Dalian, Northern City of Wonder

Dalian, compared to ancient capital cities such as Beijing, Xian, Nanjing or Luoyang, is a young city with only a 100-year history. Situated at the tip of China’s Liaodong Peninsular, it is a trading and financial center in northeastern Asia and has gained the name the “Hong Kong of Northern China”.

The old name of Dalian was first used by an official in his memorial to Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) referring to the present Dalian Gulf. In the early 20th century, the gulf area developed quickly and Dalian expanded into a city of significant size and importance.

I. Inside Dalian

Downtown Area - A World of Squares

The busy downtown area presents the historical heritage, exotic flavor and modern charm of the city.

Zhongshan Square is the central landmark of the city, where the governmental financial institutions are located. Also called “Nicolas Square”, it was a colonial construction built by Russian engineer decades ago. The square has more than ten avenues radiating outwards and forms the central commercial area of the city.

In the Russian and Japanese colonial periods, the invaders dreamed of building an oriental city in the style of Paris or Tokyo. As a result, many varieties of buildings were built in the city. Like the Bund area in Shanghai, Zhongshan Square is a result of that period with a mixture of western style buildings of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance designs. At present, banks and financial offices dominate these buildings giving it the name of “Oriental Wall Street”.

Dalian Hotel on the southern side of the square has an imposing European-style architecture with dignified royal court buildings and Baroque vaulting. Walking further southward you will find a Japanese flavor street with Japanese restaurants, teahouses and flower shops. Another German-designed building houses Dalian Art Exhibition Hall.

A short one kilometer walk northward from the Zhongshan Square, crossing the Shengli Bridge (Victory Bridge), is Russian Flavor Street. This street, flanked with European and Russian style architecture, is an ideal place to “meet Russia”. You can take Bus No. 203 at the Railway Station and get off at Shengli Qiao stop.

There are more than 30 squares in Dalian with artistic sculptures, hush lawns and western-style fountains. These formed the architectural style of the city - taking squares as the center and radiate outwards. A square sightseeing tour by Tourist Buses 801 and 801 (B) include Victory Square, Renmin Square, Olympic Square, Haizhiyun (Melody of Sea) Square and Youhao Suqare. The tourist bus stops at each spot for ten minutes and people can take pictures.

Another touring highlight would be a tram tour by antique trolley cars from the early 1900s. It recalls the olden days when the city was ruled by the Japanese invaders.

Binhai Road Area

Binhai Road Area - A Paradise of Beachscape

In addition to the historical stories in the downtown area, Dalian is also a bathing paradise. It has an amazing 40-kilometer (25-mile) long beachscape along Binhai Road. Originally a military defense road built in the 1970s; Binhai Road is a national scenic area with imposing mountain scenery on one side and ragged cliffs and seaside on the other. Starting from Haizhiyun Square, it follows the coastline of Dalian from the east via the south part and on to the west. Driving along the road, tourists will find a dozen attractions, like a string of pearls scattered along it including Bangchuidao Scenic Area, Laohutan Ocean Park, Yanwoling (Swallow Nest Mountain), Fujiazhuang bathing place and Yuexiu Villa. The southern section starting from Hutan Paradise to Fujianzhuang bathing place is the most popular part.

Xinghai Square Area - New Spirit of Dalian

In the western part of the city is the largest square in Asia, Xinhai Square. It was a great project built to commemorate Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997 and imprints of 1000 pairs of footprints of Dalian people symbolize the enterprising spirit of Dalian people.

500 meters (500 yards) north of the square is a landmark of the city, Xinghai Exhibition Center. This is a venue where big events and ceremonial activities such as the Spring Fireworks Festival, International Beer Festival and Dalian International Fashion Festival are held. A park in this area with the same name has Shengya Aquarium and the best bathing place in Dalian with all necessary amenities. Three docks inside the Xinghai Gulf have ferries to Laohutan and Bangchuidao scenic areas.

Laohutan Ocean Park

II. Around Dalian

Bangchuidao Scenic Area

9 kilometers (some 5 miles) away from the center of Dalian City, Bangchuidao Scenic Area is located in the east of the Binhai Road. It consists of Bangchuidao Islet, the natural lido and Bangchuidao Hotel. It is a famous seashore resort combining marvelous scenery of hills, sea, islet and beach.

Surrounded by hills, the northern part of the scenic spot appears beautiful and verdant. The hills are densely planted with flourishing pine trees and cypresses. The southern part is an open maritime area featuring a smooth sand beach. The adjacent lido is regarded as one of the best in Dalian City. 600 meters (some 1968 feet) away from the seashore is the Bangchuidao Islet whose name derives from its shape. This islet is shaped like a Bangchui (wooden club) used by some Chinese people as a washing tool, thus it was named. It is relatively small, covering an area of only 0.3 square kilometers (about 74 acres), while it boasts steep cliffs, peculiar rocks and beautiful wild flowers and grasses everywhere.

