Shenyang

Mukden Palace & Zhao Mausoleum Walk Address – No. 171, Shenyang Rd, Shenhe District, Shenyang Highlights – We step into the Mukden Palace and feel history pressing close—Qing dynasty architecture, dragon tiles, and halls that once echoed with imperial footsteps. It’s smaller than Beijing’s Forbidden City, but no less powerful. From there, we walk or take a short ride to Zhao Mausoleum in Beiling Park, under whispering pines and along a spirit way that stretches wide and still. Vibe Match – Like we’re wandering the Forbidden City with the stillness of the Summer Palace: regal, grounded, and quietly vast. Rating Suggestion – 8.8/10 1905 Cultural & Creative Park Address – No. 30, Shenliao Middle Road, Tiexi District Highlights – We duck through a graffiti-tagged gate into Shenyang’s industrial past—recast as its creative present. Inside 1905, we find minimalist cafés in old warehouses, design collectives, a micro-cinema, and exhibitions tucked between exposed beams. The scent of coffee and metal hangs in the air. It’s the kind of place where we linger without planning to. Vibe Match – Feels like we landed in Fabrica by way of NDSM Wharf: gritty, spontaneous, and full of potential. Rating Suggestion – 8.4/10 Shenyang Botanical Garden & Qipanshan Address – Dongling District, Shenyang Highlights – We breathe deeper as the city slips away. The Botanical Garden unfolds in zones: Japanese tranquility, alpine cool, bursts of peony in spring. We follow quiet paths to the lake, where paddleboats drift slowly. Beyond lies Qipanshan, where we could hike, rent a bike, or ski if it’s winter. Nature here meets us halfway—cultivated but not confined. Vibe Match – Like we wandered into Margaret Island with the backdrop of the Carpathians: lush, reflective, and open-ended. Rating Suggestion – 8.7/10