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Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial
port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...
in
Liaoning province ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
,
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the
provincial capital A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational division, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encomp ...
Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
) and the third-most populous city of
Northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...
(after Shenyang and
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
). Located on the southern tip of the
Liaodong peninsula The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...
, it is the southernmost city in both Liaoning and the entire Northeast. Dalian borders the prefectural cities of
Yingkou Yingkou ( zh, s=, t=, p=Yíngkǒu) is a coastal prefecture-level city of central southern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, on the northeastern shore of Liaodong Bay. It is the third-smallest city in Liaoning with a total area of , a ...
and
Anshan Anshan ( zh, s=鞍山, p=Ānshān, l=saddle mountain) is an inland prefecture-level city in central-southeast Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, about south of the provincial capital Shenyang. As of the 2020 census, it was Liaoning' ...
to the north and
Dandong Dandong ( zh, s=丹东 , t=丹東 , p=Dāndōng; lit. "Red East"), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest ...
to the northeast, and also shares
maritime boundaries A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of Earth's water surface areas using physical geography, physiographical or human geography, geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive sovereignty, national rights over mine ...
with
Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao (; zh, s=秦皇岛, link=no) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population d ...
and
Huludao Huludao ( zh, s=葫芦岛 , t=葫蘆島 , p=Húludǎo), formerly known as Jinxi () until 1994, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southwestern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its name literally means "Gourd Island", referring t ...
across the
Liaodong Bay Liaodong Bay is largest and longest of the three main bays of the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. The other two bays are Laizhou Bay to the south and Bohai Bay to the southwest. Although named after the Liaodong Peninsula (wh ...
to the west and northwest,
Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...
and
Weihai Weihai ( zh, t=, p=Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei ( zh, s=, p=Wēihǎiwèi, l=Mighty Sea Fort, first=t), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in the easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow ...
on the
Shandong peninsula The Shandong Peninsula or Jiaodong (tsiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. Geography The waters ...
across the
Bohai Strait The Bohai Sea ( zh, c=渤海, p=Bó Hǎi, l=Bo Sea) is a gulf/ inland sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects via the Bohai Strait. ...
to the south, and
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
across the
Korea Bay Korea(n) Bay, sometimes West Korea(n) Bay (; ; or ), is a bight and the northern extension of the Yellow Sea, between the southeastern coastline of China's Liaoning Province and the western coastline of North Korea's North Pyongan, South P ...
to the east. As of the 2020 census, its total population was 7,450,785 inhabitants of whom 5,106,719 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 6 out of 7 urban districts, Pulandian District not being conurbated yet. Today, Dalian is a financial, shipping, and logistics center for
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
. The city has a significant history of use by foreign powers for its ports. Dalian was previously known as " Dalniy" (; ), "
Dairen Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...
" (), and "Lüda" or "Luta" ( zh, c=旅大, hp=Lǚdà, links=no). The city used to be better known as "Port Arthur" and "Ryojun" () from the original Port Arthur, now the city's Lüshunkou district. In 2016, Dalian ranked 48th in the
Global Financial Centres Index The Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) ranks the competitiveness of financial centres based on over 29,000 assessments from an online questionnaire and over 100 indices from organisations such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co ...
. In 2012, Dalian ranked 82nd in the Global City Competitiveness Index. In 2006, Dalian was named China's most livable city by ''
China Daily ''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...
''. It is now a " Beta - Global City" according to the
Globalization and World Cities Research Network The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a British think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leic ...
. The large amount of port traffic makes Dalian a Large-Port Metropolis. Dalian is one of the top 40 science cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the
Nature Index The Nature Index is a database that tracks institutions and countries/territories and their scientific output since its introduction in November 2014. Originally released with 64 natural-science journals, the Nature Index expanded to 82 natural-sci ...
, ranking 37th globally in 2023. The city is home to several major universities, notably
Dalian University of Technology The Dalian University of Technology (DLUT) is a public university in Ganjingzi, Dalian, Ganjingzi, Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 2 ...
and
Dalian Maritime University Dalian Maritime University (DLMU; ) is a public university in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Transport. The university is part of the Double First-Class Construction. History The long history of the universi ...
, members of China's prestigious universities in the
Project 211 Project 211 ( zh, c=, links=no, s=211工程) was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the government of China for "preparing approximately 100 universities for the 21st century", initiated in November 1995. There were 115 ...
, and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...
.


Etymology

Modern Dalian originated from Qingniwa ( zh, t=青泥窪, s=青泥洼, p=Qīngníwā, l= green/blue mud swamp, links=no, first=t) or
Qingniwaqiao Qingniwaqiao () is the downtown area of Dalian, Liaoning, China, located front of the Dalian Railway Station. The area shares its name with a broader subdistrict in Zhongshan District, the Qingniwaqiao Subdistrict (). History Qingniwaqiao ...
( zh, t=青泥窪橋, s=青泥洼桥, p=Qīngníwāqiáo, l= bridge over the green/blue mud swamp, labels=no, first=t), a small Chinese fishing village. The
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
built a commercial town after coercing a lease of the area from the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
in 1898 and called it Dalny ( — "a remote one" or "far-away", in reference to the town's location, rendered in Chinese as zh, t=達里尼, s=达里尼, p=Dálǐní, labels=no, first=t) from 1898 to 1905. After the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
of 1904–1905, Japan occupied the area as the
Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...
and renamed the city after the Chinese name for Dalian Bay ( zh, t=大連灣, s=大连湾, hp=Dàlián Wān, links=no) — a name in use since at least 1879. English-language sources called the city Dairen in this period (1905–1945), from Japanese. In 1950, Dalian, back in Chinese control, merged with the nearby town called Lüshun ( zh, t=旅順, s=旅顺, links=no, first=t; formerly Ryojun and before that, Port Arthur) to form the city of Lüda ( zh, c=旅大, hp=Lǚdà, labels=no, first=t), a name (formed from the first syllable of each constituent's name) which was usually rendered as Luta in English during that era. In 1981, the Chinese
State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...
again renamed the city from Lüda back to Dalian ( zh, t=大連, s=大连, hp=Dàlián, labels=no, first=t), effective 5 March 1981.


History


Ancient

In the Qin and Han empires (221 BC – AD 220), the Chinese empire annexed Dalian Peninsula from the Korean state. During the
Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...
era (3rd through 5th centuries), the Korean state of
Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
controlled this region. In the early
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
(618–907), the Dalian region formed part of
Andong Andong () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong Ri ...
Prefecture in Jili state; during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), it was a part of Dong Jing Tong Liaoyang county. Dalian was named Sanshan in the period of Wei Jin (220–420), San Shanpu in the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
(618–907), Sanshan Seaport in the
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
(1368–1644), and Qingniwakou during the early modern era.


Qing dynasty

In the 1880s, Jinzhou, the north of downtown Dalian, now
Jinzhou District Jinzhou District () is one of the seven districts of Dalian, Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is located about northeast of the city centre and faces the Bohai Sea to the west as well as the Korea Bay to the east and has a long ...
, was a walled town and a center for political intrigue and economic activity. The Qing government built bridges and heavily fortified the peninsula. Mining camps on the northern coast of Dalian Bay became the small town of Qingniwa () or
Qingniwaqiao Qingniwaqiao () is the downtown area of Dalian, Liaoning, China, located front of the Dalian Railway Station. The area shares its name with a broader subdistrict in Zhongshan District, the Qingniwaqiao Subdistrict (). History Qingniwaqiao ...
(), near what became the downtown core of modern-day Dalian.


