A trip to Benxi can bring together three distinct themes: regional cultural history, industrial heritage and an expansive city park. The Benxi Museum focuses on collections and historical interpretation, while the Benxi Lake Industrial Heritage Site Group comprises preserved steel industry facilities. Pingshan Forest Park adds a vast green space to these perspectives.
Regional History at the Benxi Museum
The Benxi Museum in Mingshan District was established in 1980 as a comprehensive museum. Its mission includes collecting, exhibiting and researching regional artefacts, as well as public education. The museum holds nearly 10,000 artefacts, most of them finds from the Benxi region. Its permanent exhibition, “Memories of Benxi,” presents regional history through displays of objects, reconstructed scenes and multimedia interactions. Its four sections span “The Homeland of the First People in the Northeast” and caves between home and burial place, the eastward expansion of Yan and Han, the rise of Goguryeo, and finally the “Fusion of Multi-Ethnic Cultures.” The themes thus range from early ways of life to the interaction of different cultures. Nearly 10,000 artefacts make up the collection; the permanent exhibition is divided into four sections.
Industrial History at Benxi Lake
The Benxi Lake Industrial Heritage Site Group is located in Xihu District, Benxi Shi. It comprises eight groups of historic sites, as well as numerous steel industry facilities and pieces of equipment. In 2013, it was included in the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units; in 2017, it was added to the first national list of industrial heritage sites. Coke ovens, a coal washing building, hot-blast stoves and dust-removal equipment have been preserved at the site of the former Bensteel No. 1 Ironworks. These facilities bring the history of the place to life for visitors. Unlike the museum, the focus here is on preserved industrial structures and equipment.
Paper-Cutting Culture and Green Space
The China (Benxi) Paper-Cut Culture and Creative Industry Park was established in 2012. As of the list dated December 2025, it was classified as a 2A tourist attraction. Its address is 19 Xinhe Street in Pingshan District. This adds a distinct strand of paper-cutting culture to the museum and industrial history.
Pingshan Forest Park covers 17 square kilometres and is Benxi’s largest city park. It is described as the “green lung” of Benxi’s urban area. Benxi Lake Park, Guai Shi Cave and Cihang Temple are also associated with Benxi’s historical origins. They broaden the trip to include other places where nature and history meet.
A greenway described in 2021 connected several attractions, including Pingshan Forest Park and Benxi Lake Park. Check the current route before making specific plans.
You can search for hotels in Benxi according to whether cultural history, industrial heritage or scenery is the main focus of your trip.
Discover more destinations: Tieling, Anshan, Chaoyang, Panjin, Huludao, Shenyang, Tianjin, Liaoyang
For the broader travel overview: Liaoning.
