Liaoning. Shenyang City. Zhongshan Square Building Complex

🌟 Shenyang Zhongshan Square: A Symphony of a Century-Old History

📜 A Frozen Symphony of Time
In the heart of Shenyang, Zhongshan Square is like a phonograph of time, quietly playing the century-long variations of this city. This circular square, built in 1913, was originally named "Central Square" and later renamed Zhongshan Square in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Standing in the center of the square and looking around, eight historic buildings of distinct styles stand like eight experienced elders, softly telling the profound changes in Northeast China's modern history.

🏛️ The Past and Present of the Building Complex
1️⃣ Northeast Liberation Monument
This towering obelisk is the most prominent landmark of the square, with the seven large characters "Northeast Liberation Monument" inscribed by Lin Biao himself. When Shenyang was liberated in 1948, a grand city entry ceremony was held here. Today, you can often see elderly people telling children stories of those times beneath the monument.

2️⃣ Former Fengtian Police Department (now Shenyang Public Security Bureau)
This Renaissance-style building was an important power institution during Zhang Zuolin’s rule, with bullet marks faintly visible on the red brick exterior walls. Interestingly, the clock tower atop the building has chimed punctually for decades and is known locally as "the most punctual sentinel."

3️⃣ Former Daiwa Hotel Site (now Liaoning Hotel)
As the earliest high-end hotel built on the South Manchuria Railway’s affiliated land, it was once the social center for the upper class during the Japanese puppet period. Historical figures such as Puyi and Yoshiko Kawashima stayed here. The original spiral staircase and crystal chandeliers are still preserved, making it a living architectural museum.

4️⃣ Yokohama Specie Bank Fengtian Branch (now Industrial and Commercial Bank of China)
This neoclassical building features a distinctive dome and colonnade and was once the largest foreign bank in Northeast China. Today, the stone steps in front of the entrance are polished shiny by the footsteps of passing citizens, bearing witness to the city’s development.

🌇 The Everyday Life Between Dawn and Dusk
When the first ray of sunlight sweeps over the square in the morning, elderly people practicing Tai Chi and hurried office workers cross paths here; in the evening, children flying kites and middle-aged women dancing in the square share this space. The most special event is the grand Lantern Festival held every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when thousands of lanterns illuminate the historic buildings brilliantly.

This square is like a living history textbook, with every brick and stone telling the story of Shenyang’s transformation from Fengtian to a modern metropolis. When you come here, slow down and listen carefully to the heartbeat of this city.