SUMMER HAVEN

3 min read

Dalian’s greatest appeal to domestic tourists comes from its beaches and relatively mild summers. Most famous of these is Tiger Beach (laohu tan ) which offers stunning views of the seaside cliffs. Inside the Tiger Beach area are hundreds of birds at the Niaoyu Lin(nidoyulin). Just be careful at the bird show the birds like to pluck money from your hands. The Golden Pebble Beach National Resort (jinshi tan guojia dujiaqu) has an eclectic selection of activities ranging from golf to paintballing. Scuba diving is also a popular pastime; the clear waters off Dalian waters; you might be able to catch a glimpse of them if you’re lucky. Both beaches are located northeast of the city near city near the booming Economic Development Zone. Swimming and other typical touristy entertainments during the warm seasons are on offer, but due to the crowds, the parks may actually be most pleasant during the off-season when you can spen some time beside the ocean without the jostling.

Saga Design Centre’s models strut down the runway during the Fashion Festival.

Other oceanfront areas can be hard to find for non-locals. They don’t have the lovely sands and the facilities of the better-developec beaches, but they can also be a pleasant experience and provide opportunities for fishing. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to get to the ocean anywhere near downtown Dalian the harbor areas are very tightly secured so is Lushun to the south, which is a naval base.

There is an interesting time to be had at the Sun-Asia Ocean World (shengya hdiyang of China’s larger aquariums with a see-through walkway built under the ocean. Another choice is the Forest Zoo(senlin gongyuan) Located in the thickly wooded hills around the city, the main zoo section is pretty small and mundane. They do have some pandas, but be warned that pandas in Chinese zoos prefer to sleep rather than frolic. More interestin are the raccoon-like- Lesser Pandas,Siberian White Tigers and other tiger species, Pere David’s’ Deer and few other truly unusual zoo offerings. On the other side of the zoo is a safari ride. The best part of the Forest Zoo is the enormous cable car system that offers a dazzling view of Dalian and the natural setting in which the zoo is built. Perhaps the zoo should really be named the “Mountain otraversing it is a rately arduous hike through some striking forests and hills. The Forest Zoo also has an aquarium, but in this seafood-loving city restaurants and Some nice places to hang out include Xinghai Park(xinghai gongyuan), located seaside and on the edge of the city, and Zhongshan Square(zhongshan guangchang) located in the heart of downtown. Zhongshan Square has a Jumbotron TV often playing movies or soccer matches or, for a really surreal experience, old Woody Woodpecker or Tom and Jerry cartoons dubbed into Mandarin. It’s not uncommon to see folk musicians, dancers, fashion shows or other entertainers here. It’s a very pleasant place to chill out and people watch, which is precisely what the locals do here. Also look for the mounted police:

Dalian’s the only city in China that has olice that serve and protect on horseback, and they’re all women.