Located in the 300-year-old ancient capital of Shengjing (Shenyang), the Shenyang Palace is one of two preserved ancient palace complexes in China.
    China has two famous museums based on ancient imperial palaces. One is found in the Forbidden City, in Beijing, and the other is situated in Shenyang Palace in Shenyang, capital of the Man people before they moved to Beijing in 1644.
    Shenyang Palace is a huge ancient palace complex built during China's Qing Dynasty. Compared with the Forbidden City, first built during the Ming Dynasty, Shenyang Palace has a unique Man style and reflects the local characteristics of Northeast China. As a typical example integrating the Man and Han architecture, Shenyang Palace is a well-known site of historical interest.

THE RISE OF HEROIC NURHACHI AND HIS CAPITAL

There is a legend about the rise of Nurhachi, the great Nuzhen hero in Northeast China in the 16th century.
    When he was young, Nurhachi served under Commander Liu ChengLiang, of the Ming Dynasty. He helped Liu take a bath and found a red mole on the underside of the arch of LiuÕs foot. Liu said foreboded his promotion to  provincial governor. But Nurhachi disagreed, and said he had seven red moles on his foot. He showed them to Liu. That astonished Liu, because it was widely believed that “a person walking on the seven-star Big Dipper” would definitely become emperor. Liu decided to kill Nurhachi. He tried to flee, but was eventually pinned down in field by Liu’s troops. The soldiers had difficulty finding him in the tall grass, so they burnt the grass. Just as the smoke disappeared to reveal Nurhachi, a flock of crows covered him so he looked black as the burnt soil. The soldiers believed Nurhachi had died in the fire, and they convinced Liu that Nurhachi was no longer a threat.
    However, Nurhachi survived.
     The Nuzhen people split into many factions - and fought each other -- in Northeast China in the 16th century. At that time, Nurhachi, leader of Jianzhou Left Prefecture, rose to unify the factions, and made himself Khan of the State of Jin in Hetu’ala (1616-1635). He was strong and occupied major cities in Northeast China. After repeated inspections, he made Shenyang, which was accessible from all directions, his capital. He began building his palace in 1625.