Fushun: Where the Story of the Qing Dynasty Began
Discover Fushun in Liaoning, from historic Hetu Ala and the origins of the Later Jin to morning markets, Dongbei food and local culture.
KC
9/3/20265 min read
China is a huge country. Many of its provinces are larger than the United Kingdom.
One thing that has always fascinated me about China is how a country with a common language can have so many different cultures, lifestyles and cuisines. Sometimes, you don't even need to leave a province to experience those differences.
Years ago, I visited Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province.
I went during summer, which happened to be peach season.
I still remember the peaches. They were so juicy that with every bite, juice would flow down my arm.
The weather surprised me too.
It was summer, but instead of the hot and humid weather I was used to further south, it was pleasantly cool.
Life also felt different from the southern Chinese cities I had visited. From what I observed, the pace seemed more relaxed.
And this is where travelling becomes interesting.
You begin to realise that understanding China isn't simply about visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen.
Every region has another story.
Welcome to Dongbei
Liaoning is part of what Chinese people commonly call Dongbei Sansheng (东北三省), the Three Northeastern Provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang.
This part of China has a particularly interesting geography and history.
The region borders Russia and North Korea and is home to different ethnic communities, including Han Chinese, Manchus and ethnic Koreans.
Dandong in Liaoning sits directly across the Yalu River from North Korea and has an ethnic Korean community.
Further northeast is Yanbian in Jilin Province, today the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.
Years ago, a friend told me about the history of Koreans living in China. I was surprised to learn how far back some of these communities went.
Migration from the Korean Peninsula into Northeast China increased significantly during the 19th century, particularly as people crossed into the region because of famine and economic hardship.
It helped create the Korean communities that remain an important part of Northeast China's cultural landscape today.
Northeast China later went through another very different period of history when much of the region came under the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo during the 1930s and 1940s.
Today, international travellers probably know one northeastern city particularly well.
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, famous for its spectacular winter ice sculptures.
But there is another city in Liaoning that receives much less international attention despite its importance to Chinese history.
Fushun.
Where the Qing Story Began
Fushun is only around a 45-minute drive from Shenyang.
But travel further into the area surrounding Fushun and you can find yourself standing somewhere connected to the beginning of one of the most important political transformations in Chinese history.
Hetu Ala (赫图阿拉).
Today, the historic site is in Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, under the administration of Fushun.
It was here that Nurhaci established the Later Jin in 1616.
This distinction is important.
The Qing dynasty wasn't actually called Qing yet.
Nurhaci had spent years bringing different Jurchen groups under his control and building a growing power base in Northeast China.
Hetu Ala became the first capital of his Later Jin state.
Nurhaci's son, Hong Taiji, continued expanding the state and later changed its name from Later Jin to Qing in 1636.
Then came another turning point.
In 1644, Qing forces entered Beijing.
By then, Nurhaci and Hong Taiji had both died. It was during the reign of Nurhaci's grandson, the Shunzhi Emperor, that the Qing established itself in Beijing and began extending its control over China.
The dynasty would survive until 1912.
More than two and a half centuries.
And that's what makes Hetu Ala fascinating to me.
You already know how the story ends.
But here, you can explore where part of that story began.
From a Small Regional Power to Ruling China
When we read history, it's easy to look backwards.
We see the Qing dynasty controlling an enormous empire and naturally think of it as a great power.
But it didn't start that way.
It started as a regional power in Northeast China.
Nurhaci could not have known exactly what his descendants would eventually achieve.
Within a few generations, however, the state he helped create had moved its political centre from Hetu Ala to Liaoyang and then Shenyang before eventually entering Beijing.
That is what I find fascinating when visiting historical places.
You're not simply looking at old buildings.
You're trying to imagine what the people living there would have seen at the time.
Could anyone standing in Hetu Ala in the early 1600s have imagined that this relatively small northeastern state would eventually rule China?
Today, visitors should also understand that what they see at Hetu Ala is a historic site that has undergone substantial reconstruction and restoration.
But that doesn't take away its historical importance.
The location itself connects you with the early story of the Later Jin and what eventually became the Qing dynasty.
Start Your Day at the Market
If you're visiting Fushun, don't make the trip only about history.
Stay in the city and wake up early.
Go to a morning market.
And eat.
This is one of my favourite ways of understanding a place.
If you've travelled mainly around southern China, you may be surprised by how different the food in Northeast China can be.
Don't go looking for the food you already know.
Look around.
See what the locals are buying.
Try something unfamiliar.
Then make your way towards Hetu Ala.
Depending on where you're staying and traffic conditions, allow around an hour and a half by car from Fushun.
Spend the morning exploring the historic area and learning about Nurhaci and the beginnings of the Later Jin.
Then it's time for lunch.
Don't Forget the Food
Look for nongjiacai (农家菜), or farmhouse-style dishes.
These are often simple, hearty dishes associated with the countryside, and you'll find plenty of vegetable options alongside meat dishes.
You may also notice Korean influences in the food of Northeast China.
If you're interested in exploring them, try searching for dajiang tang (大酱汤).
You may find restaurants serving dishes that feel familiar if you've eaten Korean food before, although locally they may not necessarily be presented simply as "Korean food".
And then there is barbecue.
You will never run out of options in China.
Sometimes all you have to do is be open enough to try something you haven't eaten before.
Back to Fushun for the Evening
After returning to Fushun, look for shaokao (烧烤).
Chinese barbecue skewers.
Order whatever looks interesting.
Try something you haven't tried before.
Add a few bottles of Chinese beer.
Then sit there and watch the city around you.
Earlier that day, you were walking through a place connected to events more than 400 years ago.
Now you're sitting among people living their everyday lives in modern Fushun.
For me, that's what makes travelling to places like this worthwhile.
I don't travel just to see an attraction and move on to the next one.
I want to understand why a place is there.
What happened there?
Who lived there?
What do people eat?
How has the past shaped what we see today?
Fushun may not have the international recognition of Beijing, Shanghai or even nearby Shenyang.
But more than four centuries ago, something was beginning here that would eventually change the course of Chinese history.
A regional state emerged.
It grew.
Its capital moved.
Its ambitions expanded.
And eventually, its rulers entered Beijing.
History tells us what happened.
Travelling there helps us understand where it happened.
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