Exploring Dalian
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E-mail China Daily, January 16, 2014
A century-old tram gives Zhu Chengpei and Zhang Xiaomin a chance to hop on and hop off, exploring interesting aspects of a city rich in Russian traditions.
Trams have been trundling down the streets of Dalian since 1909, and 16 carriages manufactured in the 1930s are still serving what is now "Bus No 201". Changes in the port city with Russian roots have been witnessed by passengers for a century, and recently we got on a tram car to trace the history and find the modern charm of this northeastern coastal city in Liaoning province.
Dongguan Street
Our journey began on Dongguan Street near the Qingniwa Bridge, the city's commercial center. It is a block covering about half a square kilometer with most houses built in the 1920s and 1930s.
A woman carrying a baby in her arms was sitting in front of a gate enjoying the sunshine. She told us that few local residents live there today, because of the old and rundown facilities. Instead, they are rented to migrant workers. A two-story house often accommodates at least 10 families, sharing one gate and a courtyard.
We entered a gate and went to the second floor up the narrow stairs.
It was quiet and a little shabby, but still rich with the flavor of life: flowerpots on window ledges, clothes hanging on ropes over doors, trash piled in corridors.
Seen from the courtyard, the nearby skyscrapers seemed to be in a different time and place.
As one of the most dynamic cities in China, Dalian has enjoyed rapid economic development. Many old houses were demolished and replaced by new ones. Space in a neighboring building sells for an average of 26,000 yuan ($4,302) per square meter. It is a kind of miracle that these old houses remains strong.
The Czar of Russia "rented" Lyuda (the area of today's Dalian city and its Lyushunkou district) from the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in 1898. The Russians headquartered themselves in Lyushun, known as Port Arthur at that time. The next year, V.V. Sakharov was assigned to build a city named Dalny, meaning "remote" in Russian, which is today's Dalian.
He divided the city into three parts: one administrative, one commercial, and one Chinese.
When the Japanese took over the city in 1905 after winning the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), they changed its name to Dalian based on the pronunciation. Although the construction plan was adjusted several times during their occupation, which lasted until 1945, the third area we visited had been always for Chinese residents.
Local artists, writers, and volunteers have been appealing to protect this area as a vault of the city's early memories. They hope it can become a place like the 798 art zone in Beijing, and Tianzifang in Shanghai, that accommodates arts and heritage.
Shengli Bridge
Once called the Russian Wood Bridge, this landmark structure connected the administrative district and the commercial district.
Later, Japanese invaders rebuilt the bridge with granite and carved Renaissance patterns on it. It was then called Japanese Bridge.
When the invaders were driven out, people called it Shengli (Victory) Bridge.
Standing on the bridge and looking north, we first see an attractive building with red bricks and pointed roofs. Once the office building of a Russian vessel company, it is now Dalian Art Exhibition Hall.
The short pedestrian street beside it is Russian Street. Flanked with European and Russian-style buildings and peddlers selling Russian dolls, chocolates, cigarettes and other trinkets, it was renovated in 2000 and became a tourism magnet.
A peddler said most of the buildings are newly constructed in the Russian style; only a few are original.
At the end of the 430-meter-long street stands a small square and a white building with a green roof, which was the former Russian Dalny City Hall, the city's first town hall.
The first mayor, Sakharov, dreamed of building an Asian city in the style of Paris. According to his plan, all construction was to begin from this place and expand outward.
However, before he could finish, the Russians were defeated by the Japanese. Sakharov set the city hall on fire before he left.
The Japanese repaired it and successively used it as a military headquarters, railway office building, hotel, hospital and museum.
Nearby, Miss Shen's Shop is owned by a couple, local graduates of an art college. Visitors can participate in some do-it-yourself activities like pottery, painting, seal cutting or simply reading.
The couple has made beautiful postcards showing Dalian's old houses, and Miss Shen will help visitors mail them out.
Minsheng Street
Our next stop is the Hongji Stage, a magnet for Peking Opera fans. Dozens of actors and musicians from the Dalian Peking Opera Company are practicing as we arrive.
An actress says that every Saturday afternoon they present live shows.
The Hongji Stage grew out of a 1908 tea house, which in 1911 moved to its current Minsheng Street location, built into a European-style concrete building instead of traditional Chinese pavilion. In 1934, it was renamed the Hongji Stage.
After a century of ups and downs, the stage sparkles again after being restored in 2010 and becoming a stage for the Dalian Peking Opera Company.
We get off the tram at Shiji Street and walk back to a main road that intersects the tramway.
Renmin Road is the central business district. The skyscrapers on both sides accommodate financial institutions, shipping agents, import and export companies, shopping malls, and 5-star hotels.
The CBD stretches toward the sea. Some parts of the Dalian port were relocated and some land was reclaimed from the sea for the construction of the Eastern Harbor Commercial Area.
Recently completed projects include the Dalian International Conference Center, Conrad Hotel Dalian, and the office building of Liaoning Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
More construction is in full swing - so several years from now, you can take a tram to see a different Dalian.
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The night view of the newly developed Eastern Harbor Commercial Area in Dalian, Liaoning province. Huang Zhongyi / for China Daily |
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Visitors and residents enjoy their time at Zhongshan Square. Zhang Xiaomin / China Daily |
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A peddler sells Russian dolls and other souvenirs on Russian Street. Zhang Xiaomin / China Daily |
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Tram cars have been running in Dalian for more than 100 years. Zhou Ke / for China Daily |
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