Understand
Fushun is a prefecture level city in the east of Liaoning. Within the area is Xing City In Manchurian: Hetu Ala. This was the former capital of the Manchurian Late Jin Dynasty, founded in 1616 which later became the Qing Dynasty of China. Nearby is the Yongling Tomb where members of the royal household were laid to rest. Both Xing City and Yongling Tomb are now preserved as tourist attractions and are UNESCO world heritage sites.
In the early 20th century, the area came under first Russian and then Japanese control. Fushun was developed as a major coal mining and heavy industrial area. This city was called 'Coal Capital of China'. Fushun was also the site of China's first non-ferrous metal production plant - Fushun Aluminium Plant. During the 1980's, a significant petrochemical industry was developed. It is now the largest petrochemical and refined chemical producer in China. With these industries came inevitable pollution. In 2001, the city launched a drive to improve its environment, introducing new equipment into the factories, especially the Aluminium Plant.
Lei Feng is little known to the wider world, but in China, he is a household name. Lei Feng was held up by Mao Zedong and other leaders of China as an example for the whole country to copy, a model of the communist idea. Fushun was the city of his military career and a museum here tells his life story.
