Exploring Dalian

Minsheng Street

Our next stop is the Hongji Stage, a magnet for Peking Opera fans. Dozens of actors and musicians from the Dalian Peking Opera Company are practicing as we arrive.

An actress says that every Saturday afternoon they present live shows.

The Hongji Stage grew out of a 1908 tea house, which in 1911 moved to its current Minsheng Street location, built into a European-style concrete building instead of traditional Chinese pavilion. In 1934, it was renamed the Hongji Stage.

We get off the tram at Shiji Street and walk back to a main road that intersects the tramway.

Renmin Road is the central business district. The skyscrapers on both sides accommodate financial institutions, shipping agents, import and export companies, shopping malls, and 5-star hotels.

The CBD stretches toward the sea. Some parts of the Dalian port were relocated and some land was reclaimed from the sea for the construction of the Eastern Harbor Commercial Area.

Recently completed projects include the Dalian International Conference Center, Conrad Hotel Dalian, and the office building of Liaoning Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

More construction is in full swing - so several years from now, you can take a tram to see a different Dalian.

If you go:

A flight between Beijing and Dalian takes 55minutes. The fastest train ride between the two cities takes about six hours. Remember to choose your destination as Dalian Station instead of Dalian North Station, which is about 15 kmaway fromthe downtown.

The tramcar runs from4:20 am to 11:45 pm. The ticket is 1 yuan (17 cents).When it stops at Dalian Station, all passengers onboardmust pay another 1 yuan to continue their ride. Tourisminformation hotline: 96181.