An authoritative and detailed travel guide for Dalian to assist travelers in their exploration and navigation of the Chinese city. Includes historic timelines for the former colonial port, social information about the modern culture, and tips on where to eat, shop, sleep, and visit. This comprehensive reference guide has been condensed into a portable ebook for easy use by any seasoned or first-time visitor. Developed by Historical Society of Dalian as a mobile and inexpensive reference.

ASIN: B00361EO3Y @ amazon.com

An iconic landmark of Xinghai Square since 2000, the Dalian Shell Museum was torn down in January 2010. It is scheduled to be rebuilt in a similar yet larger version of its European castle architecture. The location will then re-open as a hotel, projected in two years.

A Google Earth satellite map of the demolition zone has been created for public viewing. Images of the pre-demolition condition in May 2009 are presented as a comparison for the demolition state in January 2010.

Xinghai Square Shell Museum

The city of Dalian has always held secrets. Its foreign colonization and occupation brought external cultures and languages to Northeast China. Great Britain, Russia, and Japan took turns dominating the region for nearly a century, influencing local folklore and religious superstitions. When the city was finally returned to native hands, China experienced numerous waves of political and social upheaval. These events made local ghost stories a taboo subject. This compilation is the first historic research of supernatural events and sightings in Dalian from 1858 to 1958. It also combines vintage colonial images with the modern photographic vision of SongLi.

ISBN: 1441472800 @ amazon.com

The mountains surrounding the Dalian peninsula offer a commanding view of the harbor and sea. From a defensive perspective, these vantages are a natural site for fortifications. From the military bases to the South in Lushun, the entire coast towards Jinzhou was lined with artillery bases to protect against invasion in the early 1930s. After the war, these locations were abandoned and destroyed. Only the historic forts in Lushun were preserved. However, through extensive research and exploration, SongLi discovered two sites within the central Dalian area. One old fort in the Northern Bay only retains its bunker foundations and underground tunnels, having been converted into an oil refinery base. The second within the Dalian city limits has its original stone fortress and barrack complex. The view from this location is inspiring, but its location very difficult to reach. While the older population who live in the area know of these ruins, they remain a secret to the younger generation and forgotten to the world.

Homes in the Nanshan Street neighborhood had ranged in age from 80 to 100 years old. These colonial dwellings survived wars, a civil war, and social upheaval. In recent years they had remained immune to the frenzied modernization drive in China. However, by November 2008 this landmark and signature feature of Dalian’s past became another lost memory.

Nearly 20 acres of land, covering 80377m² is being erased and reformatted. Neither the demolition process nor the reconstruction efforts will be finished any time soon. Based on previous examples around the city, the site will not be habitable for perhaps four years. The stages of transition will be staggered, with many square blocks flattened for construction while gutted house shells remain standing in other sections.

Images of the pre-demolition condition (August and September 2008) are presented as a comparison for the initial demolition progress in January 2009.

Nanshan Road Demolition Map

One of the most well known but best kept historical secrets in Dalian is the Great Wall of Koguryŏ (Korea). Built in 631 AD when most of Manchuria and sections of Southern Russia were part of the Goguryeo Kingdom, these remains have been both celebrated and shrouded because of the historical interpretation of cultural ownership. The Jinzhou District of Dalian was once an ancient walled city with a history stretching back for centuries as the Tang and Sui Dynasties fought to expand their empire. Dalian was the last fortress along a defensive wall that stretched North for hundreds of kilometers. While the Bisa (Beisha) castle itself has been lost in time, portions of this Great Wall remain along the highest peaks of Dahei Mountain.

Note: Liaoning Province has two cities spelled Jinzhou in English. However, the Hanzi (Chinese characters) are not the same.

Jinzhou 锦州 is an ancient city in Western Liaoning.
Jinzhou 金州 is a historic district of Dalian city.

Jinzhou (Dalian) Historical Timeline

On September 4th, 2008 the city of Dalian hosted the Parlympic torch relay. One of only a handful of “ancient” and “modern” cities in China to hold this honor, the route followed the original design of the Olympic torch relay. That had been planned to run along the Binhai coastal road was but later relocated.

This digital map features all 70 relay points, and the official Paralympic relay route path. It also shows the parallel course ran by SongLi as he followed the trek. It was an uphill run for nearly 3 km in the late summer heat, and he was able to document over half the run up-close and personal. Flame icons on the map with a yellow border indicate a snapshot SongLi took of that relay point during the course.

Paralympic Torch Relay Route Map for Dalian

The Taiwan cinema came to Dalian for production of the film: 《爱在日月潭》Love In The Sun Moon Lake (Ai Zai Ri Yue Tan).

It is a romantic drama, about two lovers who are separated by the invisible barrier between Taiwan and the Mainland. The plot background is similar to a famous Korean story. Various locations in Dalian were used, including some of the vintage Colonial areas needed to depict scenes meant to take place in Europe.

Behind-the-scenes production stills can be found on the discoverdalian.com website.

We proud to offer mail and package services in cooperation with our partner, Dalian Express. This is a complete turnkey solution for the receipt, collection, and forwarding of any postal items.

In addition, we can provide its private and secure language services in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and English for all your international correspondences.

Please contact us to find out how your business can have a permanent mailing address in Dalian for a low monthly fee.

Dalian Express: Mailbox and Mail Forwarding Service from China

The World Economic Forum (based in Geneva, Switzerland), is using the DiscoverDalian.com website as its official introduction and guide for Dalian. The city will be the first host location in China and outside of Davos. The “Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions” is from 6-8 September 2007. Photography by SongLi will also be utilized by international members attending this global conference.