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Above left: view of the downtown area and part of labour park from Green mountain,
with the tallest buildings of Dalian rising above.
Dalian is a city in northeastern China and the municipality of the province of Liaoning.
The city lies 640 kilometers southeast of Beijing,
and has a population of 1,3 million people (with another 3,5 million in the surrounding area).
It's one of China's richest (and cleanest by the way) cities,
mainly because of being China's leading petroleum port.
It has the third largest port of the country and is the largest export harbor of China.
The city is situated on the Liaodong peninsula and faces the sea on three sides.
Dalian has a few bush covered hills, many beautiful parks and quite a few beaches.
Because of those parks and beaches the city is a famous Summer holiday resort as well.
Like a few other Chinese cities, Dalian has been designated a Special Economic Zone,
one of China's 'open door' cities with regulations designed to attract overseas investment.
The city is also known for soccer. Dalian's team, Wanda,
has been one of China's top teams in the football league for the last few years.
Above right: view of downtown Dalian from a highway.


Above: Dalian's tallest skyscraper: Dalian World Trade Center (242m/794f, 55 stories, 2000).
Of the city's six tallest buildings, it was the only one that was actually finished and in use in June of 2002.
The night picture on the right, is unfortunately the only night picture I was able to take.
During the days and nights I was there, as soon as darkness set in, a dense fog covered the city.
On the picture, you can see the top slowly disappearing in this fog.
A few minutes later the top of this building (and the tops of other tall buildings)
were covered in a dense fog...
At the moment, an even taller building is under construction:
Dalian International Trade Center. This building will be 420m/1,378, with 78 stories tall,
and should be completed in 2007. Another tall one is proposed:
Dalian Doushi Fengjian Building (300m/984f, 81 stories).


Above: three pictures of Jinzuo Plaza, Dalian's 2nd tallest (216m/709f, 52 stories).
Work on this building, which is also known as Golden Plaza, started in 1995
and should have been completed in 2000. But, unfortunately, the builders went out of money
and the building had only been finished from the outside for about 90%.
Work on the inside hadn't even started. All this in June of 2002, when the pictures were taken.
The building was one of eight buildings in the downtown area in June of 2002
that had been topped out and had been completed on the outside for 90-100%,

but hadn't been completed on the inside and thus were not (yet) in use.
It's especially a shame for this building, since I think it has a great form
and is one of Dalian's most attractive architectural buildings.


Above left: Dalian Tian An Tower (198m/651f, 55 stories),
another skyscraper that had been topped out, but wasn't yet fully completed,
when the pictures were taken (June 2002). The building should have been completed in 2000.
Chances are that the tower by now is finished and in use.
Above right: and two more: the 201m/659f, 51 stories, Ocean Hotel tower,
and the 30-story Ocean Office Tower.
Both buildings had been fully completed on the outside
and for some parts on the inside as well. Still, work on these two had stopped as well.
Both buildings should have been completed in 2000.
Again, it's quite possible that in the meantime they have been completed and are in use.


Above left and middle left: this building should have been completed in 1999:
Dalian Hope Mansion (170m/558f, 38 stories), but although completed on the outside
and for the most part on the inside, the building is not in use (yet).
At least, it wasn't when I visited Dalian in June of 2000
At the time, there was still some activity going on inside the building,
but the pace of that activity was such, that I doubt the building will be in use very soon.
Above middle right and right: despite the fact that the city has a few 'unfinished' skyscrapers,
quite a few new high-rise buildings are being built at the moment as well.
One of the tallest of such is The Manhattan Tower 2 (office tower, about 180m/590f, 48 stories),
which is part of a complex that also includes The Manhattan Tower 1 (residential tower).
This tower has 35 stories and had just been completed when the pictures were taken (June 2002).
The office tower was completed later in 2002.
The residential Tower has top class apartments and studio's and the complex houses among others
a gymnasium, a billiard room, bars, a mini golf driving range, a children's playground,
and an indoor swimming pool built on two levels.
Also part of the complex are the 60,000 square meter New World Shopping Centre and supermarket.


