Dalian

Teaching English in Dalian China

Dalian was originally a small fishing village called Qingniwa that later came to be known as a city of foreign adventurers. It has undergone many changes in the last hundred years but the former fishing village has become a prosperous port city, now acting as a major port in China for freight as well as foreign visitors on cruise ships. The international flavour brought to this beautiful city is not unnoticed. It is much easier today than a couple years ago to get around and find someone who speaks English.

The name was changed from Qingniwa to Daluni and then to Dalian, as it is now known. This evolution marked the changes of the harbor city from Tsarist Russia that had intended to turn Dalian into a fashionable city like Paris and later, Japanese invaders wanted to transform it into another metropolis like Tokyo. However, history thwarted their ambitions, and Dalian stood on its own reputation. Dalian is now one of the most important seaports as well as an industrial, trading and tourist city in China.

Dalian has a pleasant climate with the clearly distinct seasons, comfortable summers, and warm winters which makes life very easy for teachers in Dalian. These wonderfully moderate temperatures also provide Dalian with a great agricultural base where with their abundance of fresh water they are able to produce a large quantity of China's fresh fruit and water products.

As a world renowned summer resort, Dalian is at its most attractive between April and October.

The annual average temperature remains somewhere around 10°C. August is the hottest month, when the daily temperature is infrequently below 24°C., with extremes as high as 35°C. January is the coldest month, when it averages minus 4.9°C., with extremes as low as minus 24°C.

Places to Check Out in Dalian

Fujiazuang Beach
- Traveling westward along the Binhai Road Central will lead to Fujia Zhuang Beach, which is the best and the only public bathing beach in Dalian. It is the most popular beach on summer afternoons when multitudes of local people, as well as visitors, flock to the beach, setting up their colorful umbrellas and parasols.
Laobutan (Tiger Beach) Park
- For the best view of the sea at Dalian, visitors must go to the southern side of the city where a high green mountain lies form east to west that blocks the city noise, creating an area of peace and tranquility.
  The famous Laohutan (Tiger Beach) Park is along Liberation Road through a valley and at the southern end of the road. It is now a leisure facility with many activities to choose from. The group of granite tigers weighing over 2,000 tons is believed to be the largest animal sculpture in the world. The name may be Tiger Beach Pleasure Ground but there are no real tigers on the grounds but many marine animals inhabit the area. Performances of the charming dolphins and sea lions often have audiences roaring with laughter. Visitors are invited to capture the moment after the performance by having a kiss or a photo taken with these animals at the cost of 10 yuan.
Bingyu Scenic Area
- The Bingyu Scenic Area is actually a nature reserve of primitive forest situated 200 kilometers north of Dalian. There are five sections of the 5,000-hectare domain : Skylark Mountain, the Lesser Gully, Yingna River, the Longhua Mountain and the Flower-and-Fruit Mountain. The joy of getting lost for a short time in the embrace of nature can be an opportunity to appreciate the local people's honest and untrammeled living habits and customs as a discovery of a fairyland away from the hustle and bustle of the mundane world. This enthralling experience can cause a person to forget to return home.
Jinshi (Golden Stone) Beach
- Further away from the noisy city is Jinshi (Golden Stone) Beach, which highlights the natural beauty of the area. Holiday-makers can stay in the European-style hotel built by the seaside. This is an ideal place to watch the sun rise over the sea in the morning, jog on the sandy beach and watch the fishermen returning from the sea with the daily catch. The peaceful setting is guaranteed to make you completely relaxed and totally refreshed in just a few days. Golden Stone breach is also famous for its unusual rocks. Visitors can also visit the hunting grounds at the southwestern corner of Golden Stone Beach for target shooting, as well as field hunting with the added bonus of tasting the wild game. There is also a golf course by the seaside on Golden Stone Beach.
Bangchui Island
- Bangchui Scenic Area is located at the eastern end of the beach road, a short drive along Binhai Road, as home to numerous party members and football stars. The northern side of the area is encompassed by mountain ranges and the southern stretch is an area of beautiful, soft sand. There are good views on the beach of Sanshan Island, which is often shrouded in mist.
Architecture in Dalian
- As a result of history, Dalian's early buildings were mainly constructed in Russian style combined with French, Greek and Roman architecture. Modern Japanese-style buildings were also constructed during the Japanese occupation, followed by some additions to further developing the European style. Many of these well-preserved foreign-style buildings give Dalian a unique feature in the present. The area to the north of Jiefang (Victory) Bridge was the first place where reconstruction was planned after Tsarist Russia seized Dalian by force.
- The most magnificent classical European-style buildings are concentrated around Zhongshan Square. As the center of the city, the square is constructed in the radial scheme that has often been adopted in Europe. The 10 streets radiate from the square like the golden rays from the sun and the buildings in between the streets stand like flowers facing the sun. Some of the buildings have pillars and corridors that evolved from the Greek and Roman styles; some have the Byzantine dome that was popular during the Renaissance; some have staircase like French roofs; some follow the Baroque style; some have Gothic roofs and others are combinations of the styles of Oriental and Western classical architecture that creates an interesting architectural landscape.
- There are also many Japanese-style houses and villas in Nanshan Street, Lingqian, Tiyuchang, December 9th Street, Golki Road and other areas.
Eastern Jiguan (Cockscomb) Hill
- In the northeastern part of Lushun are undulating hills, where the main Russian fortifications were constructed. Bullet and shell-holes along the northern fortification on the Eastern Jiguan (Cockscomb) Hill are still distinct today and visitors can walk inside the large entrenchment constructed with reinforced cement.
The Baiyu (White Jade) Hill
- White Jade Hill is in the center of Lushun, as the ideal vantage point to have a view over Lushun Port. It has a cable car on its main side, a winding road along its slopes and a small footpath leading from the base to its top through a forest. The Baiyu Tower atop the hill was originally "The Loyalty Tower" built by Japanese troops to flaunt their military strength and to commemorate their own comrades killed in the war between Japan and Russia. Today it has become a tourist vista, which provides a panoramic view of the city. Looking below from the tower, Lushun's strategic location comes clearly into sight.
Reminders of War
- The reason that Dalian developed into a city mainly resulted from the Russian and Japanese invasion and their forced concession. Development started from Lushun City at the seaside on the southwestern side of Dalian. Because of its geographical position, Lushun had always been considered to be of great strategic importance since ancient times. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and the notorious war between Japan and Russia both broke out here.

