Mukden Naniwa Square, National protected heritage square in Heping District, Shenyang, China

Mukden Naniwa Square is a circular plaza 90 metres in diameter in Heping District, Shenyang, surrounded by six European-style buildings from the early 20th century, all designed by Japanese architects. At its centre stands a tall, slender monument with a light-coloured tapering shaft on a stepped base, set among low planting beds.

The site began as Central Square in 1913 and gained economic importance in the following decades, especially during a period of Japanese expansion in the region. The buildings that stand there today preserve traces of these different phases of city history.

The square's name changed with each regime: Central Square from 1913, Naniwa Square in 1919 under Japanese administration, and Zhongshan Square after the 1945 victory. All six surviving buildings around the 90-metre circular plaza were designed by Japanese architects, a fact visible in their early-20th-century European-style facades.

The plaza is centrally located and well connected by public transportation, with Shenyang Station nearby. You will find many shops, restaurants, and other facilities in the surrounding area that make a visit convenient.

The square was first laid out in 1913 as Central Square and renamed Naniwa Square in 1919, when the surrounding area was developing under Japanese influence. All six surviving buildings around it were designed by Japanese architects, and the ensemble was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2013.