History

Even though China's history goes back to 2200 BCE, Dalian's chronological record of events remains murky at best. The earliest mention of the area came in 108 BCE when Emperor Han Wudi of the Han Dynasty established a shipping line between the Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula to the south. The next mention of Dalian came in 1371 CE when troops under the Tang Dynasty named the area "Lion Mouth" due to its relative inaccessibility. Over the next 500 years, little was recorded of Dalian. Most of China's military and cultural happenings occurred further into China proper and along her two main rivers, the Yellow and the Yangzte. Dalian, meanwhile, remained in dormant isolation as a slumbering fishing village. It was first internationally recognized in 1856 during China's Arrow War (Second Opium War) with Great Britain. An English gunboat guided by Captain William C. Arthur chugged into Lushun Harbor, just south of Dalian. He was so impressed he dubbed it Port Arthur. England's acknowledgment of the area awakened the ruling Manchu government to Dalian's military potential. In the subsequent years a series of forts were strategically garrisoned throughout the hills that surrounded Dalian Bay and Port Arthur. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894 ended in wretched defeat for China. Under the harsh terms of the resulting Shimonoseki Treaty, China was cuffed with stiff indemnities and forced to surrender Taiwan, the Pescadores Islands, and both Dalian and nearby Port Arthur to Japan. However, seven months later, Japan, under extreme international pressure from France, Germany, and Russia, reluctantly ceded Dalian and Port Arthur back to China.

Russia, meanwhile, was desperate for an ice-free port during winter and covertly brokered a deal with China. In exchange for helping pay off China's war indemnity, Russia was allowed to "rent" Dalian. From 1898 through 1904 Russia, much to Japan's vexation, occupied Dalian. It was during this stint that Dalian, or Dalny as the Russian's renamed it, was elevated from an anonymous fishing village into a major industrial center. Shipping, smelting, brewing, and timber industries mushroomed under Russian jurisdiction. The South Manchurian Railroad chugged into town along a single line of track, connecting Dalian to the Trans-Siberian Railway and providing broader inland demands for its bounty of resources. With blueprints from famous structures in Paris and a mayor eager to make a beautiful city, much of Dalian's unique architecture dates from this time. Prosperity snagged, however, on the thorns of battle. On February 8, 1904 Japan delivered a surprise attack on Dalian, setting off the 20 month Russo-Japanese War. By war's end, on September 5, 1905, Japan was on the victor's side of the Portsmouth Treaty, marking the first victory of Japan over a Western power and scandalizing Russia. The loss helped fan the flames of the ensuing Russian Revolution, while Japan's conquest upped its major power status and, once again, accorded it dominion over Liaodong Peninsula.

Japan occupied Dalian until 1945. During this time, it renamed the city Dairen, and followed Russia's lead by augmenting its vast industrialization potential. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, Dalian, under the terms of the Yalta Agreement, came under the joint control of both Russia and China. In 1950, it, was renamed, yet again, Luda City. In 1955, China was granted sole control over Dalian. Chairman Mao Zedong's policies focused on developing China's interior countryside, thus little attention was given to Dalian, setting off almost 30 years of stagnation but also sparing the city's unique structures from the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. After Mao's death in 1976, China policy focused on outreach and economic growth, thus Dalian received immediate government attention. The name Luda City was dropped in favor of Dalian, its original name. In 1984, it was one of China's 14 coastal cities declared open to foreign investors. Under this billowing exemption, Dalian thrived and rapidly emerged as northeast China's main industrialized port through the production of petroleum, chemicals, fertilizers, machinery, steel and iron. Yet, unlike most other industrial nests, Dalian also focused on building a strong tourism base. As part of a beautification program, the city began razing old buildings, repaving roads, and promoting its numerous beach resort communities. Fortunately, the rebuilding efforts were aimed at preserving Dalian's heritage, thus the colonial structures were spared "beautification". Today Dalian has 70 gardens, 24 beaches, 5 parks and numerous excellent hotels and restaurants. Its pervading cosmopolitan air has made Dalian now known as China's "Hong Kong of the North."