Shenyang is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtian Fu. Shenyang was first used by the Manchu people as their capital in the 17th century and is today the biggest city in the Northeast.
Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial centre in China, and serves as the transportation and commercial hub of China's northeast–particularly with Japan, Russia, and Korea. A titan of heavy industry since the 1930s, the city has been diversifying its industry and now has a solid industrial foundation, a good land and air transport network, abundant natural resources, and a skilled workforce. Investment subsidies are granted to multinational corporations (MNCs) that set up offices or headquarters in Shenyang.
The sub-provincial city region includes the metropolitan area of Shenyang proper, Xinmin county-level city, and three counties.
Greater Shenyang was recently named as one of the 13 emerging megacities or megalopolises in China in a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit; Supersized cities: China’s 13 megalopolises. The report pinpoints and highlights the demographic and income trends that are shaping these cities' development