Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Perched on the Liáodōng Peninsula and bordering the Yellow Sea, Dàlián
(大连) is one of the most relaxing and livable cities in the northeast, if not
all of China. Tree-lined hilly streets with manageable traffic and fresh air,
a surfeit of early 20th-century architecture and an impressive coastline,
complete with swimming beaches, are just some of its charms. Toss in a
decent restaurant-and-bar scene and serious shopping, and that frequent
Dàlián epithet, the ‘Hong Kong of the North’, looks like more than just
bluster.
The impression Dalian gives to the world is of a city of lawns, squares,
fountains and gardens. People say it is 'A City Built in Gardens'. Running
from downtown there is a 40-kilometer (25-mile) road known as Binhai
Lu winding along the coastline, northeast to southwest. This coastal area
is a paradise for beach vacationers. The famous scenic spots
of Bangchuidao Scenic Area, Tiger Beach Ocean Park, Jinshitan Scenic
Area and Xinghai Square are scattered around this region. In addition to
the stunning cliffs and scenic parks, numerous places along the coastline
are good for beach resort visitors and water sports lovers. Meanwhile,
you can sample the authentic Dalian-style seafood in a fisherman's house
at an incredibly low price. Besides, there is a large entertainment park
- Discoveryland Theme Park, inside Jinshitan Scenic Area, where you can
feel the excitement of adventures.
Zhongshan District, originally the colonial residential area of the
Russians and containing Nicholas Square, (Zhongshan Square) is a
bustling downtown area of the city. The square (Zhongshan Square) has
ten avenues radiating from it and is one of the most famous squares in the
city. Renmin Square, originally called Stalin Square and marked out to be
the administrative center of the Russian colonists, now houses the
government's financial institutions in Euro-style buildings. The old
tramlines built by Japanese colonists and left behind through the ages tell
the history of the city.
History: Dalian, compared to ancient capital cities such as Beijing,
Xi'an, Nanjing or Luoyang, is a young city with only a 100-year history.
Situated at the tip of China's Liaodong Peninsular, it is a trading and
financial center in northeastern Asia and has gained the name the 'Hong
Kong of Northern China'. The old name was first used by an official in
his memorial to Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
referring to the present Dalian Gulf. In the early 20th century, the gulf
area developed quickly and expanded into a city of significant size and
importance. After the Opium War in 1840, the area was plunged into
warfare. At the end of the 1800s, Japanese and Russian invaders
successively set their feet on the Chinese mainland here. In 1894, Japan
invaded the Peninsular and in 1897 Russian troops occupied Lushun Port
(Port Arthur) and imposed upon the Qing government an unfair contract,
in which they ceded Lushun as a colony to Russia. Seven years later,
Lushun was again transferred to Japanese rule, when the Russians lost in
the Japanese-Russian War. From then on the city suffered from the
colonial rule of Russia and Japan for decades. It was as recently as 1955
that the Chinese government took over sovereignty of Lushun and the
hardest times in this city's history ended.
Both the Russian and Japanese colonists dreamed of establishing a city of
their own on this land in those colonial periods. A group of Russian
architects fascinated with French culture came to the city with their
construction blueprint of Paris and built all sorts of elegant squares with
artistic sculptures, lush lawns and western-style fountains. These formed
the architectural basis of the present city - taking squares as the center and
radiating outwards. Today, the stylish women troopers patrolling the
squares have become a feature of the city.
Local Foods: Surrounded by the Yellow Sea and inland Bohai Sea, this
city has rich marine resources. The seafood here is equal to its southern
counterpart in Guangdong Province and there are numerous restaurants in
the city providing a wide variety of top-quality seafood at very reasonable
prices.
Nightlife: Numerous bathing places and beaches in the city are
popular venues for the locals to relax from everyday work and stress.
Young people, like those in many other metropolitan cities in China are
trend pursuers who spend their evenings in bars and pubs throughout the
city.
Festivals: There are two things that have earned the city a great
reputation. One is Football and the other is Fashion. Given the name
of 'Oriental Brazil', it hosts many Chinese football matches and has
the most successful football teams in China. The enthusiastic fans in
the football club of the four-star Wanda International Hotel tell
everyone how much the Chinese like this game.
Another carnival event in the city is Dalian International Fashion
Festival, during which thousands of dazzling celebrities, designers,
pop stars and clothing merchants from both home and abroad get
together to present an In-Fashion feast to the world. Consequently, the
city stirs shopping lovers' blood with all sorts of skyscraper shopping
malls and markets.