Dalian is a coastal city in China’s Northeastern Liaoning Province. Population anywhere from 5 to 7 million people depending on who you talk to, and whether you count the city’s expanding suburbs. Like many cities in China it is developing at a blistering pace, with skyscrapers being erected faster than they can be filled. What does Dalian have to offer to the average Western traveler? While it isn’t quite yet the "Hong Kong of the North" that the brochures might lead you to believe, Dalian certainly does make a case for itself as one of China’s best cities.

Travelers who come to Dalian will usually run down through their guidebooks in search of major sites and landmarks, only to find that there aren’t any. If you’re looking for Chinese Culture and History, maybe you should try another city. While Dalian is certainly does hold a place in military history, there aren’t many places outside of the forbidden Southern area of Lushun where you can actually see evidence of this. The status of whether or not you can actually go to Lushun is uncertain. While according to the police there are restrictions in place, rules in China are often "bendy" and it seems many westerners have visited this supposedly "off-limits" area. It is beginning to develop, and as time goes by restrictions may relax. Please check before you visit.

Dalian’s history and can be seen, however, in many not-so-obvious places. Its architecture shows evidence of the previous Russian occupation, most notably at the Russian Street near Victory Bridge (Shengli Qiao) and in the government building on the western side of Renmin Square. Japanese occupation also left tons of architectural "precipitate," as seen on Gorky Road (better known as Gao’er ji Lu) and in a small pedestrian "Japanese street" (riben fengqing yitiao jie) near the Foreign Languages University (Dawai).

While no one would go as far as to call Dalian multi-cultural, it certainly is more diverse than most Chinese cities. There is a constant flow of Russian tourists who come here for cheap shopping. There is also an ever-increasing Korean and Japanese population as well, and the local restaurant scene is definitely better off for it. Business in Dalian depends heavily on places like the port and the shipyard, as well as the growing Software Park (Ruanjian Yuan) where a number of international IT companies have set up shop. There is also the growing Development Zone (Kaifaqu), which as its name suggests is slowing developing the suburbs into smaller self-sufficient city centers. This has been a growing trend in the past few years, with new "mini-city-centers" springing up in areas like Xi’an Road, the Software Park, and the Development Zone.

Nightlife in Dalian is not nearly as lively as the other big centers in China, with most of the action centered around a handful of expat bars or night clubs. You might find yourself sometimes doing as the locals often do, taking your party to a restaurant or Karaoke Bar (KTV). Dalian does redeem itself somewhat, however, by holding its Annual International Beer Festival every August. Picture Tian’anman filled with beer tents and beer girls and you got a general idea of what this festival entails.