Port · Industrial centre · Historic city · Liaoning
Dalian
大连
Harbour city at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula
Dalian is a port city at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the main sea gateway of north-east China. Founded as a Russian port in 1898 and run by Japan from 1905 to 1945, it keeps squares and streets from both periods, and includes the former naval base of Lüshun (Port Arthur).
Key facts
Overview
Dalian occupies the end of the Liaodong Peninsula between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, with a deep, ice-free harbour that made it the object of Russian and Japanese ambitions. The Russians laid out a radial city plan around circular squares in 1899; the Japanese, who took it over in 1905 as Dairen, extended it and built the banks and offices that still ring Zhongshan Square.
Today Dalian is a sub-provincial city with separate status in the national plan, a centre for shipbuilding, petrochemicals, software and logistics, and one of the most visited seaside cities in northern China, with a long coastal road, beaches and seafood. Lüshun, at the tip of the peninsula, is still a naval port.
Names and nicknames
青泥洼
“green mud hollow”
Name of the fishing village on the site before the Russian port was built.
Dalny
达里尼
The Russian name, meaning “distant”, given to the new port in 1899.
足球城
“football city”
From the success of Dalian clubs in Chinese football in the 1990s and 2000s.
History
Lüshun was fortified by the Qing as the base of the Beiyang Fleet in the 1880s and captured by Japan in 1894. Russia leased the peninsula in 1898 and founded Dalny; Japan took both after the siege of Port Arthur in 1904–1905 and governed the Kwantung Leased Territory until 1945. After the Second World War the Soviet Union kept forces at Lüshun until 1955. Dalian was one of the fourteen coastal cities opened to foreign investment in 1984.
1880s
Lüshun becomes the Beiyang Fleet's base
The Qing built docks and forts at Lüshun for its modern northern navy.
November 1894
Japan takes Lüshun
Japanese troops captured the port during the First Sino-Japanese War and killed large numbers of inhabitants.
1898–1899
Russian lease and the founding of Dalny
Russia leased the southern peninsula and began building a commercial port and city on a radial plan.
1904–1905
Siege of Port Arthur
Japan took Lüshun after a siege of several months; the peace treaty transferred the lease to Japan.
1945–1955
Soviet presence
Soviet forces occupied the area in August 1945 and remained at Lüshun until 1955.
1984
Open coastal city
Dalian was opened to foreign investment and received China's first national-level economic and technological development zone.
2012 and 2019
China's first aircraft carriers
The Liaoning was refitted and the Shandong built at the Dalian shipyard.
Landmarks
Historic site
Zhongshan Square
中山广场
Circular square laid out by the Russians and lined with banks, the former Yamato Hotel and other Japanese-era buildings.
Nature
Binhai Road
滨海路
Coastal road along the southern cliffs, linking Fujiazhuang beach, Tiger Beach and the Xinghai area.
Modern landmark
Xinghai Square
星海广场
Large seafront square built on reclaimed land in the 1990s.
Museum
Lüshun Prison
旅顺日俄监狱旧址
Prison built by Russia and expanded by Japan, now a museum; the Korean independence activist An Jung-geun was executed here in 1910.
Historic site
Baiyu Mountain
白玉山
Hill above Lüshun harbour with a Japanese-built memorial tower and views of the naval port.
Street or quarter
Russian Street
俄罗斯风情街
Street of restored Russian-era buildings north of the railway station.
Neighbourhoods
Zhongshan district
中山区
The historic centre around Zhongshan Square and the harbour.
Lüshunkou
旅顺口
The former Port Arthur at the tip of the peninsula, with fortifications and war sites.
Jinzhou
金州
Old walled town north of the city, now the centre of the Jinpu New Area.
Food
Mackerel dumplings
鲅鱼饺子
Dumplings filled with Spanish mackerel and chives, a coastal staple shared with Shandong.
Menzi
焖子
Cubes of sweet-potato starch jelly fried crisp and dressed with sesame paste and garlic.
Sea urchin
海胆
Eaten raw or steamed with egg and in dumplings in summer.
Spoon worm
海肠
A marine worm stir-fried with chives, a Bohai delicacy.
Culture
Dalian's culture faces the sea. Beaches, fishing harbours and seafood markets shape daily life, and the city's architecture from the Russian and Japanese periods is part of its identity. The city is known across China for football, for its fashion festival and for the mounted policewomen who have patrolled its squares. The local dialect belongs to the Jiao–Liao group brought by settlers from Shandong.
Getting around
- Dalian Metro lines connect the centre with the airport, Lüshun and the Jinpu New Area.
- Trams have run in the city since 1909; lines 201 and 202 are among the few classic tram lines still operating in China.
- Dalian North is the high-speed station for Shenyang, Harbin and Dandong; Zhoushuizi International Airport is inside the city.
- Ferries sail from the harbour to Yantai and Weihai across the Bohai Strait.
Day trips
Jinshitan
金石滩
Coast of eroded sedimentary rocks and beaches north-east of the city, a national geopark.
Bingyu Valley
冰峪沟
Karst valley with river and cliffs in Zhuanghe, in the north of the municipality.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Dalian Municipal People's Government — Dalian Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Dalian — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)