Beiling (literally “north tomb”) is one of Shenyang’s largest parks, and certainly it’s most famous. The park itself is huge and quite nice, and you could easily spend half a day wandering around the ponds and trees. In the summer the park is filled with people flying kites, dancing, cycling, and practicing Tai ji (太极). In the winter you can ride horses, skate, and go sledding on the frozen ponds. 

   

The Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Manchus, whose home was in northeastern China. Shenyang (then called ‘Shenjing’) served briefly as the Manchu capital before they moved to Beijing and established their dynasty. For the next 200 years, the Qing emperors periodically made tours through the northeast to visit their homeland and pay homage to their ancestors, including Huang Taiji (皇太极) and his empress who are buried here at Zhaoling.