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Liáoníng Province (辽宁省 Liáoníng Shěng) is a province in the North East of China. It borders Inner Mongolia autonomous region 内蒙古 (Nèi Měnggǔ) in the north, Jílín province 吉林 to the east, the country of North Korea to the South East and Hébĕi province to the west. The southern edge of Liáoníng forms a peninsula which points south with the Yellow Sea on the west and Bohai Sea to the east. The north of the province is part of the Gobi Desert. The east and central spine are mountainous. In contrast the Western half of the province consists of large flat fertile plains.

Historically Liáoníng was part of Manchuria and populated by the Manchu ethnic group. At the end of 19th Century, a large amount of immigration form other areas of China to Liáoníng resulted in the Han ethnic group becoming dominant. During first half of the 20th Century, Liáoníng came under Russian and then Japanese influence. It was in Liáoníng that the Mukden Incident occurred that is considered to mark the start of the Japan-China war. Under Japanese control, the region became part of the puppet state of Manchukuo. Post world war II, Liáoníng plaid a significant part in the conflict between the PLA and the Kuomintang.

The Japanese had used Liáoníng as a industrial base. After the war, the Chinese, with Russian support, expanded on this. Liáoníng became famous for it's heavy industry. Today, these industries are still very important to the region, for example the iron and steel production in Anshan and Benxi as well as ship building in Dalian and aircraft and car manufacturing in Shenyang

Liaoning has an ancient history. The area has become famous for its fosils. In 1984, the scull and other bones of Jinniushan Man were found. These date back 280,000 years. The remains of a village dating to 8,000 years ago, called Chahai Village, has been found near Fuxin. This is the oldest neolithic site in China. In 1983 the temple and alter complex of Niuheliang was discovered near Jianping in western Liaoning. This belongs to the Hongshan culture and dates backs over 5,000 years. . In historic recordings Liaoning first rose to prominence when the area became the centre of the Liao Dynasty kingdom (辽朝 Liáo Cháo) or otherwise known as the Khitan (Qidan) Empire (契丹國) which existed from 907 to 1125 AD. The Liao dynasty was taken over by the Jurchen people to form the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) which covered all of northern china before it's self being overrun by the Mongol empire of the Yuan Dynasty.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchen people became divided into clans or tribes. Liaoning came under the Ming Chinese sphere of control. One of the tribal leaders, Nurhaci (1559-1626), broke form the Ming Empire and, uniting the dispirit Jurchen tribes, founded the Manchu ethnic group and the Later Jin Dynasty that would be known as Manchuria. Liaoning was the cradle form which the Manchu went on to conquer first the Mongols and the Ming China itself to start the Qing Dynasty. The three capitals of the Later Jin, , Liaoyang and Shenyang are within Liaoning. Shenyang maintained special status throughout the Qing Dynasty as a secondary capital complete with it's own Forbidden City.

The early twentieth century saw the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in China. Liaoning became the centre piece in a struggle between China, Russia and Japan. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, many key battles took place in Liaoning. The 9-18 incident that started the first Sino-Japanese war occurred in 1932 in Shenyang. Liaoning quickly fell into Japanese hands along with much of north east China. The Japanese founded the puppet state of Manchuko which included Liaoning. It was during the Russian and Japanese occupations that the area was first developed for modern industry.

With the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liaoning became a centre of heavy industrial development. Coal, iron, oil and steel are produced here in large quantities. Many cities in the area developed a reputation dirt and pollution. A reputation they are now trying to shake off.

Central Liaoning's wide flat plains made it well suited to modern farming methods so Liaoning was one of the few areas of China where collectivization works and the province was often cited as an example for the rest of the country to follow. The communist national hero, Lei Feng, hailed from Fushun city in Liaoning.

The population of Liaoning is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Manchus, Mongols, Hui, Koreans and Xibe.

Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)

Cusine

Liao Cuisine (Liaochi) form Liaoning is one of the eight famous cuisines of China. This cooking style is typically strong in flavour and heavily spiced but not hot. Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) and noodles form the staple foods of the area. Laioning has a large and growing Korean population and so Korean style food is readily available. Korean BBQ restaurants provide an interesting meal. Hot coals are placed in the centre of the table and diners grill their food, consisting mainly of meat, themselves.

The coastal areas of Liaoning are famous for their sea food. Hairy armed crabs area a local delicacy as are Sea Cucumbers. Fresh water fish also play a big role in local cuisine. The central area of Liaoning is a big fruit producer and the city of Anshan is famous for its Nangua Pears, much of which are exported to Korea.

Muslim restaurants serving food from Xinjiang Region of north west China may serve Halal food and many supermarkets have Halal sections or service counters. Vegetarian food is difficult to find. Although tofu (Dofu) is common dish in this area, it and other vegetable dishes are often cooked with meat fat or stock. As for sushir zhewhen ordering vegetarian foods.

There are several beer (pijiu) producers in Liaoning with many cities having their own brands. The traditional spirit is Baijiu, a colourless drink that is generally 45% volume or above. Locals will often miss translate Baijiu as white wine or just simply wine. Care must be taken when offered wine to distinguish between Baijiu and grape wines (putao jiu).

Liaoning has the largest economy of North Eastern China. Its nominal GDP for 2008 was 1.346 trillion yuan (ca. US$194 billion) making it the 8th largest in China. Its per capita GDP was 31,259 yuan (US$4,500). Among the three provinces of Northeast China, Liaoning is the largest in terms of GDP.

Leading industries include petrochemicals, metallurgy, electronics telecommunications, and machinery. On a national level, Liaoning is a major producer of pig iron, steel and metal-cutting machine tools, all of whose production rank among the top three in the nation. Liaoning is one of the most important raw materials production bases in China. Industries such as mining, quarrying, smelting and pressing of ferrous metals, petroleum and natural gas extraction, are all of great significance.

Meanwhile, Liaoning is an important production base of equipment and machinery manufacturing, with Shenyang and Dalian being the industrial centers. Enterprises such as Shenyang Jinbei Co. Ltd., Daxian Group Co. Ltd., and Shenyang Machine Tool Co. Ltd., are leaders in their sectors. The province’s light industry mainly focuses on textiles and clothing industries which include cotton and wool spinning, chemical fiber production, knitting, silk production, and the manufacturing of both garments and textile machinery.

In 2008, its tertiary industry accounted for 34.5 percent of total GDP. In the future, Liaoning will continue its efforts to restructure large and medium-sized state enterprises. Meanwhile, the province will concentrate in developing its four pillar industries – petrochemicals, metallurgy, machinery and electronics.

Agriculture

Main agricultural products of Liaoning include maize, sorghum, and soybeans. The region around Dalian produces three-quarters of China's exported apples and peaches. Cotton is also produced.

Liaoning's fruits include apples from Dalian and Yingkou, golden peaches from Dalian, pears from Beizhen of Jinzhou, white pears from Huludao and Suizhong, and apricots and plums from Gushan of Dandong.

Mining

Liaoning has the most iron, magnesite, diamond, and boron deposits among all province-level subdivisions of China. Liaoning is also an important source of petroleum and natural gas. Salt is produced along the coast.

Industry

Liaoning is one of China's most important industrial bases, covering a wide range of industries, such as machinery, electronics, metal refining, petroleum, chemical industries, construction materials, coal, and so on.

The sea off Dalian abounds with quality seafood, such as abalone, sea cucumbers, scallops, prawns, crabs, and sea urchins. The big fish of Dandong, the jellyfish of Yingkou, and the clams of Panjin are known worldwide for their good tastes right from the sea and in products made in Liaoning for export domestically and internationally.

Trade

The cities of Dalian and Yingkou have been developed as major ports and economic gateways to all of northeast China.