Bangchuidao Scenic Area

5 kilometres (3 miles) east of downtown Dalian, Bangchuidao Scenic Area consists of Bangchuidao Island and Bangchuidao Guesthouse. The islet is situated 600 metres (about 2,000 feet) away from the smooth seashore. Since the ginseng shaped island looks like a Bangchui – a wooden baton used by ancient Chinese as a washing tool, it was named Bangchuidao by the local people. Covering only 0.3 square kilometres, the tiny islet features steep cliffs, craggy stones, blossoming flowers and singing birds. Its lido and sunrise win the small islet a fine fame.

Dalian Beach

Stretching 25 miles, the Dalian beach is a tourist attraction and summer resort of national caliber with many scenic spots, such as Wooden-Club Island, Fujiazhuang, Mt. Baiyun, Xinghai Park and the Black-Rock Reefs.

Dalian Xinghai Exhibition Centre

500 metres north of Xinghai Square lies Dalian Xinghai Exhibition Centre, which is the largest project in Dalian and one of the best exhibition centres in China.

Public Squares

The city has 50 squares, and no other city can compare with it in terms of the number of squares it has. There are the Haizhiyun (Navy) Square, the largest square in China, and the third largest in the world, the Zhongshan Music Square, the Peopless Fountain Square, and the Xinghaiwan (Star & Bay) Square, the largest in Asia with an area of 1.1 million square metres.

Shenya Marine World

An aquarium of world caliber close by the Xinghai Park, the Shenya Marine World's 118-metre-long undersea tunnel enables visitors to observe this world of 10,000 fish and sea creatures in 200 species at close proximity.

Tiger Beach

The 295 acres Laohutan Scenic Park, lying southeast of the city, with a coastal line of 4.6 kilometres, is a large and recreational centre in Dalian. The park comprised the Tiger Park, Singing Birds Woods, Tiger Square and an Aquarium. The Tiger Square is one of the famous sites in the park, covering 15,700 square meters, highlighting the largest granite sculpture in China. Six vivid sculpture tigers make the irregular square the most outstanding among dozens of squares in Dalian. To the southwest of Laohutan Bay lies Singing Birds Woods, which covers 4,500 sqm with a gigantic bird cage. It is also the natural habitat of thousands of birds. The Park has special performances like the Peacocks Flying Southeast, which depicts an ancient Chinese tragic love story, the Mermaid Show and the Sea Lion Performance.

Xinghai Square

The largest and most famous square in Dalian is Xinghai Square, a must see for those who visits Dalian. The square lies 500 metres north of the seashore of Xinghai Bay and hence named after it. The 45,000 square metres square was completed in 1997 to celebrate the return of Hong Kong to China. The design of the square implies traditional Chinese culture. At the center of the square is a Huabiao (a decorative column symbolizing China), which is 19.97 metres in height and 1.997 meters in diameter, the largest of its kind in China, to commemorate the year 1997 when Hong Kong returned to China. The gigantic star-shaped square has an inner circle and an outer circle which are 199.9 metres and 239.9 in diameters respectively, representing Dalian's 100th anniversary in 1999 and its 500th in 2399. Along the central avenue there are dozens of stele lamps. South end of the central avenue is a group of sculpture which records the history of the city. A thousand footprints of the Dalian's citizen are inscribed to imply that Dalian is moving forward.