Dalian Impressions

Let me vent for a bit! I just used the visual editor recommended by bo-blog, and after typing a bunch of stuff that was almost done, I accidentally refreshed the page and lost everything!!!!! Ahhh!!!!! I’m going crazy! Okay, I’ve switched back to UBB now. Hmm, I need to organize my thoughts.

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As soon as I got off the train, I could feel the humid air that’s unique to coastal cities. I love coastal cities, so my first impression of Dalian was pretty good. The area around the train station is considered the city center, with tall buildings and skyscrapers, but unlike Beijing, the buildings aren’t packed tightly together, giving a very comfortable feeling. Beijing, in comparison, feels too oppressive. After we got out of the station, we took a bus directly to Lüshun to visit some fort. Hmm, we spent most of the time playing cards on the way, so I didn’t pay much attention to the scenery, but Dalian seems like a very clean city. Lüshun is a bit like Beijing’s suburbs - there aren’t many people, but it’s kept very clean. However, the fort was really boring. I’ve never been interested in ruins, especially when there are crowds of people around. But I did use my “new visual artist” (self-proclaimed) sensibilities to take some pretty good photos of the ruins.

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After that, we went to see some performances and crocodiles… hmm, I don’t need to say how boring it was. Then we went to the seaside promenade and some star-filled square. This is part of Dalian’s “face-saving” projects, so everywhere you look, you see blue skies, blue seas, clean streets, and strong sunlight. Hmm, for a moment, I felt like I was back in Hong Kong - another city surrounded by mountains and water. Finally, we drove along the beautiful mountain road to Laohutan. The whole way was lined with mansions, which made me want to buy a house there… but I don’t have the money. Then we went to the super fun Laohutan Polar Ocean World. We got to see polar bears up close (just a few centimeters of glass between us), as well as penguins, seals, sea lions, dolphins, and otters. It was really fun, and it was the first time I’d seen these animals so close. There were also mysterious sea creatures, huge groupers, fat turtles, cute little sharks, and ancient nautiluses. And then there were the giant spider crabs from the deep sea. It was truly eye-opening. Before, I’d only seen these animals on TV, but now I could see them so clearly, it was like I’d really dived into the ocean. The environment in the polar ocean world was also very interesting, with cold lights and mysterious music that really made me feel like I was in the polar regions. And there was also the polar experience hall, where you could feel the biting cold as soon as you walked in, surrounded by ice and snow, which really made me feel the polar climate. Finally, we watched a fantastic animal show. I’ve been interested in marine life since I was a kid, and this time I really got to observe them up close. All life comes from the ocean, and when you’re in the midst of it, you can really feel the wonder of this world. Seeing those creatures, you can’t help but admire the greatness of the creator, and you get a strong sense of time, like you’ve been transported back to the ancient era. The magical seawater takes you away from the mundane world and into a strange, new world. When we left the polar ocean world, I was still reluctant to leave. The next day, we went to Bangchui Island, which is where national leaders live, so it’s very clean and feels like a Club Med. I’m not nobility, so I don’t know what it’s like to live there… The seawater is clearer than anywhere else, but the beach is rocky because Dalian’s beaches are all covered in small pebbles with sharp corners. The water was a bit cold, and I didn’t bring a swimsuit, so I just got my feet wet. After that, we went to a shopping mall to buy some seafood, and in the afternoon, we went to a boring memorial hall - I forgot what we saw there. Then we went to the beach again, this time to a seaside bathing area, but there were too many people, and we couldn’t go swimming, which was really frustrating, so we just watched others swimming freely. At night, we went to a Russian street, which was boring. We left the street and walked towards Dalian’s commercial street, passing by an abandoned train station on the way, which had a really magnificent view, with a strong metallic feel that stretched out into the distance, giving me a thrill of excitement. So I raised my camera and took a bunch of photos, but unfortunately, my skills are limited, so I don’t know if my photos can convey the feeling of metal, desolation, decay, and excitement.

After that, we took a car back. The Dalian trip came to an end. ##################### Boring parts of the trip omitted #############

P.S. Dalian’s city is not extremely modern, even compared to Beijing, it’s still a bit behind, but I believe living in Dalian would be a very pleasant experience.:)