Hi all, I just returned from a 14-day trip to Liaoning province, China, and am excited to share our travel experience exploring Northeast China.
Wondering about what to do in Shenyang or whether Liaoning is worth visiting? If you love history, scenic mountains, fresh seafood or specifically, high-quality Japanese sashimi, you’ll love Liaoning!
We visited during late summer and enjoyed good weather, with temperatures staying below 28°C on most days.
>> RELATED: 3 reasons why we chose to visit Liaoning in end August
Without further ado, read our day-by-day travelogues with important tips sprinkled within. Let’s kick off with things we did in Shenyang, the first stop on our 14-day adventure.
Lounge-hopping at Singapore Changi Airport
Before my flight, I visited two airport lounges at Singapore Changi Airport. Here’s my quick review of the SATS Premier Lounge (T3) and Plaza Premium Lounge (T1).
Quick review: SATS Premier Lounge (T3)
My first stop was the recently renovated SATS Premier Lounge at T3. The Laksa was fabulous, and the overall food selection and quality were pretty decent.
Unfortunately, T3 SATS Premier Lounge was hot and stuffy, even after 6pm. It seemed to have suffered from a greenhouse effect, given its non-enclosed setting within the glass-walled T3.
I tried moving to other areas, but they were equally hot with the exception of the dining area. Also, the shared seating areas with chargeable port were not ergonomic for working as the table was set too high.
No choice, let me move to another lounge.
Quick review: Plaza Premium Lounge (T1)
The older and larger Plaza Premium Lounge (T1) was more comfortable, temperature- and seat-wise.
Drawbacks? The seats were packed close to one another, and most were occupied. The food also paled in comparison to SATS Premier Lounge. Since, I’d already eaten, it wasn’t an issue.
I found a spot at a shared table, which was quite conducive for me to do some last-minute research.
Day 1: Shenyang Zhongjie Street & Huigong Night Market
Our Liaoning adventure officially began in Shenyang! After a red-eye flight via Singapore Airlines, we landed at Beijing Capital International Airport early morning. From there, a 30-min DiDi took us to Chaoyang Railway Station (¥50).
We then hopped onto our pre-booked high-speed train and arrived at Shenyang Railway Station about 2.5 hours later (¥350 per pax).
>> MUST-READ: 12 China travel tips you must know for hassle-free travel
You can fly direct to Shenyang
Instead of going via Beijing, you can fly directly to Shenyang via other airlines, such as Scoot. We chose the less direct route because my man had specific preferences for aircraft types and seat configurations.
Besides, we love taking trains in China! :)
China train travel tip: High-speed trains in China are generally modern, clean and spacious. More China Travel tips here.
We checked into Shenyang – Zhongjie Hotel (沈阳中街x酒店) – located within walking distance of Zhongjie Pedestrian Street (中街步行街). It’s China’s very first pedestrian street and was buzzing with people. I highly recommend staying around Zhongjie, especially if you want to be close to food, shopping options and Shenyang Imperial Palace!
Location tip: To view location of place/attraction mentioned, click on the Chinese links in this article.
Lunch at Zhongjie: A feast of Northeastern Chinese food
Our first stop for food was at Shenyang Joy City (大悦城). We initially tried our luck at Hama Sushi (滨寿司), but the queue was unbelievably long.
Not wanting to wait for hours, we randomly chose a nearby restaurant serving Northeastern Chinese cuisine, at 奉天小馆 (loosely translated as Feng Tian Xiao Guan).
Food was generous and came in large portion! Check out our orders:
- Spinach with surf clam
- Pork tenderloin – Guo Bao Rou (锅包肉)
- Pork rib, and long beans with a round piece of “mantou” (Chinese steamed bread) above
Just look at the size of the “mantou” – that’s a lot of carbo! The bread soaked up the savoury gravy, and I couldn’t resist eating more than I should have.
All in all, we paid ¥190 for food that could easily have fed 5-6 pax. We were so stuffed!
Shenyang’s popular Deshi ice cream shop
Still around Zhongjie, we popped into a dessert stall Deshi (德氏制冰厂). It’s a local dessert brand that originated in Shenyang and has a history spanning about 40 years.
Most people would go for the IG-worthy rainbow cone. For us, we were darn full, and ordered tea instead. Surprisingly, their tea was not too bad actually! The kale juice was refreshing!
Shopping at Shenyang’s Zhongjie Pedestrian Street
Zhongjie was lined with shopping buildings. Since we had 4 days in Shenyang, we decided to focus solely on Joy City mall (大悦城) on our first day.
This mall itself comprised 5 buildings, labelled from A to E, with each differentiated by a specific theme, e.g. fashion, active.
Building C’s basement had plenty of food and dessert options. See this Avocado Glutinous Rice Yoghurt from Li Ruo Tao (李若桃). It’s quite a unique and filling drink – you can taste the little bits of fermented rice, giving it an unusual texture and flavour.