British, Russian, and Japanese occupations

The British briefly occupied Qingniwa during the
Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...
in 1858, but returned it to Chinese (Qing) control in 1860. Port Arthur at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula took its English name from Royal Navy Lieutenant William Arthur, though the area's Chinese name had always been Lüshun. Although China heavily fortified the area, in which it allowed trade with foreigners, in the
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...
Japan swiftly overcame those defenses occupied Dalian. In April 1895 China conceded defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, ceding
Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...
, Taiwan and
Penghu The Penghu ( , Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘''  or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Ch ...
, and making many other concessions in the
Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...
(17 April 1895). In the
Triple Intervention The Triple Intervention or was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, imposed by Japan on Qing China at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War. The treaty, signed on ...
of 23 April 1895, Russia, France and Germany forced Japan to return the
Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...
to China, despite the treaty's terms; instead the Russian Russian Tsarist Regime coerced a lease of the peninsula from China in 1898. Russia had a particular interest in the region of the peninsula as one of the few areas in the region that had the potential to develop ice-free ports. The Russians built a modern commercial port city, which they wanted to become the Paris of the Far East, and called it Dal'niy (). Linked by 1902 with the
Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...
via the branch line
Chinese Eastern Railway The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, , or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria). The Russian Empire constructed the line from 1897 ...
through
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
, Dal'niy became Russia's primary port-city in Asia while also serving Western traders. Russia signed the Pavlov Agreement (1898) with China, which granted Russia a 25-year lease on Dalian and Lüshun and exclusive right to build a branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway—what would become from 1905 the Japanese-operated
South Manchurian Railway The South Manchuria Railway (; ), officially , Mantetsu () or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operation of railways on the Dalian– Fengtian (Mukden)–Changchun (called Xinjing from ...
. Russia spent more than 10 million golden rubles (equivalent to 11.5 billion of today's
rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
) building the new ice-free port city. Russia heavily fortified both Dalniy (Qingniwaqiao of Zhongshan District) and the Port Arthur naval base (Lüshunkou) before and after the
Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...
of 1899–1901. During the insurrection, missionaries, converts and Russians were killed and other Europeans were killed by rebels in the peninsula, although the massive massacres of Europeans and Christians including
Metrophanes, Chi Sung Metrophanes, Chi Sung (Cháng Yángjí,常楊吉, his Chinese name is also sometimes translated as Tsi Chung) or Mitrophan (December 10, 1855 – June 10, 1900) was the first Chinese Eastern Orthodox priest to be martyred. He was killed with ...
occurred at
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
. Western expeditionary forces suppressed the Boxers across the Yellow Sea in
Shandong Peninsula The Shandong Peninsula or Jiaodong (tsiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. Geography The waters ...
. During the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
of 1904–1905, the Liaodong Peninsula became a major battleground. Major-General Baron Anatoly Stoessel defended a besieged Port Arthur, for five months (August 1904 to January 1905), but the Japanese army, using long-distance fire, sank several Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in early December 1904. Admiral Eugene Alexeyeff was blamed for splitting precious resources shipped across the single tracked Trans-Siberian Railway and
Manchurian Railway The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, , or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria). The Russian Empire constructed the line from 1897 ...
between Dalniy and Port Arthur. After the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
crippled the remaining Russian battleship ''
Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
'' in three weeks of constant attacks, and explosives detonated in tunnels destroyed Port Arthur's remaining defenses in the final days of 1904, Russia negotiated a ceasefire and surrendered Port Arthur in January 1905. The
Treaty of Portsmouth The Treaty of Portsmouth is a treaty that formally ended the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905, after negotiations from August 6 to 30, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, United States. U.S. P ...
(signed 5 September 1905) ceded Port Arthur to Japan, which set up the
Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...
or (), on roughly the southern half (Jinzhou District and south) of present-day Dalian. Japanese invested heavily in the region, which became the main trading port between
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
and Japan. Japan leased the area from
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
after establishing that puppet state in 1932. In 1937, as the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
began, Japan enlarged and modernized the trade zone as two cities: the northern Dairen (Dalian) and the southern Ryojun (Lüshun or Port Arthur).


Post-World War II

With the unconditional
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
in August–September 1945, Dairen passed to the
Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...
, whose
Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet invasion of the Empire of Japan's ...
had liberated the city on 22 August 1945. The Soviets and
Chinese Communists The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil W ...
cooperated to develop the city, relatively undamaged during the war, especially its industrial infrastructure and the port. The Soviet government rented the port and in 1945 the first Chinese Communist mayor of the new Lüda Administrative Office ( zh, s=旅大行政公署, labels=no) was appointed. In 1950 the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
presented the city to the Chinese Communist government without any compensation. Dalian and Lüshun (former Port Arthur) merged as Lüda on 1 December 1950. From 12 March 1953 to 1 August 1954 it was a
direct-controlled municipality A direct-controlled municipality is the highest level classification for cities used by unitary states, with status equal to that of the provinces in the respective countries. A direct-controlled municipality is similar to, but not the same as, a ...
and not part of Liaoning. Soviet troops left the city in 1955. After the Soviets left, the PRC made Lüda a major shipbuilding center. In 1981 the city was renamed Dalian, with Lüshunkou becoming a constituent district. In 1984 the Chinese Government designated the city a
Special Economic Zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
. At the time, Dalian was China's largest foreign-trade port.


1990 to present

The city was upgraded from a
prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...
to a
sub-provincial city Strictly speaking, China's legal system neither recognizes the concept of "sub-provincial administrative divisions" () or "sub-provincial cities" () nor provides specific legislation for such designations, and these categories are absent from off ...
in May 1994, with no change in its administrative subdivisions. In the 1990s the city benefited from the attention of
Bo Xilai Bo Xilai ( zh, s=薄熙来, p=Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. ...
(Party secretary of Dalian. Bo served both as the mayor of the city and as one of the major leaders in the province; among other things, he banned motorcycles and planted large, lush parks in the city's many traffic circles. He also preserved much of Dalian's Russian Tsarist regime era buildings. He also worked as the former Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Minister of Commerce of China. Since 2007 Dalian has hosted the Annual Meeting of the New Champions ("Summer Davos"), organized by the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
, in alternating years with
Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
. The venue for the forum is the Dalian International Conference Center in Donggang CBD. In 2008 about 1,000 people protested and blocked traffic as a response to the 2008 Tibetan anti-Chinese protests, and forced the temporary closure of the local
Carrefour Carrefour Group, S.A. (, ), is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, Essonne, Massy, France. It operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores. By 2024, the group had 14,000 ...
store. In 2010 one of the worst recorded oil-spills in China's history occurred in Dalian. The Dalian PX protest occurred on 14 August 2011. In June 2014, China's tenth state-level new area, the Dalian Jinpu New Area was officially established. On 5 August 2016, the Dalian
huabiao Huabiao () is a type of ceremonial column used in traditional Chinese architecture. ''Huabiao'' are traditionally erected in pairs in front of palaces and tombs. The prominence of their placement have made them one of the emblems of tradition ...
incident occurred. A huabiao, named the "" (九龙华表), in the center of
Xinghai Square Xinghai Square (), is a city square in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is located to the north of Xinghai Bay. It covers a total area of , created entirely through land reclamation, making it the largest city square in the world. Its name literally ...
was demolished, which was believed to be out of political reasons related to the downfall of Chinese politician
Bo Xilai Bo Xilai ( zh, s=薄熙来, p=Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. ...
, who oversaw the construction of Xinghai Square and the central huabiao during his tenure as the mayor of Dalian. The site of the huabiao was later replaced with a musical fountain, the largest one in Northern China.


Geography

One of the most heavily developed industrial areas of China, Dalian municipal area today consists of Dalian proper and the smaller Lüshunkou (formerly Lüshun city, known in Western and Russian historic references as Port Arthur), farther along the
Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...
. Historical references note that the Russian designed city of Dalniy (Alt. Dalney), on the south side of Dalian Bay was from Port Arthur/Lüshun (known today as Lüshunkou or literally, Lüshun Port). Dalian is located on
Korea Bay Korea(n) Bay, sometimes West Korea(n) Bay (; ; or ), is a bight and the northern extension of the Yellow Sea, between the southeastern coastline of China's Liaoning Province and the western coastline of North Korea's North Pyongan, South P ...
north of the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
and roughly in the middle of the Liaodong peninsula at its narrowest neck or
isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...
. With a coastline of , it governs the majority of the Liaodong Peninsula and about 260 surrounding islands and reefs. It is seated at south-south-west of the
Yalu River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between China and North Korea. Its valle ...
, and its harbor entrance forms a sub-bay known as Dalian Bay.


Climate

Dalian has a
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
-influenced
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dwa''), characterized by warm wet summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast
Siberian anticyclone The Siberian High (also Siberian Anticyclone; (''Aziatsky antitsiklon''); zh, 西伯利亞高壓; Pinyin ''Xībólìyǎ gāoyā''; Kazakh Азия антициклоны (''Aziya antitsiklonı'')) is a massive collection of cold dry air that a ...
. Except for winter, the city experiences a one-month seasonal lag due to its position on the Liaodong Peninsula. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in August. Annual precipitation averages but is heavily concentrated in the summer months and can vary greatly from year to year. Due to the coastal location, the mean
diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
annually is small, at . The monthly percent of possible sunshine ranges from 45% in July to 66% in March, with 2,625 hours of bright sunshine annually. The annual mean temperature is . Extremes since 1951 have ranged from on 4 January 1970 to on 2 August 2018.


