Discovering Dalian, Northeast China's thriving port city

The Conference Center is in a prime location facing Dongang Square to the ocean and an adjacent yacht wharf portraying both lifestyle and recreational activities unimaginable not so many years ago in China. Neighboring Gangdong features a large European-themed development where visitors can walk freely through the streets of Belgium's Brugge or sail on a gondola along Venetian canals – great for photography, particularly for weddings!

Some evenings I would head from my hotel to the Pavilion close to the Railway Station. An excellent example of commercial mall design, it offered a great range of shopping and dining experiences. Returning home it was convenient to board a tram but going there it was always pleasurable to walk along pedestrian-friendly Tianjin Street, with its popular outdoor seafood dining opportunities. This was an opportunity to think about the challenges Dalian faces. Walking would take me through older areas of Qingniwaqiao – busy narrow streets with two or three floor walk-up buildings, many 'hole-in-the-wall' restaurants, commercial businesses and cheap hotels, although simply looking upwards showed continuing encroachment of high-rise structures along with questions about what Dalian can do about its older surviving downtown areas? Land availability is tight because of the city's topography – could some areas be transformed similar to Shanghai's Xintiandi? There is much history written in stone in Dalian but once an area goes it is remembered only in name. I pondered this question many times as I rode by tram or walked around the streets. There is no easy answer.

The city's metro/light rail system means access to popular and often delightful coastal locations is both inexpensive and convenient. With much of the system elevated above ground, it provides an excellent opportunity to observe the city's development. 

Metro Line 3 runs north from the Railway Station, winding around the coast, past shipyards, port facilities, through rolling countryside with technological development zones, passing relocated academic institutions to arrive at Jinshitan (Golden Pebble Beach) a seaside resort for the city offering horse-drawn carriage transfers from the metro terminal to a range of fun, sea and beach-related activities.

Line 1 takes in Xinghai Square with its lengthy Xinghaiwan Bridge suspended above a bay overlooked by the fairytale-like, Germanic-styled Castle Hotel. Hekou is a transfer station from Line 1 to Line 12 - running above ground it skirts through mountainous valleys, passing farming villages and following coastlines where fisher folk bring their catch ashore, before arriving at Lushun, one of the world's most perfect natural harbours and a startling reminders of the 1905 Russian-Japanese conflict. Lushun Railway Station is a terminus of the historic railway from Russia that today remains as an architectural gem.

Walking along Changjiang Street towards Dalian Railway Station for the night train back to Beijing a 'heritage' tram passed by with the sound of 'clang, clang, clang, goes the trolley' – I knew I would return to Dalian with so much still to explore!