Above left: the golden coloured Tianlun Commercial Building (168m/551f, 35 stories, 1997).
Above middle left: another tall building that was under construction
when the pictures were taken (June 2002): Rainbow Building (149m/487f, 39 stories, 2002).
Above middle right: Hilton Dalian (148m/486f, 36 stories, 2000).
Above right: another tall hotel in Dalian: Swissôtel.
I don't have any height (about 140m/460f), but the building has 37 stories and was completed in 1998.


Above left and middle left: two pictures of one of Dalian's most extraordinary looking skyscrapers:
Dalian Telecommunication Building. It is 154m/505f tall (to the top of the ball structure) and has 28 stories.
Above middle right: Zhongshan Parkwin Hotel Dalian,
a 38-story 4star hotel with 388 guest rooms. The building has a revolving restaurant on top,
which gives some pretty nice views over the city, especially at night.
Above right: the beautiful Dalian Asia Pacific Finance Centre.
No height available, but the building has 29 stories and was completed early 2002.


Above left: the Dalian Radio & TV Broadcasting Center building.
No height is available of this 18-story building.
Above middle: two pictures of Youhao Mansion, a 100m/327f, 30-story tall office building.
The building had just been completed and opened (May 2002) when the pictures were taken.
Above right: another 100m (328f) tall building, San Xing Agricultural Bank Building.
The building has 30 stories and was completed in 1997.


Above left: another complex that was under construction:
the golden Hong Fu Office Tower (left) and Hong Fu Apartment Tower (right).
The office tower has 25 stories and the apartment tower 23. No height is available.
The complex also houses a shopping center (Paris Shopping Center).
Above middle: Dalian Radio & TV Tower.
This tower was completed in 1990 and is 190,5m/625f tall.
It also has an observation deck (288m above sea level; costs to go up: 30rmb -about $4,-),
but the (360 degrees) view you get of Dalian and surroundings
is a bit spoiled because of the iron gates that cover the tower.
The tower also has a revolving restaurant.
Another great view -albeit only of the downtown area- you can have underneath the tower,
which is situated on top of Green Mountain.
Above right: a picture of a cluster of skyscrapers taken from Dalian Radio & TV Tower.
These skyscrapers can be found a few kilometers outside of the downtown area of Dalian,
close to Renmin Square, one of Dalian's most famous squares.
The three buildings in front are (l-r):
Foreign Economic Relations & Trade Mansion (about 110m/361f, 30 stories),
Pearl River International Building (100m/328f, 28 stories) and
Yue Xiu Mansion (about 130m/426f, 33 stories).


Above: a close-up view of the downtown area from Green Mountain,
with the tallest buildings of Dalian rising above it all (l-r):
Swissôtel, Jinzuo Plaza, Dalian Tian An Tower, The Manhattan Tower 2, Hilton Dalian,
Ocean Hotel and Dalian World Trade Center.


Dalian's 10 tallest skyscrapers:
1. DALIAN WORLD TRADE CENTER 242m/794f, 55 stories, 2000
2. JINZUO PLAZA 216m/709f, 52 stories, tbc
3. OCEAN HOTEL 201m/659f, 51 stories, tbc
4. DALIAN TIAN AN TOWER 198m/651f, 55 stories, tbc
5. THE MANHATTAN OFFICE TOWER 180m/590f, 48 stories, 2002
6. DALIAN HOPE MANSION 170m/558f, 38 stories, tbc
7. TIANLUN COMMERCIAL BUILDING 168m/551f, 35 stories, 1997
8. DALIAN TELECOMMUNICATION BUILDING 154m/505f, 28 stories,
9. RAINBOW BUILDING 149m/487f, 39 stories, 2002
10. HILTON DALIAN 148m/486f, 36 stories, 2000

The building data, the top 10 of tallest buildings and some of the building information are courtesy of
EMPORIS.COM, one of the world's leading architectural resources on tall buildings.

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