Huigong Night Market: Shenyang street food
After shopping, we took a DiDi to Huigong night market (惠工夜市). This was a narrow food street that appeared to be patronised by locals more than tourists.
You’ll get the typical street food offerings such as meat skewers and grilled oysters.
I was still stuffed from our earlier meals, but one dessert caught my eye: a giant mochi ball filled with fruits and assorted toppings. For ¥15, you could choose fillings such as taro and purple glutinous rice, all wrapped inside a chewy mochi shell.
It was good, even for someone who didn’t have much appetite! As the saying goes, a woman always has a separate stomach for dessert! :)
Meanwhile, the man bought pork skewers (¥10 each) and “tabao” Fried Bee Hoon (¥12). Wow, we didn’t expect that humble-looking Fried Bee Hoon to taste so good! It even had Wok Hey!
Day 2: Xiaoheyan Morning Market, Shenyang Imperial Palace & more
We started the day really early to experience Shenyang’s morning market. The popular Xiaoheyan Morning Market (小河沿早市) was sizeable and bustling with crowds even before 7am.
Opening hours: A sign at the market stated that it operated from 5.30am to 10am. However, some Douyin videos recommended visiting early, as some stalls might close before the official closing time.
I bought Green Bean Soy Milk and a Chive Pork Bun.
We then stepped into what looked like a popular eatery and ordered a few more breakfast items:
- Soy Bean Curd
- Xiao Long Bao (小笼包) – steamed soup dumplings
- Guan Tang Bao (灌汤包) – soup-filled buns
- Crispy Beef
- You Tiao (油条) Chinese fried dough sticks
Unfortunately, nothing from the eatery was truly outstanding. The biggest dissappointment was the Guan Tang Bao (灌汤包), which had no “tang” (soup) inside. Not sure if they gave us the right item.
Ironically, the best bite of the morning was also the cheapest: the “Chive bun” I’d bought earlier from a separate stall.
Still, it was a great experience wandering through Xiaoheyan morning market and soaking up the lively atmosphere. Totally worth a visit!
Tip: You can also visit other morning markets in Shenyang, depending on where you stay.
An early morning stroll past Shenyang’s attractions
On our way back from the morning market, we passed by popular attractions in Shenyang:
- Marshal Zhang’s Mansion (4A)
- Shenyang Financial Museum
- Xiaonan Cathedral
Too bad, it was still too early (7.30am) and the attractions weren’t open yet. We could have waited, but since these weren’t high on our must-visit list, we thought heading back to sleep was more important. Hehe!
Shenyang Imperial Palace
My must-visit attraction in Shenyang was the Shenyang Imperial Palace (沈阳故宫). Built in 1625, this former palace was the residence of the early Qing rulers before the dynasty moved its capital to Beijing. Today, it’s inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Thankfully, we visited towards the tail end of China’s summer school holidays (Jul – Aug), so the crowds weren’t that bad.
Size-wise, Shenyang Imperial Palace wasn’t overwhelmingly big – you may be able to complete it within 1-2 hours.
West Tower Korea Town: A fun food district!
Time to fill our tummies again! I really love the vibe at West Tower Korea Town (西塔特色街). Finally, a food street that offered something uniquely different.
The focus here was “Korean food”! You can see lots of kimchi varieties, and popular street-food favourites such as cheese pancakes and Gimbab (seaweed rice rolls).
Here’s what we tried:
- Cheese pancake from Cheese Bro (芝己Cheese Bro)
- Fish cake
- Mini rice rolls with beef and crab (传闻来紫菜包饭)
Taiyuan Pedestrian Street: How does it compare with Zhongjie?
We then walked to Taiyuan Pedestrian Street (太原街步行街), another shopping area with several malls nearby. I’d read that Taiyuan was once the go-to shopping destination before Zhongjie Pedestrian Street took over the popularity.
It’s true as Taiyuan lacked the energy we’d experienced at Zhongjie. That said, we did chance upon a “boy group” dancing there. Any ideas who they are?
Good that we found one of our favourite dessert stores – Makkee Dessert (麦记牛奶公司) – at Wanda Plaza (万达影城).
Finally, dinner at Hama Sushi
Remember the ridiculously long queue at Hama Sushi on Day 1? We gave it another try using a “late-night” strategy, arriving at 9pm, shortly before closing.
It worked! We managed to jump through 200 queue numbers in just 20 minutes.
What’s for supper? Shenyang’s famous chicken rack
The good thing about staying near Zhongjie street was the proximity to food.
After dinner, we wandered into one of the “food alleys” and bought a “Chicken Rack” (鸡架). It’s a local snack made from the chicken frame with some meat still attached. Worked great as snacks.
We enjoyed it on the street while watching the night gradually wound down.
TIP: There were many KTV outlets around Zhongjie and other parts of Shenyang. If you book through Dianping, you can get great discount, especially during weekdays.
And our Shenyang adventure wasn’t over yet. In the next post, we’ll cover the next 2 days in Shenyang, including a disturbing experience that ended with the police being called in. Stay tuned!
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