Shenyang: A city reborn with flavor and innovation

To truly understand a city, they say you should savor it. Shenyang, a city in Northeast China, offers a delightful exploration through its vibrant street food scene. Picture this: a 350-meter stretch crammed with hundreds of food stands, bustling with activity and a cacophony of flavors. It's no wonder that the local night fair is a must-visit for anyone eager to experience the essence of Shenyang.

Once famed as China's foremost heavy industrial and equipment manufacturing hub, Shenyang has undergone a remarkable transformation. Today, it's not the towering chimneys or interlaced steel pipes that define this city, but rather the sight of people jogging under the shade of trees along greenbelts in riverside parks. In the city's modern BMW factories buzzing with robotic precision, machines deftly assemble components onto new cars. Meanwhile, the downtown area boasts mega shopping malls as contemporary as any in first-tier cities, where shoppers indulge in high-end retail.

Behind this urban bustle lies Shenyang's robustly growing economy. In the first half of the year, the city's GDP surged to 372.58 billion yuan ($51.12 billion). This marked a 6.6 percent year-on-year increase, surpassing the national average by 1.1 percentage points. Shenyang holds the third position among the country's 15 sub-provincial cities in terms of economic growth.

This economic resurgence is the result of a deliberate effort to modernize the industrial landscape. Shenyang has prioritized the upgrade of its manufacturing sector, focusing on key industrial chains including automobiles, aerospace, and IC equipment. In the first half of the year, the total scale of the city's eight key industrial chains exceeded 400 billion yuan, reflecting a remarkable 14.2 percent increase.

Notably, Shenyang has become a beacon of high-end manufacturing, with high-end equipment accounting for 34 percent of its production. The city's cluster of robotics and intelligent manufacturing has garnered national recognition as an advanced manufacturing hub. Moreover, Shenyang stands as the largest production base for the BMW Group globally.

The vibrant night fair epitomizes Shenyang's resurgence in consumption. In the first half of the year, the city welcomed nearly 60 million tourists, resulting in a 68 percent increase in tourism income. In a testament to its economic vitality, Shenyang secured the 14th position on Forbes China's list of cities with the highest consumption vitality.

This growing city is magnetic for young professionals. Over 960,000 graduates chose Shenyang as their launchpad for careers in the first half of this year. As Zhang Zhi'an, a professor at Fudan University and a media and communication expert, notes, "rising industries create promising cities, and promising cities attract career-seeking young people." Shenyang's forthcoming industries, including intelligent connected vehicles, next-generation information technology, and robotics, offer enticing opportunities for the talented youth eager to shape the future.