Administration

Dalian is the second largest city of Liaoning province, after
Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
, the provincial capital. The city of Dalian is governed by the Dalian Municipal People's Government.


Municipal government

The municipal government is located in the main building on the north side of People's Square on
Zhongshan Road Zhongshan, Chungshan, or Jhongshan () is a common name of Chinese roads, usually in honor of Sun Yat-sen, better known in Chinese as "Sun Chungshan (Zhongshan)", who is considered by many to be the "Father of Modern China". In Chinese cities, "Zh ...
, originally built as the Administrative Office of
Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...
, and other buildings in downtown Dalian. There are the Commerce, Foreign Economy & Trade, Health, Information Industry, Police, Religion, Science & Technology, Transportation and other city-level bureaus, which work closely with the corresponding agencies at the district level. There are, in addition, 4 national leading open zones ( zh, s=对外开放先导区, labels=no): * The Development Zone () * The Free Trade Zone () * The Hi-Tech Industrial Zone () * The Jinshitan (''"Golden Pebble Beach"'') National Holiday Resort ()


Administrative divisions

(see
Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since 1412, due to mainland China's large population and geographical area. In the People's Republic of China, the constitution provides for three levels of government. ...
) The city administers 7
districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
, 2
county-level cities , map = , category = Third level administrative division of a unitary state , territory = People's Republic of China , upper_unit = Prefectures, Provinces , start_date = , current_number = 411 (408 controlled, 3 claimed) , number_da ...
, and 1
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
: * There are 92 sub-districts and 69 towns and townships.Dalian Statistics Yearbook 2008 * Zhongshan, Xigang, Shahekou and Ganjingzi Districts make up the urban core. Changhai County is made up entirely of islands east of the peninsula.


Demographics

The population of Dalian according to the 2010 census totaled 6.69 million. The total registered population on household at year end 2014 was 5.943 million, with a net increase of 29,000 over the previous year.


Economy

The city has had a continuous annual double-digit percentage increase in GDP since 1992. In 2014, the city's GDP registered a 5.8% increase, reaching RMB 765.56 billion, while per capita GDP hit RMB 109,939. According to a nationwide appraisal by the
National Bureau of Statistics National Bureau of Statistics or State Bureau of Statistics may refer to: *National Bureau of Statistics of China * National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova *National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria *National Bureau of Statistics of Tanzania *Austral ...
, Dalian ranks eighth among Chinese cities in terms of overall strength. The city's main industries include machine manufacturing, petrochemicals and oil refining, and electronics.


Agriculture and aquaculture

Dalian was originally an agriculture and aquaculture-based area, which, after the opening of the ferry between
Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...
and Lüshun during the early 20th century, began to be populated by the farmers and fishers of
Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
, across the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
during the
Chuang Guandong ''Chuang Guandong'' (; IPA: ; literally "Crashing into Guandong" with ''Guandong'' being an older name for Manchuria) is descriptive of the rush of Han people into Manchuria, mainly from the Shandong Peninsula and Zhili, during the hundred-year ...
era.


Heavy, light and distribution industries

Even before and during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, the shipbuilding and locomotives industries were located in the city such as the companies which later became
Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) is a shipbuilding state-owned enterprise located in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. It is part of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), which has since been merged into China State S ...
and Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works (DLoco). After the WWII, Dalian became an important center of the heavy and light industries, including companies such as Dalian Heavy Industry Co., Dalian Chemical Group, and Wafangdian Bearing Co.; and of the distribution industry, such as the
Dashang Group Dashang Group (), headquartered in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, operates department stores, Xinmate (New Mart) supermarkets and other retail business. It is the largest retailer in Northeast China. General Dashang Group with its headquarte ...
. Dalian Port is an important port for international trade. It has established trading and shipping links with more than 300 ports in 160 countries and regions of the world. There are over 100 international and domestic
container shipping Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers, or ISO containers). Containerization, also referred as container stuffing or container loading, is the process of uni ...
routes. A harbor for oil tankers (the largest by tonnage in China), at the terminus of an oil
pipeline A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...
from the Daqing oilfields, was completed in 1976. Dalian is the 6th largest port in China; and according to AAPA world port ranking data, Dalian is the 8th busiest port in the world by cargo tonnage in 2012, and the 12th busiest container port in the world by total number of TEUs handled in 2013. Accordingly, Dalian is a major center for
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied pet ...
, diesel engineering, and chemical production. Also completed in 1993 is a newer port called Dayaowan Port ( zh, s=大窑湾港, p=Dàyáowān Gǎng), on Dagushan ( zh, labels=no, s=大孤山, p=Dàgūshān) Peninsula in the northern suburbs, specializing in import-export of mining and oil products. Together with the Dalian Railway Station, Dalian North Railway Station, Dalian International Airport and two major express roads to
Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
( Shenda Expressway),
Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...
( Changda Expressway),
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
(
Hada Expressway Hada may refer to: * Hada, or Khata, traditional ceremonial scarf used in Tibet and Mongolia * Hada (surname), a Japanese and Romanian surname * Hada (activist), Mongol activist advocating for the separation of Inner Mongolia from the People's R ...
) in the north and to
Dandong Dandong ( zh, s=丹东 , t=丹東 , p=Dāndōng; lit. "Red East"), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest ...
to the east, Dalian has been an important distribution center.


Industrial zones

Dalian has been given many benefits by the Chinese government, including the title of "open-city" (1984), which allows it to receive considerable foreign investment (see
Special Economic Zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
). The Development Zone was established in Jinzhou District, to which many Japanese companies, such as
Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
,
Mitsubishi Electric is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1921 as a spin-off from the electrical machinery manufacturing d ...
,
Nidec , formerly known as , is a Japanese manufacturer and distributor of electric motors. Their products are found in hard-disk drives, electric appliances, automobiles and commercial and manufacturing equipment. The company has the largest global m ...
,
Sanyo Electric is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own busi ...
and
Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
, followed by South Korean, American and European companies (such as
Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...
). In 2007,
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
announced plans to build a semiconductor fabrication facility (commonly known as a fab) in the Development Zone, Dalian. It is Intel's first fab to be built at an entirely new site since 1992. The facility began operation in October 2010. Dalian also houses auto-manufacturing plants for
Chery Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., Doing business as, trading as Chery (), is a Chinese automobile manufacturer owned by Chery Holding Group Co., Ltd. Founded in 1997, it is currently the fourth largest automobile manufacturer group in China, with 2,6 ...
,
Dongfeng Nissan Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (abb. DFL), most commonly known in English-language sources as Dongfeng Nissan,In Chinese sources, () most commonly refers to Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, a DFL subsidiary. is a Chinese automobile man ...
Passenger Vehicle Company, and
BYD Automobile BYD Auto Co., Ltd. ( zh, s=比亚迪汽车, p=Bǐyàdí Qìchē) is the automotive subsidiary of BYD Company, a publicly listed Chinese multinational manufacturing company. It manufactures passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug ...
(a production base for BYD K9 electric buses). Other zones in the city include the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dalian Export Processing Zone, Dalian Free Trade Zone, and Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Zone.


