When it comes to Dalian, take every negative stereotype you have about China and throw it out the window. This is Dalian – the cleanest, friendliest, most comfortable city in all of China. Don’t just take our word for it; every year, Dalian is voted as China’s number one most “livable city” in the China Daily News. Often called the “Hong Kong of the North,” Dalian is widely considered an exemplar of quality city-planning. Many cities throughout China have used Dalian’s “city model” to make over their own cities with the newfound wealth and investment in infrastructure resultant of China’s explosive economic growth. With Dalian’s urban population of only 3 million, reputation for cleanliness, sky-rocketing economy, clear blue skies, and the friendliest and safest city traffic you’ll find this side of Tokyo, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Dalian is the capital city of Liaoning, a province that makes up part of what was once known as Manchuria. Through the last few 200 years, this area in particular has been through quite an ordeal. Manchuria was the ancestral homeland of the Qing monarchs, China’s last imperial dynasty, and thus was held in high regard. Towards the end of their reign, Dalian was annexed multiple times through wars of aggression by both Russia and Japan. As the northernmost ice-free harbor on the continent, Dalian has long been an area of strategic importance for all the superpowers of the region, and the surrounding areas were the battleground for many bloody battles during the early 20^th century. During World War II, the Japanese set up a puppet government in Liaoning called Manchukuo to govern over China, with Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, at its helm. With Japan’s defeat, the area was occupied by Soviet Russia for ten years before being returned to China.

Traces of foreign influence in Dalian are still quite tangible, from the city’s architecture to its industry. Dalian was once the terminus of the Orient Express, which ran from Moscow across Sibera, and was also Russia’s most important port-city in Asia. In fact, the city’s name is actually a transliteration of its original Russian name, Dalny. Today, both Russian and Japanese architecture are featured throughout the city, and keywords from Russia and Japan have made their way into the vernacular of the local dialect. However, the most lasting influence by these occupying powers has been in the areas of industry.

Under Russian and Japanese rule, Dalian was a major center for ship-building and locomotive industries. Its history as an important port for international trade continues today, as it is now China’s largest petroleum port, the terminus for the oil pipelines of northern China, and its seaside areas are dotted with vital chemical, diesel, and oil refineries. With the opening of the northern Dagushan harbor, Dalian is one of the most important energy hubs in all of Northern Asia. However, Dalian’s economic might is not limited to its heavy and light industries, as there has been significant foreign investment once it was declared a “special economic zone,” making it ideal for investment by foreign manufacturing companies. Because of Dalian’s special economic status and its location as a worldwide transportation hub, major international companies such as Intel, Samsung, Sanyo, Canon, Pfizer and Toshiba have all opened factories and processing plants in the area.