Shenyang North

Dandong

Shenyang ([ʂə̀n.jǎŋ]; Chinese: 沈阳), formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden or Fengtian (Chinese: 奉天; pinyin: Fèngtiān), is the provincial capital and the largest city of Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China, as well as the largest city in Northeast China by urban population. According to the 2010 census, the city's urban area has 6.3 million inhabitants, while the total population of the Shenyang municipality, which holds the administrative status of a sub-provincial city, is up to 8.1 million. Shenyang is also the center city of one of the major metropolitan areas in China, the Greater Shenyang Metro Area, with a total population over 23 million. The city’s region includes the ten metropolitan districts of Shenyang proper, the county-level city of Xinmin, and two counties of Kangping and Faku. In the 17th century, Shenyang was conquered by the Manchu people and briefly used as the capital of the Qing dynasty. The Battle of Mukden took place in 1905 as part of the Russo-Japanese War. Japan's subsequent victory allowed them to increase their influence on Shenyang; the Mukden Incident led the Japanese to further invade and occupy the rest of Northeast China, creating the puppet state of Manchukuo. Shenyang remained a Kuomintang stronghold after Japan's defeat, but was captured by the communists in 1948. Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and serves as the transportation and commercial hub of China's northeast—particularly with Japan, Russia and Korea. A center of heavy industry in China since the 1930s, and the spearhead of the Chinese central government's Northeast Area Revitalization Plan, the city has been diversifying its industry, including expanding into the service sector. Growing industries include software, automotive and electronics.

Dandong (simplified Chinese: 丹东; traditional Chinese: 丹東; pinyin: Dāndōng), formerly known as Andong, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the Yalu River, which demarcates the Sino-North Korean border. To the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay. Dandong has therefore had a dynamic history because of its strategic location for the northeast's rich natural resources and because of its convenient access to the ocean. It is designated as a major export production centre for the province, and is a port city connected by rail with Shenyang and Sinuiju. A significant amount of trade with North Korea flows through the city.The size of the administrative city (prefecture) is 14,981.4 square kilometres (5,784.4 sq mi). As of 2010, the built-up area made of 3 urban districts is 830 square kilometres (320 sq mi) in size and had 865,576 inhabitants. The administrative city contained approximately 2.45 million inhabitants as of the 2010 census. The Hushan Great Wall, the far eastern end of the Great Wall of China, is located here.