Financial and IT industry

Dalian is the financial center of
Northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...
. There are the Dalian branches of China's five major banks:
Bank of China The Bank of China (BOC; ; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Banco da China'') is a state-owned Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Beijing, Beijing, China. It is one of ...
, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China,
China Construction Bank The China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) is a Chinese partially state-owned Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Beijing, Beijing, China. It is one of the "Big four banks, big ...
,
Bank of Communications Bank of Communications (BOCOM or BankComm) is a Chinese multinational banking and financial services corporation. It was originally established in 1908 and was one of a handful of domestic Chinese banks that issued banknotes in modern history. ...
, and
Agricultural Bank of China The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), also known as AgBank, is a Chinese partially state-owned multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Beijing, China. It is one of the " big four" banks in China, and the second ...
. Dalian City Commercial Bank is now called Bank of Dalian, which among other things handles processing of the Dalian Mingzhu IC Card for
public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...
. Bank of Dalian has opened branches in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
and
Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
, among five other cities. Founded in 1993,
Dalian Commodity Exchange The Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) () is a Chinese futures exchange based in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. It is a non-profit, self-regulating and membership legal entity under the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), established o ...
(DCE) is the only
futures exchange A futures exchange or futures market is a central financial exchange where people can trade standardized futures contracts defined by the exchange. Futures contracts are derivatives contracts to buy or sell specific quantities of a commodity or ...
in Northeast China. The futures industry leaped forward in its development. Among its 19 listed futures products approved by the
China Securities Regulatory Commission The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) is a government agency directly under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is the main regulator of the securities industry in China. History Indicative of the role of the C ...
(CSRC) are corn, corn starch, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, RBD palm olein, polished round-grained rice,
linear low-density polyethylene Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) is a substantially linear polymer (polyethylene), with significant numbers of short branches, commonly made by copolymerization of ethylene with longer-chain olefins. Linear low-density polyethylene differs ...
(LLDPE),
polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons of ...
(PVC),
polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer Propene, propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefin ...
(PP),
ethylene glycol Ethylene glycol ( IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound (a vicinal diol) with the formula . It is mainly used for two purposes: as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odo ...
(EG),
ethenylbenzene Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. Its structure consists of a vinyl group as substituent on benzene. Styrene is a colorless, oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates eas ...
(EB), metallurgical coke, coking coal, iron ore, egg, fiberboard and blockboard. 3 options are also listed for trading, which includes soybean meal, corn and iron ore options. In 2019, DCE achieved 1,331 million lots and RMB 68.92 trillion respectively in trading volume and turnover. According to the
Futures Industry Association The Futures Industry Association (FIA) is a prominent global trade organization that represents the interests of the futures, options, and derivatives markets, including futures commission merchants A commodity broker is a firm or an individua ...
(FIA) of the U.S., DCE was 11th largest exchange in the world by trading volume in 2019. Since the 1990s, Dalian has emphasized the development of the IT industry, especially in Dalian Hi-Tech Zone and
Dalian Software Park Dalian Software Park (), also called DLSP, is an industrial zone, created in 1998 in the western suburbs of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China, where many of the world's large and medium-sized IT-related companies have set up shop to do s ...
in the western suburbs near
Dalian University of Technology The Dalian University of Technology (DLUT) is a public university in Ganjingzi, Dalian, Ganjingzi, Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 2 ...
. Dalian High-Tech Zone is the base of high-tech industries, housing more than 4,700 enterprises, including 80
Fortune Global 500 The ''Fortune'' Global 500, also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by '' Fortune'' magazine. Methodology Until 1989, it listed o ...
companies. Not only Chinese IT companies, such as
DHC DHC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dance Hall Crashers, a popular Ska punk band ** "DHC" is the final song on the band's debut album of the same name (1990) * Discovery Health Channel, part of US Discovery TV channel Aviation * de Havilla ...
,
Hisoft HiSoft Technology International Limited was a multinational information technology and business process outsourcing company headquartered in Dalian, China. Founded in 1996, HiSoft was listed on the NASDAQ public exchange in 2010. In November 2 ...
and
Neusoft Group Neusoft Corporation is a Chinese multinational provider of software engineering services, Information Technology services, product engineering services, IT education and medical equipment headquartered in Shenyang, China. "Neusoft" is an ac ...
, but also American, European, Indian and Japanese IT companies are located there, including
Wipro Wipro Limited () is an Indian multinational technology company based in Bengaluru. It provides information technology, consulting and business process services. It is one of India's Big Six IT services companies. Wipro's services include cloud ...
,
Infosys Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational corporation, multinational technology company that offers business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. Founded in 1981 in Pune, the company is headquartered in Bengaluru. On ...
,
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
,
Dell Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...
, HP,
Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
,
Panasonic is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...
,
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
,
Accenture Accenture plc is a global multinational professional services company originating in the United States and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, that specializes in information technology (IT) services and management consulting. It was founded in 1 ...
,
Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...
,
Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...
and
Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...
. Nine professional
business incubators A business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services, starting with management training and office space, and ending with ventu ...
are also located in the area, including the Hi-tech Business Incubator, animation and software incubators, with over 400 companies incubated. Currently, the " Lüshun South Road Software Industry Belt" Plan is proceeding, including Dalian Software Park Phase 3.
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
's Fab 68 is located in Dalian. The plan was announced on 26 March 2007, and operations started on 26 October 2010. It is Intel's first chip-manufacturing fabrication in
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
.


Tourism

Dalian is a popular destination among domestic tourists and foreign visitors, especially from Japan, South Korea and Russia. Its mild climate and multiple beaches as well as its importance in the modern history of China have attracted tourists. Some of the most famous beaches are Jinshitan Golden Coast ( zh, labels=no, s=金石滩黄金海岸) beach, Fujiazhuang ( zh, labels=no, 付家庄) beach, Bangchuidao ( zh, labels=no, 棒棰岛) beach, Xinghai Park ( zh, labels=no, 星海公园) beach, Xinghai Bay ( zh, labels=no, 星海湾) beach, and Xiajiahezi ( zh, labels=no, 夏家河子) beach. In 2007, it was one of the three cities named "China's best tourist city", along with
Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
and
Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
, recognized by the
National Tourism Administration The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) was a Chinese government authority responsible for the development of tourism affairs and was subordinate to the State Council. Its headquarters were in Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal roma ...
and the
United Nations World Tourism Organization The United Nations World Tourism Organization or UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. Othe ...
.


Four inner-city districts

* Zhongshan Square :Originally designed by Russians in the 19th century, Zhongshan Square ( zh, labels=no, s=中山广场) is especially noted for the several classical buildings located around the square built during the first half of the 20th century by the Japanese. * Laohutan Ocean Park: the park contains the Polar Region Marine Animals World, the Coral Aquarium, and the World of Birds. The white whale and dolphin show is a major attraction in the Polar Region Marine Animals World. The Tigers Sculpture Square is nearby, whose tiger sculpture is the symbol of Tiger Beach ( zh, p=Lǎohǔtān, s=老虎滩, labels=no). A retired ''Anshan''-class destroyer ''Taiyuan'' is open to visitors. *
Xinghai Square Xinghai Square (), is a city square in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is located to the north of Xinghai Bay. It covers a total area of , created entirely through land reclamation, making it the largest city square in the world. Its name literally ...
: situated at the Xinghai Bay, Xinghai Square ( zh, s=星海广场, l=Square of the Sea of Stars, labels=no) was built at the centennial of the City of Dalian (1998) and is the largest city square in the world. * Heishijiao Geological Park and Dalian Natural History Museum * Sunasia Ocean World * Dalian Forest Zoo * Bangchuidao Scenic Area: a well-maintained park used as a State Guesthouse since 1960, the Bangchuidao Scenic Area is now open to the public with upgraded features including lavish greens, Chinese and Western style villas, hot spring, tennis courts, badminton courts, a recreation center, a golf course and the Bangchuidao beach. The Bangchui Island ( zh, s=棒棰岛, p=Bàngchuí Dǎo, labels=no, named for an
islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
in the shape of an ancient washing tool Bangchui) can be seen from the beach. As a State Guesthouse, the scenic area has received numerous Chinese and foreign leaders and high-profile officials, including
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...
,
Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
,
Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...
,
Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Comm ...
,
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
,
Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
,
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...
,
Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
,
Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...
,
Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch ( Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh ...
and so on. * Dalian Sightseeing Tower * Donggang Music Fountain * Fujiazhuang Beach


Jinzhou District and Development Zone (in the northern suburbs)

*
Dahei Mountain Dahei Mountain () is located in Jinzhou District, Dalian, Liaoning province, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is ...
* Jinshitan National Holiday Resort and the
Discoveryland Tomorrowland is one of the many "themed lands" featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions ...
( zh, s=金石滩, p=Jīnshítān, l=Golden Pebble Beach, links=no) is composed of eastern peninsula, western peninsula, open ground between two peninsulas and the Golden Coast beach. Major sightseeing points include, Golden Pebble Waxworks Museum, Geological Museum, Coastal National Geopark, International Vehicle Campsite, Tang Dynasty Hot Spring Resort, Golden Rock Park, Wanfuding Park, China Martial Arts Hall, Discoveryland Theme Park, Mao Zedong Badge Exhibition Hall, Model Movie & TV Art Center, Golden Pebble Hunting Club, Golden Pebble Equestrianism Base, Golden Pebble International Convention Center & Resort, Golden Pebble Golf Club, and Golden Gulf Golf Course. Several themed events, such as Dalian International Beach Carnival, International Winter Swimming Festival and Grape Festival, take place in Jinshitan annually. :The Discoveryland Theme Park ( zh, s=发现王国, labels=no, also translated as "the Discovery Kingdom") was built in 2006 and covers an area of . It was designed by Romero Petrilli VanRell Associates who participated in the design of the
Disney theme park Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort. Led by Josh D'Amaro, ...
.


