Leading industries include petrochemicals, metallurgy, electronics telecommunications, and machinery. On a national level, Liaoning is a major producer of pig iron, steel and metal-cutting machine tools, all of whose production rank among the top three in the nation. Liaoning is one of the most important raw materials production bases in China. Industries such as mining, quarrying, smelting and pressing of ferrous metals, petroleum and natural gas extraction, are all of great significance.

Meanwhile, Liaoning is an important production base of equipment and machinery manufacturing, with Shenyang and Dalian being the industrial centers. Enterprises such as Shenyang Jinbei Co. Ltd., Daxian Group Co. Ltd., and Shenyang Machine Tool Co. Ltd., are leaders in their sectors. The province's light industry mainly focuses on textiles and clothing industries which include cotton and wool spinning, chemical fiber production, knitting, silk production, and the manufacturing of both garments and textile machinery.

In 2008, its tertiary industry accounted for 34.5 percent of total GDP. In the future, Liaoning will continue its efforts to restructure large and medium-sized state enterprises. Meanwhile, the province will concentrate in developing its four pillar industries – petrochemicals, metallurgy, machinery and electronics.

Liaoning is the place of origin of the Li Keqiang index, an alternative measure of economic performance where GDP figures are unreliable.

Agriculture

Main agricultural products of Liaoning include maize, sorghum, and soybeans. The region around Dalian produces three-quarters of China's exported apples and peaches. Cotton is also produced.

Liaoning's fruits include apples from Dalian and Yingkou, golden peaches from Dalian, pears from Beizhen of Jinzhou, white pears from Huludao and Suizhong, and apricots and plums from Gushan of Dandong.

Mining

Liaoning has the most iron, magnesite, diamond, and boron deposits among all province-level subdivisions of China. Liaoning is also an important source of petroleum and natural gas. Salt is produced along the coast.

Oil

Along with Liaoning's rich mineral reserves, the province also has abundant deposits of crude oil, especially in the Liaohe Oilfield. High-Tech Zones, Free Trade and Export Processing Zones, and Special Development Zones.

  • Shenyang Cross-Strait Science Industrial Zone

In October 1995, the Shenyang Cross-Strait Science Industrial Zone was approved to be established by State Council. The Shenyang Cross-Strait Science Industrial Zone is the only zone established as part of the Shenyang Hunnan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone. It has a total area of . It welcomes international investment. It focuses on the development of instruments manufacturing, telecommunication, bio-pharmaceuticals, electronics, and new materials.

  • Liaoning Shenyang Export Processing Zone

The Liaoning Shenyang Zhangshi Export Processing Zone was approved to be established by the state government in June 2005. It is located in the national-level Shenyang Economic & Technological Development Zone, with a planned area of and current area of . It encourages and focuses on the development of auto and auto parts, electronics, precision machinery, new energy, new materials, and the fine chemical industry.

  • Shenyang Economic and Technological Development Zone
  • Shenyang Hunnan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

The Shenyang Hunnan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone used to be called the Shenyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone. Established in 1988, it is a national high-tech development zone approved by the State Council. The zone is located in western Shenyang City with an area of . Its encouraged industries include electronic information, new materials, biological engineering, energy saving, and environmental protection.

  • Anshan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
  • Dalian Economic & Technological Development Zone

The Dalian Economic & Technological Development Zone (now known as the "Dalian Development Area") was established in September 1984, as one of the first of the China National Economic and Technological Development Zones. The zone had a GDP of 70.31 billion yuan in 2007 and the total volume of its import and export trade was 14.92 billion dollars, which accounts for a quarter of such trade for all of Liaoning Province. Most of the enterprises in Dalian ETDZ are factories owned by foreign enterprises, especially from Japan, South Korea and the United States, such as Canon, Pfizer, Toshiba, and Intel.

  • Dalian Export Processing Zone

The Dalian Export Processing Zone was approved to be set up by the State Council in April 2000, with a planned area of . It is divided into two parts, A Zone and B Zone. A Zone has a construction area of , and started operation in May 2001. All the basic infrastructure is available, which includes road, water, gas, and power supply, telecommunication, and so on. A Zone promotes industries such as home appliances, lighting, machinery, construction materials, and medical instruments.

  • Dalian Free Trade Zone

The Dalian Free Trade Zone was approved to be set up by the government in May, 1992. Policies include duty-free trade. It has attracted some leading industries, such as electronics, machinery, and plastics.

  • Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

The Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was approved to be a national-level development zone in 1991. It has a total area of . It focuses on and encourages the following industries: electronic information, bio-pharmaceuticals, and new materials.

  • Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone

The Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone was approved to be a national-level development zone in 1992. It is located in the bank of Yalu River, and opposite Sinuiju, a North Korean city. It promotes industries such as electronic information, machinery manufacturing, and bio-pharmaceuticals.

  • Yingkou Economic & Technical Development Zone

Regional development strategies

Central Liaoning City Cluster (Shenyang Metro Area)

The Central Liaoning city cluster is a megalopolis centered on Shenyang (urban population 4 million). Within its radius, it includes Anshan (urban population 1.3 million), Fushun (1.3 million), Yingkou (1.1 million), Benxi (0.95 million), Liaoyang (0.7 million), and Tieling (0.4 million).

In April 2010, the State Council of the People's Republic of China approved a national development strategy for the Shenyang Metro Area. The core of this strategy is innovation in industrial development, integration of the eight cities, integration of urban and rural areas as well as the promotion of more market-oriented development.

Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt

The Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Liaoning, Li Keqiang, initiated the development of a strategy entitled "5 Points and One Line", which he first proposed on a visit to Yingkou in late 2005. Liaoning Province formally launched the development strategy for the entire Liaoning coastline in early 2006, so as to re-invigorate the provincial economy from its traditional status as a "rustbelt" of Chinese state-owned enterprises.

The "Five Points" indicate five key development areas in the province and cover seven zones: the Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone in Dalian; Yingkou Coastal Industrial Base; Liaoxi Jinzhou Bay Coastal Economic Zone; Dandong, and the Zhuanghe Huayuankou Industrial Zone.

The five zones together cover a planned area of nearly .

The "One Line" mentioned in the strategy represents a new series of motorways along the coast. The 1,433-kilometer coastline will become the connection between the five above zones, through which 6 provincial cities, 21 counties and 113 towns will be interlinked. Coastal motorways directly connect the entire string of five zones along the Bohai sea.

Demographics

The population of Liaoning is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Manchus, Mongols, Hui, Koreans and Xibe. Liaoning has both the highest absolute number and highest percentage of Manchus in all of China.

{| class="wikitable"

!colspan="3" align="center"| Ethnic groups in Liaoning, 2000 census

|-

! Nationality !! Population !! Percentage

|-

| Han Chinese || 35,105,991 || 83.94%

|-

| Manchu || 5,385,287 || 12.88%

|-

| Mongol || 669,972 || 1.60%

|-

| Hui || 264,407 || 0.632%

|-

| Koreans || 241,052 || 0.576%

|-

| Xibe || 132,615 || 0.317%

|-

| colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.<br /> Source:

|}

Religion

According to a 2012 survey,

Colleges and universities

Under the national Ministry of Education:

  • Northeastern University
  • Dalian University of Technology

Under various other national agencies:

  • Criminal Investigation Police University of China
  • Dalian Maritime University
  • Dalian Nationalities University

Under the provincial government:

  • China Medical University
  • Shenyang Normal University
  • Shenyang Medical College
  • Liaoning Medical University
  • Liaoning Normal University
  • Liaoning Technical University
  • Liaoning University
  • Liaoning University of Petroleum and Chemical Technology
  • Shenyang Agricultural University
  • Shenyang Institute of Aeronautical Engineering
  • Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology
  • Shenyang Jianzhu University
  • Shenyang Ligong University
  • Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
  • Shenyang University
  • Shenyang University of Technology
  • Anshan Normal University
  • Bohai University
  • Dalian Jiaotong University
  • Dalian Medical University
  • Dalian University
  • Dalian University of Foreign Languages
  • Dongbei University of Finance and Economics
  • Liaoning Institute of Technology
  • Liaoning Radio and TV University ()
  • Shenyang Polytechnic College ()

Sports

thumb|[[Dalian Sports Center Stadium.]]

Professional sports teams based in Liaoning include:

  • Chinese Basketball Association
  • Liaoning Flying Leopards
  • Liaoning Hengye
  • Chinese Football Association Super League (Chinese Super League)
  • Dalian Professional F.C.
  • Liaoning Tieren F.C.
  • Chinese Football Association Jia League (China League One)
  • Dandong Tengyue

See also

  • 2013 National Games of China
  • Chaoyang North Tower
  • Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning
  • Feathered Dinosaurs of China, a documentary book
  • Gojoseon–Yan War
  • Major national historical and cultural sites (Liaoning)
  • Shenyang Mandarin

References

  • Official website of the Liaoning Provincial Government
  • Liaoning Information Guide;
  • Complete Map of the Seven Coastal Provinces from 1821 to 1850
  • Economic profile for Liaoning at HKTDC