'''Shahekou District''' (________ ''sh?hek?u q?'') is a mostly residential district to the south and east of the center of Dalian. The district's residential nature means the number of attractions are limited, with the area around Xinghai Square the most likely to draw visitors. Hotels are equally limited, though the large number of universities in the district means that those on a budget may well find themselves sleeping here.

Get in

The easiest way to get to the various destinations in Shahekou from the airport, train station or ferry terminal is to first head to the Xinghai Square area then change if necessary. From the airport catch bus #710 to Jiefang Square or Taiyuan Jie and from the train station or ferry terminal take bus #16 to the Xinghai Square Exhibition Centre. The only exception to this rule is for those staying at Liaoning Normal University in which trolley bus #101 runs to the university from the train station (those arriving at the ferry terminal will need to catch buses #13 or #16 and transfer at the train station) while the airport is a relatively short taxi ride away.

Get around

Most parts of Shahekou (or at least those parts of interest to tourists) can be easily reached from Xinghai Square. Tram #202 serves both the Xi'an Lu shopping area (heading north) and the Natural History Museum and Maritime University (heading south). To get to the University of Technology catch bus #23.

See

  • '''Xinghai Square''' (___C__? ''x?ngh?i gu?ngch?ng'') ? Xinghai Square, on the coast south west of the city center, is the largest square in Asia, a fact frequently mentioned in tourist literature on Dalian. There are a number of attractions around the square, including the museums listed below, a bathing beach, a large aquarium (7:AM-4PM, 70RMB), the Xinghai Convention and Exhibition Center, a huge indoor tennis court, an indoor swimming pool, a number of high class restaurants, a bungee tower and a fairly small and uninteresting amusement park. With the possible exception of the aquarium, museums and restaurants few of the attractions are likely to be that interesting to visitors but it's still worth taking the time to visit the square and have a wander around the area.
  • :*'''Dalian Modern Museum''', ''+86 411'' 8480 0188 ? 9AM-4PM, Tu-Su. This museum to the north of Xinghai Square contains a number of high quality, interactive exhibits on Dalian, both historical and current. It is well worth a visit for anyone even slightly interested in the city itself. 30 RMB.

    :*'''Xinghai Seashell Museum''', ''+86 411'' 8480 2938 (extension 115). 8:30AM - 4:30PM ? Housed in an mock European-style castle to the east of Xinghai Square, the seashell museum contains a huge variety of shells and other examples of sea life (including a preserved giant squid). Though very specialized, the museum still makes for an interesting diversion. The climb up to the museum itself can be a trial (those wishing to avoid the stairs can take a taxi up the side road).

    :*'''Dalian Natural History Museum''', 40 Xicun Jie, ''+86 411'' 8469 1290. 8.30AM-4.30PM (midseason)/9AM-4PM(off-season) ? The museum mainly focuses on marine life though it also includes a dinosaur fossil exhibit. It can be found some way to the west of Xinghai Square along Zhongshan Lu. 30 RMB.

    Do

    Those interested in more active diversions could try swimming, either off Xinghai beach (if you can fight past the crowds) or at the indoor swimming pool near the Modern Museum. Boats leave for Bangchui Island from the tourist ferry pier west of Xinghai beach. Outside of the Xinghai Square area, basically the only activity available is hiking in the hills around Huanghe Lu, which some impressive views from the peaks.

    Buy

  • '''Xi'an Road''' (_____H ''x??n lu'') ? This street, west of the city centre, is the largest shopping area outside the centre and boasts a brand new shopping complex on the western side of the junction with Huanghe Lu. There's also a large electronics centre just north of the new shopping mall and a smaller one next to Carrefour. Several tailors offer suits or traditional chinese silk dresses at really reasonable prices (tailoring lasts 5-6 days)
  • Eat

    The Xinghai area has a number of decent quality restaurants offering a wide variety of regional Chinese cooking styles. Restaurants are easy to find throughout the district, with clusters of cheap restaurants around the universities and more upscale restaurants around Xi'an Lu. Korean restaurants tend to be found near the main universities while there's a few Japanese restaurants around Xi'an Lu. While most of these restaurants are decent, few are of high enough quality to warrant a special trip. About the only restaurants worth going out of the way for are found around Xinghai Square.

    Splurge

  • '''Xinghai Square restaurants''' ? On the east side of Xinghai square is a row of restaurants featuring a range of cuisines, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Western. All are high quality, though high priced. Prices vary but expect to pay at least 100 RMB per person.
  • Drink

    Bars

    Bars can be found around the universities and they mainly cater to overseas students, as Chinese students can face stiff penalties if found drunk. The university bars tend to be fairly small, unimaginative and not particularly cheap. They are only worth seeking out for those staying at the universities in question.

    Coffee shops/teahouses

  • '''Be For Time''' ? This chain has various locations, with the main teahouse on Huanghe Lu just west of the Xi'an Lu intersection. Unlike traditional teahouses with wooden, Qing-style furniture and sliding doors, Be For Time caters to a young crowd with modern furnishings and milkshakes and ice creams alongside the usual varieties of green tea. This, combined with the 16 RMB all you can drink deal, makes Be For Time branches very popular with students and decent places to spend a couple of hours.
  • Sleep

    Hotels in Shahekou tend to be limited to cheaper Chinese-run guest houses, which are generally not worth staying in even if they do accept foreigners. The overpriced "luxury" hotels around Xinghai Square neither aren't particularly worth staying ineither, especially given the extra travelling distance involved. Budget travellers may find themselves staying here, however, as a number of Dalian's universities are found in this district, both along Huanghe Lu and around the south-west border with Gaijingzi district.