Lüshunkou District (in the southwestern suburbs)

* Lüshun Museum * Lüshun Railway Station * East Jiguan Mountain ( zh, labels=no, 东鸡冠山),
Hill 203 Hill 203 (in or in Japanese: 二〇三高地, or in Russian Mount Vysokaya ()) is a high ground located in Lushunkou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. In 1904-1905, one of the fiercest battles was fought between the Japanese and Rus ...
and Shuishiying Meeting Place :The fiercest battle site and the signing site of the ceasefire treaty, of the Battle of Lüshun during the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
(1904–05). * Japanese and Russian Prison Site Museum in Lüshun :The prison was built by Russians in 1902 and later expanded by the Japanese. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the prison was used to detain people of various nationalities who were against the Japanese invasion.
An Jung-geun An Jung-geun (; 2 September 1879 – 26 March 1910) was a Korean independence activist. He is remembered as a martyr in both South and North Korea for his 1909 assassination of the Japanese politician Itō Hirobumi, who had previously served a ...
, the
Korean independence activist The following is a list of known people (including non-Koreans) that participated in the Korean independence movement against the colonization of Korea by Japan. Early activists People whose main independence activities were conducted before ...
who assassinated
Itō Hirobumi Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...
, was imprisoned and killed there. * Lüshun Snake Museum, and Lüshun Bird Port and Snake Island Reservation * Hengshan Temple and Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park :Hengshan Temple ( zh, labels=no, 横山寺) is near Longwangtang Reservoir ( zh, labels=no, 龙王塘水库). The temple dates back to the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
, and was rebuilt in 2003.


Pulandian District

* Anbo Hotspring and Ski Course ( zh, labels=no, 安波温泉滑雪场), in
Pulandian District Pulandian District () is one of the seven districts under the administration of Dalian, located in the south of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its area is and its permanent population is 741,230. The district borders the prefect ...


Wafandian

* Changxing Island International Golf Course, in
Wafangdian Wafangdian (), formerly Fuhsien (Fuxian) or Fu County (), is one of the two "northern county-level city, county-level cities", the other being Zhuanghe, under the administration of Dalian, located in the south of Liaoning province, China. The c ...


Zhuanghe

*
Bingyu Valley Bingyu Valley () is a relatively new tourist destination from the 1980s, located in the mountains of Zhuanghe in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. Overview Bingyu Valley is a tourist destination with abundant nature that straddles the gorge near ...
Scenic Area and Buyun Mountain Hot Spring ( zh, labels=no, 步云山温泉), in
Zhuanghe Zhuanghe () is one of the two "northern county-level cities", the other being Wafangdian, under the administration of Dalian, located in the south of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its area is and its permanent population is 7 ...


Changhai County

* Islands of
Changhai County Changhai County () is a county under the administration of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. It consists of several islands in the Yellow Sea and is located offshore of the Liaodong Peninsula. There are 112 small islands and reefs in the count ...


Hot Spring and Ski Resorts

There are various hot spring hotels in Dalian. Notable ones include Laotieshan Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshunkou District, Tang Dynasty Hot Spring Resort in Jinshitan, Minghu Hot Spring Hotel in Wafangdian, Chengyuan Hot Spring Villa in Ganjingzi District, and Tianmu Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshunkou District. Skiing has become increasingly popular in Dalian. Famous ski resorts are Linhai Ski Resort in Ganjingzi District, Anbo Ski Resort in Pulandian District, Minghu Ski Resort & Minghu International Skiing Holiday Village in Wafangdian, and Dalian Happy Snow World in Ganjingzi District near the airport.


Environment


Ecological conservation

Despite being in a period of economic and industrial growth, Dalian has placed an emphasis on environmental protection. Dalian's
ecological restoration Ecological restoration, or ecosystem restoration, is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, destroyed or transformed. It is distinct from conservation in that it attempts to retroactively repair ...
and protection efforts are ongoing and expanding. In 2021, Dalian set a five-year-plan for the marine environment that included targets for conserving populations of the endangered
black-faced spoonbill The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
. In 2019, 49 nests were built for the black-faced spoonbill on nearby uninhabited islands. There has also been conservation and rescue efforts targeting
spotted seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primaril ...
populations. Dalian also maintains the National Spotted Seal Nature Reserve within Lioadong Bay. This reserve is home to a spotted seal population and is a breeding ground for multiple marine species.


Environmental issues

In 2001, the
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
awarded the Dalian Municipal Government for its outstanding contribution to the protection of the environment.Dalian Municipal Government of China, one of 18 Individuals and Organizations, to Receive United Nations Environment Award – United Nations Environment Programme
. Unep.org (28 May 2001). Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
The average content of the four pollutants in the air reached Class II of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and there were 353 days with
Air Pollution Index The Air Pollution Index (API; ) is a simple and generalized way to describe the air quality, which is used in Malaysia. It is calculated from several sets of air pollution data and was formerly used in mainland China and Hong Kong. In mainland ...
(API) over Class II (Good), including 108 excellent days with Class I (Superior). Dalian frequently ranks Grade 2 for air pollution according to State Environmental Protection Administration. However, the environmental effects of economic growth are of concern, according to Dalian Environmental Protection Agency, during the first half of 2011, respirable particles in the air increased significantly, with an average 40% higher than 2010. The water quality of offshore marine space remained stable overall. The annual average content of monitoring indicators for water quality met Class-II of the National Seawater Quality Standard, with the exception of Inorganic Nitrogen in Dalian Bay and the city's southern coast. The water quality of drinking water sources is considered good and complies with Class-III of Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water.Recent events have had a major environmental impact on the city. In July 2010, the explosion of two petroleum pipelines released 11,000 barrels of oil into the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
, according to official statements. Rick Steiner, an American marine conservationist working with
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
, says that the figure could be upwards of 400,000. It was reported as the largest oil spill to occur in China,1st details on China oil spill's cause emerge
. The China Post (24 July 2010). Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
and involved 2,000 firefighters. The oil spill stretched for at least . 800 fishing boats were mobilized for the cleanup. The incident caused President
Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Comm ...
and Premier
Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao ( zh, s=温家宝, p=Wēn Jiābǎo; born 15 September 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the 6th premier of China from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behin ...
to intervene, and Vice Premier
Zhang Dejiang Zhang Dejiang (; born 4 November 1946) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress between 2013 and 2018. He was also the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standin ...
moved in to help direct the rescue work.China port city cleans up pollution belt after fire – People's Daily Online
. English.peopledaily.com.cn (18 July 2010). Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
A researcher with the China Environmental Science Research Institute, said that "the impact on marine life and on humans – as the pollution enters the food chain – could last 10 years."Martin, Dan (22 July 2010
Clean-up crews use bare hands against China oil spill
. AFP via mysinchew.com
This has compounded aquatic pollution, affecting the city's fishing industry. In August 2011, a dike protecting the petrochemical Fujia Factory in
Jinzhou District Jinzhou District () is one of the seven districts of Dalian, Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is located about northeast of the city centre and faces the Bohai Sea to the west as well as the Korea Bay to the east and has a long ...
was breached due to a typhoon. Authorities have ordered the plant to be shut down. Around 12,000 residents protested as the factory, which originally was intended to be based in
Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...
, did not receive official approval to operate in Dalian.Thousands protest against Chinese chemical plant
. BusinessWeek (14 August 2011). Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
Municipal authorities ruled that the facility must move, leaving taxpayers to pay the expensive cost of relocation.Tang Hao (6 September 2011
Public storm in Dalian
. chinadialogue. Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
Concerns have been raised over mounting traffic due to "bad urban design" and that the growing rate of car ownership is affecting air quality.In Fast-Growing China, a Warning About When Prosperity Isn't Enough – Christina Larson – International
. The Atlantic. Retrieved on 2 January 2013.
The United States
National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...
have raised concern about rising traffic in Dalian stating that "rapid growth of traffic in Dalian and in similar Chinese cities will repeat the air quality and energy consumption mistakes of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and other U.S. cities, if not better managed."Energy Futures and Urban Air Pollution: Challenges for China and the United States
. Nap.edu (1 June 2003). Retrieved on 2 January 2013.


