Nine yuan ($1.25) for a delicious jijia (chicken rib), 5 yuan for seven juicy mini shaomai (Chinese steamed open dumplings). Shenyang, a major city of northeastern China that is about three hours of high-speed train from Beijing, is becoming a popular destination for young people in the capital to spend their weekends, thanks to its unexpectedly high cost-performance ratio of food, leisure and entertainment, not to mention its unique regional culture and rich historical heritage.