I should have known better - Lennon, not Lenin

 

Shenyang at night

I know, right? Considering all the cumulative time spent in Taiwan and China, and yet I still thought it would be a good idea to do some sightseeing on a Chinese national holiday (Tomb Sweeping Day 清明节, which this year fell on a Thursday). And so we set out in a taxi from our hotel to the Shenyang Imperial Palace 沈阳故宫, the city's prime sightseeing spot. Because of heavy traffic, we got out of the vehicle before reaching the massive Huaiyuanmen gate 怀远门, and headed toward the historic site:

In retrospect it might have been better not to have constructed this high-rise directly across from the gate, unless the juxtaposition was intentional:

Seeing the throng waiting to get into the stanchion-lined lanes in order to enter the palace was enough for my wife and I to conclude it might be better to wait until later in the afternoon, when the crowds would hopefully be thinner:

So instead plans were made to meet our friends Tom and Frida at another location about ten minutes on foot from the palace, and off we set out. A big part of sightseeing Chinese-style is the opportunity to dress up, and so we passed by many people (mostly women and children) sporting Qing dynasty 清朝-styling clothing for photographic purposes:

Shenyang is still home to a number of pre-Second World War buildings, back when the city was known as Mukden:

We made our way over to Marshal Zhang's Mansion 张氏帅府 the former home of Zhang Zuolin 张作霖, a warlord and politician who was assassinated by the Japanese in 1928. Outside stands a statue of his son Chang Hsueh-liang 张学良, known for his kidnapping of Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 in the December 1936 Xi'an Incident 西安事变, which led to an eventual 50 years under house arrest in China and Taiwan:

Shu-E stands in front of a sign reading hóngxǐ 鴻禧, meaning "great joy"...I think:

While waiting for our friends to appear, the two of us joined the crowd to gawk at the bedrooms belonging to the Marshal's collection of wives and concubines:

Tom and Frida arrived soon after my wife snapped this photo:

Standing outside the house of a concubine who was obviously favored over the others. We decided not to enter:

Though none of us were fans of "people mountain, people sea" 人山人海 scenarios, but we decided Zhang's former residence might be the one location worth standing in long lines together with the masses (including at least one couple brazenly cutting in line). Welcome to (northern) China:

 

The following photos may suggest a bygone era of aristocratic affluence, but missing are the hundreds of people clogging the hallways and staircases in an attempt to get a glimpse inside the different rooms:

Finally back outside, with more lined up, waiting to join the hordes still inside:

Happy Tomb Sweeping Day!:

From the house we took a Didi to one of Shenyang's busy shopping areas, only to find a long wait for a seat at the massive Lao Bian Dumpling 老边饺子:

So it was back into another hired car, this time to one of the city's most upscale malls, where we had a most satisfying lunch at Fengtian Restaurant 奉天小馆:

Following the meal we walked over to the consulate district, where the U.S. among others is represented in China's northeast. It was an opportunity to see Shenyang's more modern, less grittier side:

Yes, I was. I believe this photo was taken close to the North Korean consulate:

Back at the North Yorker Hotel, and the offices of Air Koryo, the flagship carrier of the DPRK. As it was after 1700 hours the place was closed, though apparently it isn't often that it appears open even during the supposed business hours:

For dinner we joined our friends at Carney's, a bar/restaurant popular with Shenyang's small expatriate community, and a needed break from Chinese food:

Following dinner Tom and I eschewed a Didi and walked back to the hotel, passing through the plaza that is home to Shenyang's Mao Zedong statue:

Lessons (re)learned: don't travel in China on a day when millions of Chinese are also free of school and work obligations - that's what American holidays are for. Though we didn't get the opportunity on this Thursday to go back and tackle the Imperial Palace, we still had a nice day out, largely thanks to our gracious guides. And tomorrow I would finally have the chance to tick the box for one of my travel bucket list items.

Stay tuned...