Transportation


Local transportation

Cycling is not as popular in Dalian as in other Chinese cities because of the hilly roads. Dalian is also one of the many cities in China where there are few motorcycles in the downtown core, where motorcycle riding is prohibited by the local law. The city has a comprehensive bus system and an efficient metro system. As of March 2023, the
Dalian Metro The Dalian Metro is a rapid transit system in the city of Dalian, Liaoning, China. The metro system opened on 1 May 2003. The system currently in operation consists of 6 lines: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 5, Line 12, and Line 13. Lines in oper ...
consists of the underground Line 1, Line 2, Line 5 and the overground Line 3, Line 12 and Line 13. New lines and expansion of the metro system are under way including Line 4 and Line 7. The new rail traffic system is designed to connect the entire city in the coming future. The Dalian Tram system is the second oldest in China. Most of the public transportation in the city can be accessed using the Mingzhu
IC Card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a ...
( zh, labels=no, 明珠卡).


Domestic and international

In 2005, Dalian expanded the international airport,
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning province. It is located in Ganjingzi District, about northwest of the city center. In 2018 the airport handled 18 ...
, with direct flights to the most major cities in China, and to cities in South Korea and Japan as well as countries in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. In 2014, the airport was the 20th busiest airport in China with 13,551,223 passengers. The airport is the hub of
Dalian Airlines Dalian Airlines Co Ltd is an airline based at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is jointly owned by Air China, investing RMB 800 million in cash to hold an 80% stake in the new company, and Dalian Baoshui Zh ...
. The new airport Dalian Jinzhouwan International Airport (
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...
: DLC,
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
: ZYTL) is also under way. Once open, it will replace the existing
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning province. It is located in Ganjingzi District, about northwest of the city center. In 2018 the airport handled 18 ...
as the city's main airport. It is being built on 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) of reclaimed land off the coast of Dalian. Expected to open in 2026, it is set to become the world's largest offshore airport. The city's location means that train trips to most Chinese cities outside China's northeastern region require changing trains in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
or
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. With the high-speed rail system, trips from Dalian to
Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...
can be completed in 1.5 hours, to
Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...
2.5 hours and to
Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
3.5 hours. The city has two major railway stations, namely Dalian railway station and Dalian North railway station, the latter being part of the Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway. In addition to local and express bus services to Beijing and other areas in the northeast, Dalian is connected by passenger ship service to neighboring coastal cities, including
Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
,
Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...
,
Weihai Weihai ( zh, t=, p=Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei ( zh, s=, p=Wēihǎiwèi, l=Mighty Sea Fort, first=t), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in the easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow ...
, Penglai and
Dongying Dongying ( zh, s=东营 , t=東營 , p=Dōngyíng), is a prefecture-level city on the northern (Bohai Sea) coast of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. As of the 2020 census, 2,193,518 people resided within its administrative area of ...
, as well as
Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
, South Korea.


Culture

In 2006, Dalian was selected as the most liveable city in China according to ''
China Daily ''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...
''.


Dalian dialect

Dalian dialect belongs to the
Jiaoliao Mandarin Jiaoliao or Jiao–Liao Mandarin ( zh , s=胶辽官话 , t=膠遼官話 , p=Jiāo–Liáo Guānhuà), sometimes referred to as Peninsular Mandarin, is a primary dialect of Mandarin Chinese, spoken on the Jiaodong Peninsula, from Yanta ...
subgroup spoken in parts of
Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
and
Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
provinces, which is a separate branch from
Northeastern Mandarin Northeastern Mandarin ( or / ''Dōngběiguānhuà'' "Northeast Mandarin") is the subgroup of Mandarin varieties spoken in Northeast China with the exception of the Liaodong Peninsula and few enclaves along Amur and Ussuri rivers. The classifica ...
. Most of the residents of Dalian were farmers and fishermen who had come from Shandong Province in a large population move, the ''
Chuang Guandong ''Chuang Guandong'' (; IPA: ; literally "Crashing into Guandong" with ''Guandong'' being an older name for Manchuria) is descriptive of the rush of Han people into Manchuria, mainly from the Shandong Peninsula and Zhili, during the hundred-year ...
'', during which era Dalian was occupied by the Japanese as the
Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...
. Dalian dialect incorporates a few
loanword A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...
s from
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
and
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
(very rare in Chinese), reflecting the history of foreign occupation. Dalian dialect is mostly distinguishable from
Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ( zh, s=现代标准汉语, t=現代標準漢語, p=Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ, l=modern standard Han speech) is a modern Standard language, standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the Republic of ...
based on a low-falling Yinping (31) and rich
tone sandhi Tone sandhi is a phonological change that occurs in tonal languages. It involves changes to the tones assigned to individual words or morphemes, based on the pronunciation of adjacent words or morphemes. This change typically simplifies a bidirec ...
, and it is often referred to as being "oyster flavored" () by the locals.


Cuisine

Dalian cuisine is a branch of
Shandong cuisine Shandong cuisine (), more commonly known in Chinese as Lu cuisine, is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese cuisine and one of the Four Great Traditions (). It is derived from the native cooking style of Shandong Province, a norther ...
, with influence from
Northeastern Chinese cuisine Northeastern Chinese cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine in Northeast China. While many dishes originated in Shandong cuisine and Manchu cuisine, it is also influenced by the cuisines of Russia, Beijing, Mongolia, and North Korea. It partial ...
, and is widely known for its unique style of seafood dishes. The variety of seafood in Dalian includes fish, prawns, clams, crabs, scallops, sea urchins, oysters, sea cucumbers, mussels, lobsters,
conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...
es,
abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...
,
algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
,
razor clams Razor clam is a common name for long, narrow, saltwater clams (which resemble a closed straight razor in shape), including: * Atlantic jackknife clam, ''Ensis leei'' (syn. ''Ensis directus'') * Gould's razor shell, ''Solen strictus'' * Pacific razo ...
,
urechis unicinctus ''Urechis unicinctus'', known as the fat innkeeper worm or penis fish, is a species of Echiura, marine spoon worm in East Asia. It is found in Bohai Gulf of China and off the Korean and Hokkaido coasts. It is not to be confused with a closely r ...
,
mantis shrimps Mantis shrimp are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 400 million years ago, with more than 520 extant species of mantis shrimp known. All liv ...
,
jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...
and so on. During the winter, many seafoods such as clams, mussels and abalone gain the most fat. Colorful Snowflake Scallops ( zh, s=五彩雪花扇贝, labels=no) is a local seafood dish, where egg white is made into snowflake-shape to embrace the scallops, with seasonal greens, carrot and hot pepper cut into small pieces as decorations on top. Another popular local dish is Salted Fish with Corn Cake ( zh, s=咸鱼饼子, labels=no), where steamed or fried corn cake is served with fried salted fish. Legend goes that, in the old days fishermen going out fishing in the morning couldn't return home to have lunch, so they baked fresh fish to eat with corn cakes, and the habit passed down from generation to generation and eventually became a famous food among local people. Dalian-style Grilled Squid ( zh, s=大连铁板鱿鱼, labels=no) is also a local delicacy. It originated in Dalian, where the squid is produced. It is made by frying the squid on an iron plate, then cutting the squid into sections with a spatula, and sprinkling it with special sauce. Menzi ( zh, s=焖子, labels=no) is a traditional local snack. A protein-rich starch paste coagulated from an extract of potatoes is cut into pieces and fried on a pan to create a crisp cover. A mixed seasoning of smashed garlic, sesame, and sauces is added on eating. Other popular local specialties include seafood noodles, roast full prawns, salt baked conches, lantern-shaped steamed abalone, and so on.


Theaters

Well-known theaters in Dalian are:
Dalian People's Culture Club Dalian People's Culture Club () is a concert hall located on Zhongshan Square in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. Built in the European style in 1951, while the Russian troops were still stationed in Lushun and Dalian, it is one of the premium ...
(mainly for
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
), Hongji Grand Stage (for
Beijing Opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...
), Working People's Theater-Doudou Grand Stage ( zh, labels=no, s=工人剧院/豆豆大舞台, mainly for
Errenzhuan ''Errenzhuan'' ( zh, t= 二人轉, s= 二人转, p=Èrrénzhuàn, lit. "two-people rotation") is a genre of musical theater and folk dance from Northeast China, usually involving two performers (one male and one female). The dance uses folding fa ...
) and Development Area Grand Theater ( zh, labels=no, s=开发区大剧院).


