Editing Shenyang (section)

==Old City==
[[File:Map of Mukden 1912.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Layout of Shenyang's old city walls]]
The old city of Shenyang resided almost entirely within the modern day [[Shenhe District]], and used to have two [[Chinese city wall|city wall]]s.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/moukden_1912.jpg |title=Map of Mukden in 1912 |access-date=2010-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214221455/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/moukden_1912.jpg |archive-date=2010-02-14 |url-status=live}}
</ref>

Situated roughly within the area bounded by the four "Shuncheng" ({{lang-zh|s=顺城|l=along the city|labels=no}}) roads/streets in Shenhe District, the (now-demolished) square-shaped inner city wall marked the bounds of ancient Shenyang. The earliest wall was built in 926 during early [[Liao dynasty]] to settle [[Northern Song]] civilians the [[Khitan people|Khitans]] abducted from raids to use as [[unfree labour|slave labourer]]s{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}, and was then made of [[rammed earth]] because the city was merely a small settlement at the time (historically the administrative center of the [[Liaodong]] region was at [[Liaoyang]]).{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} However, in 1368, [[Hongwu Emperor]] of the newly founded [[Ming dynasty]] ordered a new regional military command—the Liaodong Regional Military Commission ({{lang-zh|t=遼東都指揮使司|labels=no}})—to be established, and Shenyang was made a prominent regional "guard town" ({{lang-zh|t=衛所|labels=no}}). In 1388, Min Zhong ({{lang-zh|t=閔忠|labels=no}}), the newly appointed city commissioner of the Shenyang Central Guard, wrote to Hongwu Emperor immediately upon his tenure requesting permission to upgrade the city wall, and the old wall was made taller and thoroughly reinforced with overlaid bricks.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} According to ''[[History of Ming]]'', the reconstructed Ming-era wall was 2.5 ''[[zhàng]]'' ({{convert|8|m|disp=or|abbr=off}}) tall, more than 1 ''zhàng'' ({{convert|3.2|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) wide at the top, and 9 ''[[li (unit)|li]]'' and 30 ''bu'' (about {{convert|5.2|km|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) long. It has two layers of [[moat]]s dug outside, each being 3 ''zhàng'' ({{convert|9.6|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) wide and 8 ''[[chi (unit)|chi]]'' ({{convert|2.56|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) deep, fed with water from the Little Shen River (the present day South Canal). There were four [[city gate]]s, each at the center of one side, connected by two main roads that intersected at Central Temple of the city's center in a "+" fashion.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

This Ming wall was heavily damaged in 1625 when the Manchus laid siege and captured the city, with only the north wall and [[gate tower]] (which had undergone reinforcing reconstructions in 1545 under the orders of [[Jiajing Emperor]]) remained intact.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} The Manchu leader [[Nurhachi]] however saw the city's strategic value and decided to formally relocate his [[Qing dynasty|Later Jin]] capital from Liaoyang to Shenyang, and ordered the wall to be rebuilt.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} According to ''Annals of Mukden'' ({{lang-zh|t=盛京通志|labels=no}}), the new city wall was a standard [[brick#Fired brick|black brick]] [[defensive wall|wall]] standing at a height of 3.5 ''zhàng'' (about {{convert|12.5|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}), a width of 1.8 ''zhàng'' (about {{convert|6.4|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) and a total length of 9 ''li'' and 332 ''bu'' (about {{convert|6.4|km|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}), complete with 12 [[fortified tower|tower]]s (8 gates and 4 corners) and a widened 14.5-''zhàng'' (about {{convert|52|m|disp=or|adj=mid|abbr=off}}) moat. The city gates were increased from four to eight, though the old Ming-era north gate tower was preserved but sealed shut, later known as the "Ninth Gate" ({{lang-zh|t=九門|labels=no}}).{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The outer city wall, called the "peripheral wall" ({{lang-zh|t=邊牆|p=Biān Qiáng|labels=no}}) or "[[fortification|pass]] wall" ({{lang-zh|t=關牆|p=Guān Qiáng|labels=no}}), was actually a [[rammed earth]] [[rampart (fortification)|rampart]] built in 1680 to expand the urban area outside the inner city.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} It was almost round in shape, standing at a height of 7.5 ''chi'' (around {{convert|2.7|m|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}) and an overall length of 32 ''li'' and 24 ''bu'' (about {{convert|20.7|km|disp=or|1|abbr=off}}), and also had eight towerless gates known as the "peripheral gates" ({{lang-zh|t=邊門|p=Biān Mén|labels=no}}). The corresponding inner and outer gates were linked by roads that intersected within the inner city in a "#" pattern around the [[Mukden Palace]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Nearly all of these city walls and gates were demolished after 1949.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Two gates and one corner tower of the inner wall were rebuilt during the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} There had, however, been proposals to rebuild the other gates and towers in preparation to the [[2013 National Games of China|12th National Games in 2013]].

Around {{convert|2.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} outside Shenyang's former outer wall, there were four [[pagoda]]s each located within an associated [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] temple, namely the East Pagoda in Yongguang Temple ({{lang-zh|t=永光寺|labels=no}}), the South Pagoda in Guangci Temple ({{lang-zh|t=廣慈寺|labels=no}}), the West Pagoda in Yanshou Temple ({{lang-zh|t=延壽寺|labels=no}}) and the North Pagoda in Falun Temple ({{lang-zh|t=法輪寺|labels=no}}). They were built in 1643 and completed in 1645.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} The four pagodas are identical white Buddha-[[stupa]]s as tall as {{convert|26|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Nowadays only the temple for the North Pagoda is well preserved, the East and South has only the pagodas left, and the temple for the West Pagoda was rebuilt in 1998.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Both the [[Temple of Heaven]] and Temple of Earth were also to be found in the old city during the [[Qing dynasty]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} They were smaller replicas of Beijing's counterparts. Neither exists today.