The City
Benxi sits where the mountains close in on both sides of the Taizi River — 76% forest, one of China's great steel towns, and a very small footprint on the map.
Benxi is a prefecture-level city in eastern Liaoning, an hour by road from Shenyang and half an hour from the airport. It is small by Chinese standards — but almost three quarters of its land is forest, and its geology, its industry and its history are unusually concentrated in one place.
What makes it different
- Forest cover: 76.31%. Benxi is the ecological barrier and water source for the surrounding region — the province’s “green lung”.
- Maple forest: 260,000 mu. Autumn here is a genuine season, not a postcard.
- Six local cultures. Red (anti-Japanese resistance), historical, geological, ethnic, industrial and traditional Chinese medicine — all six are present within the city limits.
- Steel. Bengang (Benxi Iron & Steel) produces around 20 million tonnes of crude steel a year. It is one of the founding industrial enterprises of the People’s Republic.
Getting here
Benxi is a node on the Shenyang metropolitan rail and road network. Shenyang Taoxian International Airport is roughly 40 minutes by car; high-speed rail connects through Shenyang. Most visitors combine Benxi with Shenyang as a two- or three-day trip.
Data in this section is drawn from the Benxi municipal government’s July 2026 briefing on its 15th Five-Year Plan. Figures are official and cited as published.