Zhongshan Square
中山广场
A circular square planned by Imperial Russia in 1899, surrounded by ten banks, hotels, and municipal buildings from the Russo-Japanese and Japanese periods. It is a museum of Dalian's modern architecture.
Zhongshan Square lies in the city center of Zhongshan District. Planned by Imperial Russia in 1899 as 'Nikolayev Square', it is about 213 meters in diameter and is the hub of Dalian's radial street network. After Japan took over the city it was called the 'Great Square', and after 1945 it was renamed Zhongshan Square. Ten roads radiate from the square, and nearly all of the buildings around it date from the 1908–1930s. They include the former Yokohama Specie Bank Dalian Branch (now the Bank of China, 1909, Renaissance style); the former Dalian Municipal Office (now the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, 1919); the former Bank of Chosen (now China CITIC Bank); the former Oriental Development Company (now the Bank of Communications); the former Yamato Hotel (now the Dalian Hotel, 1914, the most luxurious hotel of the South Manchuria Railway era under Japanese control, where Zhang Xueliang and Puyi both once stayed; visitors can enter to see the lobby); the former Dalian Civil Administration Office (now the Dalian office of the Liaoning Provincial Public Security Department); and the 1950s Dalian People's Cultural Club. Together they form one of China's best-preserved modern European-style squares, and all are national key cultural relic protection units. Suggested plan: a walk around the square takes about 30 minutes. Read the plaques at each building's entrance to learn its history, and photograph it after the lights come on in the evening. From here you can walk to nearby Renmin Road and Friendship Square (the crystal ball), or ride the Line 201 tram along Zhongshan Road to experience the old tram. Admission is free. Getting there: about 5 minutes on foot from Friendship Square Station on Metro Line 2, or about 15 minutes on foot from Dalian Railway Station. Notes: many of the surrounding buildings are active banks and offices, so you can only view the exteriors and some lobbies. In summer evenings, many locals dance in the square, a lively slice of Dalian street life.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Nanshan Style Street
- Labor Park
- Dalian Tram Line 201
- Russian Style Street
- Dalian Port Warehouse No.15
- Donggang Waterfront & Venice Water City
- Fujiazhuang Beach
- Haizhiyun Park