After a visit to the Chinese port of Dalian, Reggie Ho departs understanding it even less than before he arrived
The northeastern Chinese seaport of Dalian has a bit of an identity crisis: it has long been an important industrial city, with major shipping and logistics operations as well as investment from global conglomerates such as Canon, Mitsubishi and Pfizer, but it desperately wants to be more than that.
On a trip hosted by New World Hotel Dalian we were invited to explore the city. As we toured around, the friendly and enthusiastic tour guide told us that Dalian was a city of many talents: it’s a “Soccer City” (its team has scored many wins in China’s Class-A Soccer League), a “City of Fashion” (it even has its own fashion week) and a “City of Romance” (the municipal government has registered the title as its trademark). Apparently, it is also home to Asia’s largest public square (beating even Tiananmen Square) – although my follow-up research has not been able to substantiate this.
However, if this municipality wants to compete as the most surreal city in the world, it has my vote. On one occasion, our tour guide took us 50 minutes west of the city to Jinshitan (Golden Pebble Beach) National Holiday Resort, a vast area consisting of a long stretch of beach, a geopark, golf courses and many museums. The natural scenery was great, but it was the manmade elements that truly stood out.
We were taken to the Chairman Mao Badge Museum, located in a faux Russian building. On display in this 1,500 sqm space were 800,000 badges featuring the founder of Communist China, some forming huge murals, others covering an entire sculpture and even a model of the Tiananmen gate tower. At the exit was the inevitable souvenir shop selling Mao memorabilia, everything from RMB10 (US$1.5) keychains to large gold-plated Mao plaques for RMB200 (US$31). ?That experience, however, was bland compared to the somewhat disturbing trip to Dalian Golden Pebble Beach Geology Museum. It’s logical to have an exhibition of rocks here, given Dalian’s topography, but we didn’t expect the tour to finish with an eerie lineup of preserved skinned animals – seemingly a lesson in mammal anatomy thrown in as a bonus.
On our way back to town, our car drove past – according to the guide – a model training school, an indoor “snow world” and a safari park. Unfortunately, time was too tight for us to see them, but we did have time to stop by the Golden Rock Garden formed by – according to the leaflet – “naturally grotesque rocks” that were 300 to 900 million years old.
The next day we were taken to the Dalian Mounted Policewomen Training Base, not far from the hotel in Zhongshan district. The criteria for admitting students here seemed more akin to those of a beauty pageant than a law enforcement agency, but we were told these policewomen actually patrol downtown in addition to being hired for ceremonies.
Dalian’s surreal flavour can also be served up on a plate, we discovered on our visit to the Royal Restaurant of China. Both the exterior and interior of this venue resemble a Qing Dynasty house, complete with antique furniture and waiting staff in period costume serving up Manchurian cuisine with amazing presentation – a beef loin dish was served on a “boat” made from bamboo, bones and leaves and emitting a curious white fog.
Waiting for my flight home in the vast and rather empty Dalian airport, and musing over the most makeshift “designer stores” I’ve ever seen in a departure hall, I realised that even after such a hectic and broad-ranging schedule, I really don’t know Dalian… and I probably never will.
How to get there? Dalian International Airport has direct flights to many cities in the region, including Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo. It is also linked to Europe and North America through connecting flights via Shanghai Pudong. ?www.dlairport.com (Chinese only)