Bangchuidao Scenic Area enjoys a temperate climate, thus is a perfect summer resort. The famous Bangchuidao Hotel is situated here covering an area of 87 hectares (about 215 acres). As the only national hotel in Dalian City, it mainly functions as the accommodation for leaders and holding large-scale important conferences, which have been held many times here in the past. Many famous national leaders from home and abroad such as our beloved Premier Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China) have lived here. Now the hotel greets friends from the entire world with its different styles’ garden villas, excellent services and self-contained modern recreational facilities such as standard golf course, large tennis court, swimming pool and bowling alleys.

Jinshitan Scenic Area

Jinshitan Scenic Area, also known as the Golden Pebble Beach National Resort, is situated in the Liaodong Peninsula and facing the Huanghai River. It is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) away from the northeast of Dalian City. It comprises two peninsulas with a spacious beach in-between, with a land area of 62 square kilometers (15,321 acres) and a water surface of 58 square kilometers (14,322 acres). Encircled by sea all around, the beach enjoys a coastline of 30 kilometers (19 miles).

The region has an oceanic monsoon climate, with mild temperature and a distinct four seasons. Environment here is among the best throughout the country. Fresh air, clean sea water and spacious beach that extended four kilometers (2.5 miles) along the coast line attract tourists, especially swimmers, from home and abroad every year. It is also the location of the marine sports centre where various trainings are carried out.

The most splendid view is focused on the eastern peninsula, where geological wonders that formed 600,000 to 300,000 years ago extended along the 8-kilometers-long coast line. The vast structure came into shape as early as the Sinian and Cambrian Periods. One can see hundreds of grotesque rocks in various shapes and postures. Some resemble rocks spreading their wings or monkeys watching the sea. Others resemble camels, turtles, dinosaurs, tigers, etc. No wonder it is called the solidified animal world. The Longevous Rock found in it is the biggest sediment rock with the clearest structure in the world, formed 600,000 years ago. One just cannot help marveling the power of nature.

Jinshitan Scenic Area also provides top-ranking recreational infrastructures. The golf course covers large greens of 17,500 square kilometers (4,324,344 acres) with 36 fairways, taking good advantage of the seashore. A hunting ground in the western peninsula, equipped with modern facilities, covers an area of 2,000,000 square kilometers (494,210,763 acres). A flower exhibition hall can be found in it where flowers from worldwide are in blossom all year round.

You would never be bored in Jinshitan Scenic Area for there are so many scenic sports to explore. You should not miss other attractions such as the house of wax that exhibits lifelike celebrities, the exhibition hall displaying badges with Chairman Mao on them, China Martial Arts Museum, Movie and TV Art Center and so on.

Jinshitan Scenic Area aims to become an all-round resort that integrates tourism with entertainment. Many projects are still under constructions, such as Theme Parks, Hi-tech Agriculture Sightseeing and Demonstration Park and Golden Pebble Valley Country, etc.

Jinshitan Scenic Area was recognized as the National Resort by the State Council in 1992 and graded as a 4As Tourist Attraction in 2000. It was awarded the International Quality System Certification ISO9001 and ISO14001 International Environmental System Certification.

Laohutan Ocean Park

Situated in the central part of the southern seashore of Dalian City, Laohutan Ocean Park is the biggest modern lido in China with a total area of 1,180,000 square meters (about 291 acres) and a coastline of more than 4,000 meters (about 13,123 feet). In the Park, many attractive natural sceneries and magnificent man-made sights can be seen, especially the Tigers Sculpture Square and Laohutan Polar Region Marine Animals World. As a modern ocean park, Laohutan Ocean Park is one specializing in tourism, recreation, shopping and so on and is regarded as the Dalian people’s favorite park.

Tigers Sculpture Square

Covering an area of 15,700 square meters (about 4 acres), the square was designed in an irregular shape, not a traditional circular shape. Tigers sculpture, designed by the famous Chinese painter and sculptor - Mr. Han Meilin, is the symbol of Laohutan Ocean Park. The sculpted tigers are 35.5-meter-long (about 116 feet), 6.5-meter-high (about 21 feet) and 6.5-meter-wide and took Mr. Han two years and nine months to finish this great work. Heading eastward, the six tigers are all different in shapes and sizes. They roar into the wind expressing their power as the King of Beasts. The Tigers Sculpture Square is the most beautiful and florid among many squares in Dalian.

Polar Region Marine Animals World

Polar Region Marine Animals World is now the only one that has the marine animals at best and one that most roundly exhibits the polar animals. On one hand, here you can not only see rare polar animals like beluga whales, sea otters, sea elephant and duckers that come to China for the first time but also other animals like cute dolphins, lovely penguins, polar bears and so on. In the 2,000 seat performance hall of the Aquarium, these animal stars give brilliant performance every day such as the gentle beluga kissing people and the dolphins’ exuberant acrobatic display to music. All of these transport you into the magical kingdom that is ocean world and taste the animals getting on harmony with human beings. On the other hand, you can experience the freezing cold and the polar lights in polar environment, where you can touch polar bears and reindeer personally. At the same time you can also learn the knowledge about the polar ocean world.

Excepting the above two, you can view the biggest aquarium in Asia-oral Aquarium mainly exhibiting the coral reef community, the biggest half-natural man-made birdcage in China-Sing Birds Woods with more than 2,000 birds, the longest aerial rope across the ocean in China, four-dimensional cinema and so on.