Sports

Sports play a big role in the local culture. Dalian's former
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club,
Dalian Shide Dalian Shide was a professional Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning province, China who played in China's football league system between 1955 and 2012. Their home stadiums were the 55,843 capacity Dalian People's Stadium and then lat ...
(formerly known as Dalian Wanda as the club was originally sponsored by the
Dalian Wanda Group Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning, and headquartered in Beijing. The conglomerate's core businesses are a private property developer and an entertainment compan ...
), achieved a total of eight titles from China's top-tier football league, the
Chinese Jia-A League The National Football Jia A League (simplified Chinese: 全国足球甲A联赛), commonly known as Jia-A, was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of th ...
and the later rebranded
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
, and was widely considered one of the most successful clubs in Chinese football history. In the
Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...
, the club reached the
1997–98 Asian Club Championship The 1997–98 Asian Club Championship was the 17th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the AFC region (Asia). It determined that year's club champion of association football in Asia. Pohang Steelers of South ...
and
2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup The 2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup was the eleventh edition of association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation specifically for its members cup holders. Al Shabab won their first Asian Cup Winners' Cup title, beating ...
finals. Several of China's greatest players, including
Sun Jihai Sun Jihai ( zh, s=孙继海, p=Sūn Jìhǎi; ; born 30 September 1977) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played in the English Premier League. Sun is one of the most well-known footballers in East Asia, as he is the first East A ...
,
Hao Haidong Hao Haidong (; born 9 May 1970) is a Chinese former international footballer. He currently holds the record for being China's top goalscorer. As a player he represented Bayi Football Team, Dalian Shide and Sheffield United in a career that ...
and Li Ming, made their names with
Dalian Shide Dalian Shide was a professional Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning province, China who played in China's football league system between 1955 and 2012. Their home stadiums were the 55,843 capacity Dalian People's Stadium and then lat ...
. Dalian also produced many top Chinese football players thanks to its youth training system and grassroots football culture. As of the 2014 season of the
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
, out of the 448 registered Chinese players, a total of 71 players are from Dalian. Therefore, Dalian earned its nickname of China's "Football City" ( zh, s=足球城, labels=no), and a giant football statue was placed in the Labor Park near downtown Dalian in its honor. Current football clubs in the city are Dalian Pro playing in the
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
and Dalian Pro W.F.C. playing in the
Chinese Women's Football League Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
. Both of their home stadiums are the
Dalian Sports Centre Stadium Dalian Sports Centre Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 61,000. The stadium was built for the 2013 National Games of China, and switched to other purposes, mainly footbal ...
. The 60,663-capacity
Dalian Sports Centre Stadium Dalian Sports Centre Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 61,000. The stadium was built for the 2013 National Games of China, and switched to other purposes, mainly footbal ...
, the 30,777-capacity
Jinzhou Stadium The Jinzhou Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Jinzhou District, Dalian, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, China. Currently it is mostly used for association football, football matches. The stadium holds 30,776 people and was built in ...
, the 30,000-capacity Puwan Stadium and the 8,000-capacity
Dalian Medical University Stadium Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Sheny ...
are notable stadiums in Dalian. Other popular sports enjoyed by the local Dalianese include swimming, skiing, golf, cycling, bowling and billiards. The government organizes various events every year in Dalian, like marathon, tennis and so on. As part of the
2013 National Games of China The 12th National Games of China were held in the northeastern province of Liaoning from 31 August to 12 September 2013. Liaoning was the sixth provincial level host of the games, following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong. A ...
in
Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
in 2013, Dalian was a host city for 12 events, including
synchronized swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming), also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World A ...
,
field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
,
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
,
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
and
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
. In February 2018,
Dalian Wanda Group Wanda Group (), or the Dalian Wanda Group (), is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in Dalian, Liaoning, and headquartered in Beijing. The conglomerate's core businesses are a private property developer and an entertainment compan ...
decided to take over Dalian Pro (then Dalian Yifang), after a lapse of 20 years before Wanda Group decided to reinvest in a Dalianese football club. Wanda Group announced a long-term investment plan to help Dalian build more advanced football infrastructure, improve on youth training, and revitalize local football culture and Chinese football culture as a whole.


City-wide festivals and events

Xinghai Square Xinghai Square (), is a city square in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is located to the north of Xinghai Bay. It covers a total area of , created entirely through land reclamation, making it the largest city square in the world. Its name literally ...
, Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center, the Dalian World Expo Center and the hotels on Renmin Road are the main places where Dalian's major annual events are held. Every year from January to February, the Bingyugou Ice Lantern Festival is held in Bingyugou Scenic Area in Zhuanghe City. The event features a large number of ice sculptures, snow sculptures and colorful ice lanterns. Visitors can also participate in a series of ice-sports including ice-skating, ice hockey and
iceboating An iceboat (occasionally spelled ice boat or traditionally called an ice yacht) is a recreational or competition sailing craft supported on metal runners for traveling over ice. One of the runners is steerable. Originally, such craft were boats ...
. From late April to May, the Lüshun International Cherry Blossom Festival is held. The main site is 203 Hill, and the other site is Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park. It is said that the first cherry trees were planted by Japanese soldiers stationed in Lüshun during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in order to ease their homesickness. Today, the 203 Hill site has more than 3000 cherry trees, and boasts to be the largest
cherry blossom The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...
park in China with the most varieties. Each May, the Dalian International Walking Festival takes place. The purpose of the festival is to foster health and peace for the whole community. It is widely popular among citizens and attracts many foreign participants. Dalian is the only city in China recognized by the
IML Walking Association The IML Walking Association (until 2006 named the International Marching League (IML)) is a non-profit organization that promotes recreational walking in the form of international non-competitive multi-day walking events ("marches") in its member ...
. Four different routes of , , , and are provided for participants, with the longest route going from
Xinghai Square Xinghai Square (), is a city square in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is located to the north of Xinghai Bay. It covers a total area of , created entirely through land reclamation, making it the largest city square in the world. Its name literally ...
along Binhai Road to Laohutan Ocean Park, Bangchuidao Scenic Area and finally reaching Dalian International Conference Center. Starting from 2012, Jinshitan National Holiday Resort also serves as a venue for the festival. Every May, Dalian International Marathon is held. With the first marathon held in 1987, it is one of the four oldest marathon races in China. The main venue is the Jinshitan National Holiday Resort. Every June, the China International Software & Information Service Fair is held in Dalian World Expo Center. Officials from overseas government departments, CEOs of World Top 500, well-known consulting firms and overseas IT associations attend the fair each year. Dalian International Beer Festival takes place in
Xinghai Square Xinghai Square (), is a city square in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is located to the north of Xinghai Bay. It covers a total area of , created entirely through land reclamation, making it the largest city square in the world. Its name literally ...
every year from July to August. It is similar to
Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...
in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and is a widely popular event in the city. Activities of the Beer Festival include exhibitions by beer manufacturers, a beer disco plaza, a beer culture exhibition, a beer drinking contest, a photography contest, the Beer Industry Summit, and a beer quiz. Dalian International Automotive Exhibition is held in August in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center. The annual Dalian International Fashion Festival is held in September in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center. For the past decade, the festival has been attracting the world's top fashion designers, businessmen and models to Dalian. Arrangement for the show includes various theme activities including the Garment Export Fair, fashion exhibitions, fashion competitions and a model contest.


Inter-governmental

Japan maintains a branch office for its
Consulate General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...
of Japan at Shenyang and a
JETRO is an Independent Administrative Institution established by Japan Export Trade Research Organization as a nonprofit corporation in Osaka in February 1952, reorganized under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1958 (later th ...
office in Dalian, reflecting a relatively large Japanese population. Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry has about 700 corporate members. Those Japanese who had lived in Dalian before the War have organized the Dalian Society.


