Natural beauty, history beckon one and all to the northeast

Living in Shenyang, my wife's hometown in Liaoning province, I welcome the Chinese leadership's emphasis on revitalization of the northeast region playing a bigger role in Chinese modernization.

With the Chinese government's structural and policy focus during the past three decades being on developing other key regions of the country, the northeast region fell behind in the pecking order of popularity and economic growth. Yet in the northeast, we find a region of diverse importance; it is a key industrial hub, home to several ethnic groups, rich in many natural resources, such as Shenyang Palace Museum, which was first built in 1625 and paved the history of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Having lived for many years in other parts of the country, including Shanghai, the island province of Hainan and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, I dare to say the down-to-earth soul of the northeast people is very much shaped by the history of the region since 1900 or thereabouts.