Chaoyang Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 朝阳 (cháo yáng)
Population: 3,044,600
Area: 19,736 square kilometers (7,620 square miles)
Location: in the west of Liaoning Province, northeast China
Administrative Division: 2 districts (Shuangta, Longcheng); 5 counties (Chaoyang, Jianping, Beipiao, Kazuo, Lingyuan)
Area Code: 0421
Zip Code: 122000
GDP (2018): CNY 83.14 billion (USD 12.56 billion)

Situated in western Liaoning Province, Chaoyang City is bordered by Hebei Province to the south and neighbors Inner Mongolia to the north. It is a coastal city in western Liaoning, adjacent to Shenyang and Anshan in Central Liaoning. Chaoyang has always been the Buddhist cultural communication center in northeast China. Longxiang Temple, the first temple in northeast China, is located in Fenghuang Mountain. There are other Buddhist buildings in Fenghuang Mountain, such as cliff Buddhist niches, pagodas and temples built in different periods. Also, many precious Buddhist relics unearthed from the Northern Chaoyang Pagoda are on display in the Northern Chaoyang Pagoda Museum. In addition to having the long history of Buddhist culture, Chaoyang also preserved many fossils of paleontology. Nearly one thousand fossil specimens of paleontology are collected in Chaoyang Paleontological Stone Museum from invertebrates to insects, spiders, fish, amphibians and reptiles.

It is a famous historic mountain in western Liaoning, well known in ancient times as a Buddhist shrine. About 1660 years ago, historically the earliest temple of Northeast China, Longxiang Buddhist Temple, was established in the mountain, and is today regarded as the ancestral temple of Buddhism in Northeast China. Through a thousand years of ups and downs, three pagodas and several other relics are still extant. Apart from grand mountain scenery, the mountain is the important habitat of a rare bird, the black stork.

Located in the north end of the Shuangta Jie of Shuangta District, it is a brick Buddhist pagoda first established in 485 in the former palace site of the three Yan states (Qian Yan, Hou Yan and Bei Yan). The 1500-year-old pagoda is the oldest Buddhist Pagoda in Northeast China.   

 Other Scenic Spots: Dahei Mountain, Youshun Temple, Hongshan Culture Site at Niuheliang

This city is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Shenyang. After completion of the Siping-Chengde highway project in the near future, the time between the two cities will be shortened from three to two hours.

Chaoyang Railway Station is in the Shuangta District, facing Youyi Dadao and Xinhua Lu. The long-distance bus station is near the railway station, in 19, the third section of Xinhua Lu.

Enjoying a temperate continental monsoon climate, the city features great temperature differences during a day, long sunlight hours, light rainfall and four distinct seasons. The annual temperature of Chaoyang weather averages around 10C (50F). Spring and autumn are best time for tourists to tour around. 

 History: For a long time, the area was governed or partly administered by regimes of ethnic minorities. It was successively the capital of Qian Yan, Hou Yan and Bei Yan States of the Sixteen States in northern China. The name Chaoyang first appeared during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) named after Chaoyang Cave in Fenghuang (Phoenix) Mountain.

 Physical Features: It is situated in the intermediate area between the loess plateau of Inner Mongolia and Songliao Plain, and its terrain generally declines from the northwest to the southeast. Low mountains and hills make up the main framework of the city. Among the mountain ranges are dotted fluvial plains and basins.        

 Local Highlights: Every year on the thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month, the seven-day-long culture and art festival (temple fair) is held in Fenghuang Mountain.

 Special Local Products: Sea buckthorn, almonds, Chinese dates