Dalian Xinghai Square

Dalian Xinghai Square: The Century-Long Echo of Asia's Largest City Square

Overview

Dalian Xinghai Square is located on the shore of Xinghai Bay, Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province. It is the largest city square in Asia, covering an area of 1.76 million square meters. Construction began in 1993 and was completed and opened on June 30, 1997, to commemorate the return of Hong Kong to the motherland. The square was invested and built by the Dalian Municipal Government, with the design unit being the Dalian Planning and Design Research Institute. The square is oval in shape, 1,100 meters long from north to south and 600 meters wide from east to west, with a central square area of 45,000 square meters. The square backs onto the city and faces the sea, making it a landmark building and important tourist attraction in Dalian, receiving over 20 million visitors annually.

Historical Evolution

The planning of Xinghai Square began in the early 1990s, when the Dalian Municipal Government decided to build a large city square on the shore of Xinghai Bay to enhance the city's image and commemorate the return of Hong Kong. In 1993, the square officially started construction, including land reclamation, landscape construction, and infrastructure. On June 30, 1997, the square was completed and a grand celebration was held, making it the main venue for Dalian's celebration of Hong Kong's return. After 2000, cultural facilities such as the Dalian Modern Museum, Dalian International Conference Center, and Dalian Shell Museum were successively built around the square. In 2008, the square underwent a landscape upgrade, adding a musical fountain and lighting system. In 2016, the Centennial City Sculpture at the southern end of the square was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Dalian. In 2019, the square completed a new round of renovation, optimizing the pedestrian system and greening landscape. The name "Xinghai" comes from the bay where it is located, Xinghai Bay, meaning "starlit sea".

Core Attractions

1. Centennial City Sculpture

The Centennial City Sculpture is located at the southern end of the square and is a commemorative sculpture for the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dalian (1999). The sculpture consists of two parts: an open "book" and a 100-meter-long bronze footprint relief. The "book" symbolizes history, and the footprint relief is cast from 1,000 real footprints, representing the footsteps of Dalian citizens. The footprints range from infants to the elderly, symbolizing the city's century-long journey. The designer is a professor at the School of Architecture and Art, Dalian University of Technology. In 2001, the Centennial City Sculpture won the National Urban Sculpture Excellence Award.

2. Central Square

The central square is circular, with a diameter of 200 meters and an area of 45,000 square meters. In the center of the square stands a white marble ornamental column (Huabiao), 19.97 meters high and 1.997 meters in diameter, symbolizing the return of Hong Kong in 1997. The base of the column is carved with eight dragons, the shaft is carved with coiled dragons, and the top is crouched with a stone lion. In 2016, the ornamental column was removed due to urban renovation. The square floor is paved with granite, with a constellation pattern, and when the lights are lit at night, it looks like stars.

3. Musical Fountain

The musical fountain is located at the southern end of the square, built in 2008 and upgraded in 2019. The fountain has a diameter of 80 meters, and the highest water column can reach 80 meters. The fountain uses sound, light, and electricity technology, and can change shapes with the rhythm of the music, with themes such as "seagull" and "waves". In summer, performances are held every night from 19:30 to 21:00, and are suspended in winter. The fountain square can accommodate 20,000 people.

4. Xinghai Bay Bridge

The Xinghai Bay Bridge spans Xinghai Bay, connecting Shahekou District and Xigang District. It is 6.8 kilometers long in total, with a main bridge length of 820 meters. The bridge opened to traffic on October 30, 2015, and is China's first offshore anchored suspension bridge. The bridge deck has eight lanes in both directions, with a design speed of 60 kilometers per hour. The bridge's night lighting is brilliant, complementing Xinghai Square.