Visit the Four Towers by Bike in Shenyang

Thanks so much to CB and friends for sharing this!

The four towers were built around Shenyang in 1643, during the early period of the Qing Dynasty. The towers symbolize the four Buddhist Heaven Kings, and originally marked the borders of the city. The four towers, aptly named “North Tower”, “South Tower”, “East Tower”, and “West Tower”, do in fact appear quite similar to each other. The towers themselves are white, bulb-shaped structures, with gold decoration on the top. Each one is surrounded by a small Buddhist temple. With carved Sanskrit and animal designs on the surface, the four pagodas were once taken as the symbol for good weather and peace.

Logistics of the Ride:

A member of our consulate community set off one morning determined to ride their bike to all four towers. Starting at the Consualte, you can ride to the south tower in 15-20 minutes. From the South Tower, ride to the East tower, taking approximately 50 minutes. This stretch follows a nice path along the river. From there head to the North Tower, following the river and then the train tracks. This portion of the ride is the longest, taking about 2 hours. From the North to the West towers is an easy 40 minute ride, following the train tracks until you see the Mao statue. From here, you are a five minute ride back to Somerset, or approximately 40 minutes back to the South Tower.

Along the way there are multiple parks, play grounds, work out equipment, different paths to ride, lakes, a pond to rent paddle boats, places to fish, and just a different point of view for Shenyang. In most areas there were options to ride on the street and eat at a small restaurant or grab some street food.

Tower Breakdown:

South- Sits in a park with a wall around it,  no obvious way to get right up to the tower though. The park is beautiful though.

East- right on the river so you cannot miss it. Open park area and you can walk right up to the tower. Several offerings, tokens, and small statues around this tower to look at.

North- a little difficult to find, and you cannot take you bike in the gate. Within the gate is a HUGE prayer community.  There are small buildings around the tower that offer a place to pray and a few buildings are stores that sell jewelry, prayer items and souvenirs. Around the tower itself are golden statues, a room with a thousand candles, and other ornate items. This is by far the best maintained of the towers.

West- this one was secure and not accessible. The front doors are large and it is hard to miss this tower. About a 10-15 minute walk from the Somerset.

Things to bring:
Map, sunglasses, really comfortable bike seat, water, money for snacks or souvenirs, and an understanding that China just sometimes “ends the bike trail” and you will be forced onto the road or a dirt path ect. This can be an adventure both fun and exhausting. Optimal time to go is during an American Holiday during the week, as some of these areas getting very crowded. A back pack with lunch is a great idea and there are many places to stop on the way and enjoy the view.

The photos below are displayed in order taken on the ride, starting with the first “gateway” to the South tower.