Food in Dalian

Dalian cuisine mainly consists of seafood, although variations are easy to find and anything from western food to many regional Chinese dishes are available. Dalian is interesting because the dishes here mostly belong in the Shandong cooking style, placing much emphasis on their color and appearance.

Although seafood can be found in most downtown restaurants, your best bet is to head to the seafront or the luxury hotels. One of the best restaurants on the seafront is the New Orient Seafood City, which serves possibly the best crab cooked by chefs from the popular Cantonese food chain, Bifengtang. Of the hotel restaurants the Shang Palace in the Shangri-La is highly recommended. For those with a bit of time on their hands, head to Lushun (Port Arthur), a city about 20km from Dalian, which does some of the freshest seafood dishes in this part of Liaoning.

For those not particularly after seafood, Tianjin Street (Tianjin jie) is the place to visit. It is littered with stalls and restaurants that will serve the usual Chinese fare, and also the local Dalian fried dumplings and pancakes. The Donglaishun Restaurant on Changchun Road also does good hotpot dishes for inexpensive prices. Western food is all over the area, KFC has taken the town by storm, but you are probably better off heading for the Greenery Beerhouse on Renmin Road which offers a wide variety of Western style snacks at affordable prices.

A more exotic experience can be had by heading for the Jinshan Restaurant, that serves medicinal food, mainly turtle or snake, apparently good for body and health. Visitors to Dalian should also not forget to sample the fruits that are produced locally, such as apples, pears and cherries.

What to do in Dalian

The summer nightlife in Dalian is rich and colorful.

At Zhongshan Square, which is surrounded by European style buildings and known as the first music square in China, concerts of different types are held in the center of the square. There are occasional evening parties when the audience is invited to take part in fun contests such as beer drinking, hamburger eating, football kicking, etc. Throughout these contests, there are often bursts of applause both on and off the stage.

Friendship Square, though small in size, is a very convenient place for shopping for all kinds of products. People's Square, in front of the city government, has huge European-style buildings on three sides and the towering Monument to the Red Army of the Soviet Union at its front with a large stretch of woods on either side. On summer nights when the street lamps are turned on, the square is shrouded in a quiet, romantic atmosphere. It is a popular place for young couples to walk.

Tianjin Street known as "The First Street in the Northeast" is reached by leaving Zhongshan Square and walking along Shanghai Road. It is lined with clothes shops and food stalls on either side. Ablaze with lights, the street and lanes are crowded with people and filled with the fragrance wafting of food.

Fashion Festival - held in early September

The annual Dalian International Fashion Festival is one of the most influential international theme events in China. For the past decade, the festival has been attracting the world's top fashion designers, businessmen and models to Dalian. The festival, usually celebrated in September, comprises of various theme activities including the Garment Export Fair, fashion exhibitions, fashion competitions and a model contest. The festival really brings in the crowds, mainly to see the fashion shows and latest style designs.

At each of the Fashion Festivals, there is always a grand and impressive opening ceremony with an artistic evening performance at the stadium. Every opening ceremony attracts thousands of talented performers for an appreciative audience.

The Dalian International Garment Fair is a major economic trading event and part of the Fashion Festival. Each year, hundreds of traders and enterprises are invited to conduct business negotiations and the level of exhibition and the volume of business has substantially increased over the past few years. Through joint efforts of organizers and the participation of exhibitors and traders, it has become a well renowned international garment trading fair.