Dalian is the second
largest city in North East China. As well as being an important port, it is
also a major destination for Chinese tourists. It is Located at the Southern
tip of the Liaodong peninsular, and in its own sub-peninsular. Dating from
1898, Dalian’s development stems from colonial occupation by Russia, and
subsequently Japan. China regained
control in the 1950s.
We sailed into Dalian yesterday morning. This was our third
and final stop in China. Of our 3 Chinese ports, this was my least favourite,
being an outpost of the mainland at the far end of a peninsular. We were
transported by shuttle bus to a high end shopping centre and the warm welcome
with maps, well prepared emergency information, and life size fluffy animals
did not hide the expectation that our role was to spend money in Chinese shops.
After a brief look round the very expensive shopping centre,
Chris and I took a tour of the busy square. We were most grateful to the ship’s
tour guide for his advice about crossing Chinese roads. ‘Do not expect cars to
stop at red lights or zebra crossings. The only way to cross Chinese roads
safely is to find a local and follow them closely’.
My favourite part of the town was the farmers’ market. We
seemed to be the only non-Chinese wandering past the stalls of exotic food and
I still can’t identify much of the produce.
As with most of
China, there was building work everywhere and a pollution filled smog hovered
over the skyline. Later this week, I will post some overall impressions of this
remarkable and rapidly developing country with its range of personalities and
mixture of centralisation and freedom.
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