Religion

, Dalian had 29 Christian churches (27 of them Protestant, 2 of them Catholic), 10 mosques, 34 Buddhist temples, and 7
Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...
temples, according to the statistics of the city government. Taoist temples can be found in various districts including downtown Dalian (Hua Temple in Zhongshan Park), in Lüshunkou District (Longwang Temple), and in Jinzhou District (Jinlong Temple in Daweijia, Xiangshui Temple at the foot of
Dahei Mountain Dahei Mountain () is located in Jinzhou District, Dalian, Liaoning province, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is ...
, and Zhenwu Temple in Liangjiadian). Buddhist temples are in downtown Dalian (Songshan Temple on Tangshan Street and Lianhuashan Temple on Yingchun Road), on the northern side of Anzi Mountain (Anshan Temple), at Daheishi (Thousand-Hand Buddha & 500 Luohan Statues), in Lüshunkou District (Hengshan Temple at Longwangtang), and in Jinzhou District (Guanyinge-Shengshui Temple on Dahei Mountain). Dalian Catholic Church (built in 1926) is in downtown Dalian, west of Dalian Railway Station. Protestant churches are near Zhongshan Square (Yuguang Street Church, the former Dalian Anglican Church, built in 1928 in the British Consulate General's premises by the Church of England and Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Anglican Church of Japan jointly), on Changjiang Road (Beijing Street Church, now called Cheng-en Church, originally built in 1914 by the Danish National Church, Danish Lutheran Church), on Xi'an Road (Christian Church for Korean Chinese and South Koreans), east of the airport (the newly built Harvest Church, which can seat 4000 people), in Jinzhou (the newly built Jinzhou Church) and in Lüshunkou District (Lüshun Church, a former Danish Lutheran church). Dalian Mosque is on Beijing Street.


Notable people

* Xia Deren (), former mayor from October 2006 to May 2009. * Li Changchun (), politician, former member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. *
Bo Xilai Bo Xilai ( zh, s=薄熙来, p=Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. ...
(), former mayor (February 1993–August 2000), removed from Politburo under corruption charges. * Lai Yawen (), retired middle blocker, former captain and current team manager of the China women's national volleyball team. * Sun Jiadong (), aerospace engineer and recipient of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Meritorious Award. * Qi Faren (), aerospace engineer and chief designer of the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou (spacecraft), Shenzhou. * Zhao Xiaozhe (), vice admiral of the People's Liberation Army, PLA * Liu Yanan (), retired middle blocker of the China women's national volleyball team. * Yang Hao (volleyball), Yang Hao (), retired outside spiker of the China women's national volleyball team. * Hui Ruoqi (), retired outside spiker and former captain of the China women's national volleyball team. * Li Yongbo (), retired badminton player and former head coach of the China national badminton team, China National Badminton Team. * Liu Changchun (), Sprint (running), sprinter, first athlete to represent China in competition at the Olympic Games. * Qu Yunxia (), Middle-distance running, middle-distance athlete. * Zhang Wenxiu (), hammer thrower. * Zhang Enhua (), footballer. *
Sun Jihai Sun Jihai ( zh, s=孙继海, p=Sūn Jìhǎi; ; born 30 September 1977) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played in the English Premier League. Sun is one of the most well-known footballers in East Asia, as he is the first East A ...
(), footballer. * Bi Fujian (), director, host and professor. * (), actor. * Yu Nan (), actress. * Lou Yixiao (), actress. * Dong Jie (), actress. * Lin Peng (), actress. * Yang Hongji (), baritone singer and professor. * Sun Nan (), singer. * Kelly Yu (), singer. * Xue Jiye (), painter and sculptor. * Toshiko Fujita (), Japanese voice actress. * Song Weilong (actor), Song Weilong (), actor and model. * Yang Zhuo (), professional Wushu (sport), Wushu fighter and kickboxer. * Xiao Nan Yu, Yu Xiaonan (), Chinese Canadian ballet dancer. * Sun Yu (badminton), Sun Yu (), badminton player. * Keiichi Inamine (), Japanese politician * Harry Triguboff, Jewish Australian businessman * Feng Enhe (), actor * Min Chen (biologist), Min Chen, plant physiologist


Education

23 general institutions of higher education (and another 7 privately run colleges), 108 secondary vocational schools, 80 ordinary middle high schools, 1,049 schools for nine-year compulsory education and 1,432 kindergartens in Dalian. The students on campus of all levels (including kindergartens) totaled 1108 thousand. There are the following schools of higher education and research centers:


Colleges and universities

*
Dalian University of Technology The Dalian University of Technology (DLUT) is a public university in Ganjingzi, Dalian, Ganjingzi, Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 2 ...
(Project 985,
Project 211 Project 211 ( zh, c=, links=no, s=211工程) was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the government of China for "preparing approximately 100 universities for the 21st century", initiated in November 1995. There were 115 ...
, founded in 1949) *
Dalian Maritime University Dalian Maritime University (DLMU; ) is a public university in Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Transport. The university is part of the Double First-Class Construction. History The long history of the universi ...
(Project 211, founded in 1909) * Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (Founded in 1952) * Liaoning Normal University (Founded in 1951) * Dalian University (Founded in 1987) * Dalian Jiaotong University (Founded in 1956) * Dalian Medical University (Founded in 1947) * Dalian Minzu University (Founded in 1997) * Dalian Ocean University (Founded in 1952) * Dalian Polytechnic University (Founded in 1958) * Dalian University of Foreign Languages (Founded in 1964) * Dalian Naval Academy of the People's Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy (Founded in 1949) * Liaoning Police College (Founded in 1960) * Dalian Neusoft University of Information (Founded in 2000)


Research centers

* Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...


High schools

Notable high schools include: * Dalian No. 1 High School () * Dalian No. 8 High School () * Dalian No. 11 High School () * Dalian No. 12 High School () * Dalian No. 20 High School () * Dalian No. 23 High School () * Dalian No. 24 High School () * Dalian Yuming Senior High School () * The High School Affiliated to Liaoning Normal University() * Dalian Lüshun Senior High School () * Dalian Jinzhou Senior High School () * Dalian Haiwan Senior High School () * Wafangdian Senior High School () * Zhuanghe Senior High School () * Changhai County Senior High School ()


International schools

* Japanese School of Dalian * * Dalian American International School * Dalian Maple Leaf International School


International relations

Dalian is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * City of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia * Adjara, Georgia * Akita Prefecture, Akita, Japan * Austin, Texas, United States * Bahía Blanca, Argentina * Bangkok, Thailand * Bergen, Norway * Bremen (city), Bremen, Germany * Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada * Chuncheon, South Korea * Cienfuegos, Cuba * Dallas, Texas, United States * Derry and Strabane, Northern Ireland, UK * Ehime Prefecture, Ehime, Japan * Enschede, Netherlands * Fortaleza, Brazil * Genoa, Italy * Glasgow, Scotland, UK * Gwangju, South Korea * Gwangyang, South Korea * Houston, Texas, United States * Imari, Saga, Japan *
Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
, South Korea * Jeju Province, South Korea * Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Ishikawa, Japan * Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan * La Paz, Bolivia * Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France * Los Angeles County, California, United States * Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan * Milan, Italy * Northampton, England, UK * Oakland, California, United States * Ohrid, North Macedonia * Ōta, Tokyo, Japan * Pohang, South Korea * Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo * Pyeongtaek, South Korea * Rijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia * Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany * Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Surin Province, Thailand * Tomsk, Tomsk Oblast, Russia * Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia * Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany


See also

* Chinese ship Dalian


References


Bibliography

* Kuramoto, Kazuko. ''Manchurian Legacy: Memoirs of a Japanese Colonist'', 1st edition. Michigan State University Press. 1 October 1999. , , , .


Further reading

* Hess, Christian A. (2006). "From colonial jewel to socialist metropolis: Dalian, 1895–1955." PhD dissertation, University of California, San Diego. * McKnight, Tom, (ed.). ''Geographica: The Complete Illustrated Atlas of the World'', 3rd revision. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2001. , . * Perrins, Robert John (1998). "'Great connections': The creation of a city, Dalian, 1905–1931. China and Japan on the Liaodong Peninsula." PhD dissertation, York University (Canada). * Song Li. ''Everyday Dalian: Life in Modern Manchuria'' (Photography Book), Foreword by Phil Borges. 1st edition. DigitalKu. 8 February 2008. , . * Theiss, Frank. ''The Voyage of Forgotten Men'', 1st Ed. Indianapolis & New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1937.


External links


Dalian Government website


{{Authority control Dalian, Cities in Liaoning Port cities and towns in China Populated coastal places in China Prefecture-level divisions of Liaoning National forest cities in China China–Soviet Union relations Kwantung Leased Territory Yellow Sea Articles containing video clips Populated places with period of establishment missing National Civilized City