A bit of History

AN AMERICAN IN CHINA: 1936-39 A Memoir

MUKDEN - MOUKDEN - FENGTIANSHENYANG ~ 瀋陽 ~ 沈阳

Above, Naniwa Street, Mukden, the main thoroughfare. | NOTE: NONE of the images or information on this Web page is included in the book "An American in China, 1936-1939"
MANCHU CAPITAL When the Manchus, having defeated the resident Ming, moved to Beijing in 1644, and established the Qing dynasty, Shenyang, then called Mukden, became a secondary power centre of steadily declining importance. By urban population, Shenyang today is the largest city in northeastern China and among the top ten largest cities in the country. The old name, Mukden, derives from the Manchu word, "mukdembi," meaning "to rise.	MANCHURIA: WHERE EAST MEETS WEST churian Railway From a 1930s advertisement: "The South Manchurian Railway is the chief factor in Manchurian development. The railway is of standardguage with practically all-American equipment, patterned after the leading American and Canadian roads. TheSouth Manchuria Express, between Dairen and Changchun, has been called the Twentieth CenturyLimited of the Far East." From the account of an American, Harold Abbot Rand Conant, making his first trip to the new state of Manchukuo: "The South Manchurian Railway is a very powerful organization and runs the major part of the country from the business standpoint. Their Yamato hotels at Mukden and Dairen are really quite excellent to stay, or eat, at. The Asia Express (they bought the first one and then copied it) is their crack train, equipped along the lines of one of our ''limiteds'' (''White'' Russian girl waitresses in the dining cars adding to the decorative effect). From the fascinating Web site of HAR Conant's journals. See also Manchuria section of HAR Conant From after the The o
The Yamato Hotel in Mukden
In Manchuria, there were Yamato hotels in every city through which the South Manchuria Railway passed and Mukden was no exception. After the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931, the Mukden Yamato, according to an Australian journalist, "was the establishment favored by Japanese publicists, officers and spies assigned to keep watch on foreign diplomats, businessmen and correspondents."
The Mukden Police Station As in Dairen, there were many parks and traffic circles, as Japanese urban planners in the early 20th century imitated French and Western trends. Important Japanese architects were sent to build impressive buildings in Manchuria after the Russian defeat in 1908.
Naniwa Street, Mukden  This was supposedly the most bustling street in Mukden, but it looks rather peaceful here. Naniwa is the old Japanese name for Osaka.
.	CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL OF MUKDEN IN 2006, Pei Junmin, a new auxiliary bishop whose appointment was approved by the Vatican and the Chinese government months earlier, was consecrated in the soaring Sacred Heart Cathedral here.
Incredibly, the Mukden Cathedral not only survived the Cultural Revolution, it seems to have been given a place of honor ... in spite of all the housing projects surrounding it. Residents of Shenyang like to get married here, regardless of religion.
The Eastern Mausoleum, also known as the Fu Mausoleum, is the tomb of Qingtaizu Nuerhachi, the first emperor of the Qing dynasty. The complex was built in 1629 and completed in 1651.
The South Manchuria Railway Station in the 30s with its impressive square. Notice the factories in background. The city has long been an industrial center. In 1988 Shenyang was identified by the World Health Organization as one of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, although today it has taken steps to counteract the problem.
Another view of Naniwa, the commercial street.
MANCHURIAN or MUKDEN INCIDENT On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese officers blew up near Mukden a section of the South Manchurian Railway, owned of course by the Japanese. (Some Japanese today still deny the role played by their officers, saying it was the Chinese who caused the incident.) Chinese troops garrisoned nearby were blamed for the event and were immediately attacked. The garrison however, under orders from the Nationalist government to avoid all confrontation with Japan, put up no resistance and within five months most major cities in the three provinces of Manchuria were under Japanese control. In March 1932, the puppet state of Manchukuo was established, with the last emperor of China, Puyi, installed as its head of state. The League of Nations refused to recognize Manchukuo as an independent nation. Consequently, Japan resigned from the League in March 1933. The Mukden Incident is often labeled as the beginning of the Pacific War. Many Japanese today still deny the role played by their officers, saying it was the Chinese who caused the Mukden incident
PRISONER OF WAR CAMPS For Westerners as well as Chinese, Manchuria is associated with the horror of war. During World War II many Americans were interned at Hoten, outside Mukden, At the time of liberation by Russian and US forces, this camp held hundreds of US officers and enlisted men. A smaller camp at Hsian, 100 miles northeast of the Hoten camp, held numerous British, Dutch, and American prisoners, Shenyang officials decided in 2003 that the former Mukden camp would be protected and open to visitors.
When the Russians seized Manchuria in 1945, the main street in Mukden was renamed Stalin Prospekt. |Soviet troups would remain until 1955.
aShades of Miami Beach? Above, a rather glamorized shot of present-day Shenyang, minus the haze. It seems warm enough for palm trees. ee