Shěnyáng

Shenyang was a Ming garrison town in the heart of Liaodong before becoming a capital of the rising Manchu state. Its palace and the tombs of the dynasty's founders made the city an enduring centre of Qing ancestral memory, even after the court moved far to the southwest.

Nurhaci transferred the Later Jin capital here in 1625 and began building a palace. In 1636 his successor Hong Taiji proclaimed a new dynasty, the Qing. The palace grew around halls for government and imperial residence, including the Chongzheng Hall and the raised Phoenix Tower. After the conquest of Beijing in 1644, Shenyang, known as Shengjing, remained a secondary capital. Qing emperors returned on eastern tours to pay respects at the tombs of Nurhaci and Hong Taiji, while the palace housed important dynastic records and treasures.