| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
397km (246 miles) S of Shenyang Dalian is the supermodel of Chinese cities. Thoroughly modern, sartorially savvy, and unabashedly narcissistic, it is also the largest and busiest port in northern China. Dalian's straightforward beauty can be refreshing in a region where most towns are of the interesting-but-homely type, and indeed, there are few more enjoyable activities after a week in the Dongbei gloom than a sunlit stroll along the city's supremely walkable streets. The mere fact that the city has a definable downtown, unlike other cities in China, is to be lauded. Like Shanghai and Hong Kong, the cities to which it is most often compared, Dalian isn't really Chinese. Located just north of the Lushun naval base at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, it was conceived by Russia's czarist government as an ice-free alternative to Vladivostok. Construction of the port, originally called Dalny, got off to a quick start after Russia secured a lease on the peninsula in 1898; however, it lost the city and Lushun to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). Dalian (in Japanese: Dairen ) soon grew into the pleasantly sophisticated port Russia had imagined. Communist-era industrial development swamped Dalian in thick clouds of factory smoke, but it was miraculously resurrected in the mid-1990s by Mayor Bo Xilai, who tried to model the new Dalian on cities he had seen in Europe. This led him to introduce several revolutionary measures -- including a hefty fine for publi
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | Even though China’s history goes back to 2200 BC, Dalian’s chronological record of events remains murky at best. The earliest mention of the area came in 108 BC when Emperor Han Wudi, part of the 400 year reign of the popular and productive Han Dynasty, established a shipping line between the Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula to the south. The next mention of Dalian came in 1371 when troops under the Tang Dynasty, coined the area "Lion Mouth" due to its relative inaccessibility. Over the next 500 years, little was recorded of Dalian. Most of China’s military and cultural happenings occurred in and around Shanghai and Beijing. Dalian, meanwhile, remained in dormant isolation as a slumbering fishing village. It was first internationally recognized in 1856 during China’s Arrow War (Second Opium War) with Great Britain. An English gunboat guided by Captain William C. Arthur chugged into Lushun Harbor, just south of Dalian, and was so impressed he dubbed it Port Arthur. England’s acknowledgment of the area awakened the ruling Manchu government to Dalian’s military potential. In the subsequent years a series of forts were strategically garrisoned throughout the hills that surrounded Dalian Bay and Port Arthur. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894, which detonated over claims to Korea, ended in wretched defeat for China. Under the harsh terms of the resulting Shimonoseki Treaty, China was cuffed with stiff indemnities and forced to surrender Taiwan, the Pescadores I
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| How To Get There (Source: WCities) | Top | Getting There: By Air: Dalian is serviced by the Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, where 23 airline agencies have been established. They offer 65 domestic air routes, 10 international air routes, and 2 air routes to Hong Kong and Macao. Other possible modes of transportation are by train or boat. Getting Around: By taxi: The basic rate is ten yuan. By tram: The tram has three lines, and is recommended only if you have time to spare. By bus: The Chinese government has recently upgraded its fleet of buses.
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | Dalian is one of those rare cities that have the look of a major metropolitan hub, but the mindset of an island resort. Its fringe of sea and mountains surrounds it with enough geographical awe-areas to produce nine months worth of programming for the Discovery Channel. Sunbathing, fishing, boating, hiking and camping are all within minutes from downtown. Urban fun options abound too, and include Grade A museums, swanky nightclubs, and major festivals. Boredom, as all first-time visitors quickly learn, has no relevance in Dalian. Festivals in Dalian are few in number but massive in scope. The Chinese New Year (fluctuates between January and February) rates as one of the area’s biggest happenings. Streets get jammed with dragon dancers and the skies explode with fireworks. The Acacia Flower Festival (late May) is one long human applause break to the joys of summer. The annual International Fashion Festival (September) attracts the world’s top models, designers, musicians, and artists, transforming Dalian into a temporary Asian version of the French Riviera. Dalian’s wealth of beaches makes summer its main season of human enticement. Tiger Beach, located just southeast of the city in the aptly named Tiger Beach Park along the shores of Laohutan Bay, is excessively popular. In addition to sand, it also offers dining, shopping, and access to China’s largest aquarium. The beach at Fujiazhuang Park , the fourth largest beach in the area, is only five kilometers fr
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