Dalian
Dalian (Traditional Chinese: 大連, Simplified Chinese: 大连, Hanyu Pinyin: Dàlián, Wade-Giles: Ta⁴-lien²), formerly Lüda, is an ice-free seaport city in eastern Liaoning Province of the Northeastern People's Republic of China (Manchuria). It is west of the Yellow Sea and east of Bohai Sea. With a coastline of 1,906 km, it governs the southernmost Liaodong Peninsula and about 260 surrounding islands and reefs.
- Area: 13,237 km² (land 12,573.85)
- Population: 5,550,000 (2001)
- Geographic coordinate: 120°58'-123°31' East, 38°43'-40°10' North
- Capital: Xigang
One of the most heavily developed industrial areas of China, Dalian today consists of Dalian proper and the smaller Lushun (Port Arthur), formerly a city in its own right as well.
History
Part of the State of Yan in the Spring and Autumn Period, Dalian became a small town in the 1880s, when the Qing Empire established bridges, cannon platforms and camps there. Named after the Dalianwan Bay (大连湾) of the Yellow Sea northeast of the peninsula, it was officially called Dalian in 1899, and the term was first used in October 1879 by Li Hongzhang in a document.
Dalian of south Pulandian was occupied by the British in 1858, returned to the Chinese in the 1880s, and then occupied by Japan in 1895 during the first Sino-Japanese War. From 1898-1905, it was occupied by the Russians and renamed Dalny (Qingwaniqiao 青泥洼桥 of Zhongshan District, Dalian) and Port Arthur (Lushun). After the Russo-Japanese war Port Arthur was conceded to Japan (Treaty of Portsmouth), who held it from February 5, 1905-1937. In 1937, the modern Dalian City was enlarged and modernized by the Japanese as two cities: the northern Dairen (Dalian) and the southern Ryojun (Lushun). It was was part of the Japanese Manchukuo puppet state.
After World War II, Dalian was returned to Soviet-Chinese control (see Yalta Conference), and was returned to full Chinese control in 1955, although the first communist Chinese mayor of the new Lüda Administrative Office (旅大行政公署) was elected in 1945. Lüda is the acronym of Lüshun and Dalian. Because of the sudden closure of many Japanese businesses, many Dalian residents were out of work for a while.
On December 1, 1950, Lüda was made into a city again. From March 12, 1953 to August 1, 1954, it became a municipality. The city's name was changed from Lüda to Dalian on March 5, 1981, after the State Council approved it on February 9. It was upgraded from a prefecture-level city to a sub-provincial city in 1994, with no change in its administrative subdivisions.
Subdivisions
The city contains 6 districts, 3 county-level cities, and 1 county:
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Area (km²) |
Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Districts | |||
| Ganjingkou | 甘井子 | 491 | 540,000 |
| Lüshunkou | 旅顺口 | 506 | 210,000 |
| Xigang | 西岗区 | 26 | 330,000 |
| Zhongshan | 中山区 | 43 | 370,000 |
| Shahekou | 沙河口 | 49 | 600,000 |
| Jinzhou | 金州区 | 1390 | 660,000 |
| (New Jinzhou)* | 新金州区 | -- | -- |
| Cities | |||
| Wahushe | 瓦房店市 | 3791 | 1,030,000 |
| Pulandian | 普兰店市 | 2923 | 820,000 |
| Zhuanghe | 庄河市 | 3866 | 900,000 |
| County | |||
| Changhai | 长海县 | 152 | 90,000 |
- New Jinzhou District is a section Jinzhou District under development and is technically not an administrative district, although it is at district-level.
Ganjingzi, Zhongshan, Xigang, Shahekou make up the urban centre. Changhai County is made up entirely of islands east of the peninsula. There are 74 sub-districts and 127 town/townships (11 of which are ethnic). (see Political divisions of China#Levels)
There are, in addition, 4 national leading open zones (对外开放先导区):
- The Development Zone (开发区)
- The Free Trade Zone (保税区)
- The Hi-Tech Industrial Zone (高新技术产业园区)
- The Golden Pebble Beach National Holiday Resort (金石滩国家旅游度假区)
