Get to know Shen County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Liaocheng
- Chinese name
- 莘县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,420.00 km²
- Administrative seat
- Yanta Subdistrict (燕塔街道)
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The county stretches 68 kilometres north to south and 32 kilometres east to west. Guan County (冠县) and Dongchangfu District (东昌府区) lie to the north; the Jinxian River (金线河) forms the boundary with Yanggu (阳谷县) to the east; Puyang (濮阳) in Henan lies to the south and Handan (邯郸) in Hebei to the west. The county government sits in Yanta subdistrict (燕塔街道).
History
In the Spring and Autumn period this was Shen (莘), a town of the state of Wei. The Qin set up Yangping County (阳平县) here under Dong Commandery (东郡), and the name Shen County dates from 606 under the Sui. The county was abolished at the end of 1958, its land split between Fan County (范县) and Guan County, and restored on 1 July 1961. Today's county covers all of the former Shen, Chaocheng (朝城) and Guancheng (观城) counties and parts of Fan and Pu (濮县) counties.
Lying close to the Central Plains, with many gullies and easy communications, the area was long fought over. Engagements tied to it include the Warring States Battle of Maling (马陵之战) between Sun Bin (孙膑) and Pang Juan (庞涓) and a Three Kingdoms battle at Dongwuyang (东武阳), now Chaocheng, involving Cao Cao (曹操). The Northern Song chancellor Wang Dan (王旦) had family roots here, and under the Qing Zheng Banqiao (郑板桥) served as magistrate of Fan County at what is now Gucheng town (古城镇).
What to see
The city profile lists the ancient battlefield of Maling (马陵之战古战场) and the sites called Yezhulin (野猪林) and Shizipo (十字坡) among the county's historic places. Zhanglu town (张鲁镇) has the Ma Benzhai Martyrs' Cemetery (马本斋烈士陵园), and Dongzhangba village (东丈八村) in Dawangzhai (大王寨) has the Northwest Shandong Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery (鲁西北革命烈士陵园).
Food and local products
Melons, vegetables and mushrooms are planted on about a million mu every year. More than 120 kinds are grown, among them muskmelon, button mushrooms, Chinese chives, cabbage, radish, garlic, scallions and watermelon.
Getting oriented
The Jinan–Zhengzhou high-speed railway has a station in Shen County, and national highways G240 and G341 pass through.
Highlights
- Maling battlefield 马陵之战古战场: Listed by the Liaocheng government among the county's historic sites.
- Ma Benzhai Martyrs' Cemetery 马本斋烈士陵园: Memorial cemetery in Zhanglu town.
- Northwest Shandong Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery 鲁西北革命烈士陵园: At Dongzhangba village, Dawangzhai.
Sources for this guide
莘县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
聊城市人民政府 - 县市区风采 - 莘县 · Liaocheng Municipal People's Government
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-23.
Explore Shen County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Shen County 莘县
Plan your visit
Getting there
Shen County is about 35 km in a straight line from central Liaocheng. Search for 莘县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Liaocheng
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 莘县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.