Dalian Attractions
Dalian lies at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong peninsula. It is linked with Shenyang by rail and a expressway, with Shanghai by regular service ships, and with Beijing and Hong Kong by regular flights taking one and three and a half hours respectively.
Dalian, previously known as Lüda (a contraction formed from Lüshun and Dalian), boasts one of the largest trading ports in China. It has shipyards, engineering and rolling-stock works, as well as steel, chemicals, petro-chemicals, cement, textiles and canned foods.
Dalian is famed for its apples, which the Chinese prefer to any other fruit, and because of its mild climate and many sandy beaches it has become one of the most popular summer holiday resorts in northern China.
It is uncertain when the town was founded. All that is known is that after 108 BC, when Emperor Han Wudi opened a shipping line between the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas, it expanded considerably. In the late 19th C. the Manchurian government set up a naval base in Dalian which gave it a further economic boost. From 1894 onwards the town was under Russian control, and was expanded and docks built. In 1905 the Japanese took it over, and it was returned to the Soviet Union in 1945. Since 1949 it has grown in importance as an industrial town. In 1976 a large oil-harbor was built.
Dalian, previously known as Lüda (a contraction formed from Lüshun and Dalian), boasts one of the largest trading ports in China. It has shipyards, engineering and rolling-stock works, as well as steel, chemicals, petro-chemicals, cement, textiles and canned foods.
Dalian is famed for its apples, which the Chinese prefer to any other fruit, and because of its mild climate and many sandy beaches it has become one of the most popular summer holiday resorts in northern China.
It is uncertain when the town was founded. All that is known is that after 108 BC, when Emperor Han Wudi opened a shipping line between the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas, it expanded considerably. In the late 19th C. the Manchurian government set up a naval base in Dalian which gave it a further economic boost. From 1894 onwards the town was under Russian control, and was expanded and docks built. In 1905 the Japanese took it over, and it was returned to the Soviet Union in 1945. Since 1949 it has grown in importance as an industrial town. In 1976 a large oil-harbor was built.
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Xinghai Gongyuan Park
The 15 ha Gongyuan Park is a popular location for bathing in Dalian. Some other attractions in the area include the Cave of Marine Exploration and the Sea View Observation Tower.
Modern Satellite Town
This curious architectural conglomeration is to be found on the coast, in the northeast of the industrial area of Dalian. Covering 10.5ha/26.25acres, the suburb is divided into six different quarters designated A, B, C, D, E and F. The buildings in quarters A and B are typically Chinese, while those in B reflect West European styles and those of C that of Asia Minor. Quarter D is dominated by numerous skyscrapers, while E is a mix of western and eastern tastes in dwellings. In quarter F skyscrapers alternate with smaller houses.
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum, to the north of the railroad station, exhibits mammals and marine creatures, plants and minerals. There is also the opportunity to visit a glassworks.
Dalian Surroundings
Han Tomb
The Han tomb in Yingchengzi (Yingchenzi Hanmu), which dates from the Eastern Han period (25-220), was discovered in 1931 to the south of the village of Shagang in the Ganglinzi region, 25km/15.5mi north of Dalian. It consists of a main chamber, two anterooms, one room at the rear and a side-chamber. Note in particular the frescos on the east, south and north walls of the main chamber. They show the deceased ascending into Heaven.
Lüshun Port (Port Arthur)
The port of Lüshun, known to the western world by its earlier name of Port Arthur, lies some 60km/37mi southwest of Dalian at the southern tip of the Liaodong peninsula. On its north and east sides it opens out into a bay on the Yellow Sea; the bay is always free of ice and is surrounded by a line of rocky hills at least 5km/3mi long and more than 200m/660ft high. Well-protected, and accessible from the sea only via a waterway some 350m/1050ft wide, the harbor is still an important naval base and therefore public access is restricted.
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