Dalian is on China’s North-East coast, and is one of China’s most attractive cities. With a chequered history – the Japanese, Russians and Germans have all laid claim to it at one point or another – the city is still a major focus for North-East Asian business, cemented by it’s being China’s third largest Port, and point of entry and exit for pretty much most of the produce into and out of the countries North-East and it’s now-awakening heavy industry.

Where to stay? Well Dalian now has several fist class hotels, pick of the bunch at this moment in time being the Shangri-La (0411 8252 5000) right in the central downtown district on Renmin Road, although the Furama, (8263 0888), Swiss Hotel, (8230 3388), and Somerset, (8899 1888) are all worth a mention, depending on where your air mile loyalties lie.

Dalian’s sea coast boasts a great scenic journey, along the waterfront then up across the headland. En route one passes a variety of massive sea creature sculptures by the roadside – and it’s actually pretty well done – the gigantic turtles, the octopus, various sharks, dolphins and other assorted marine life all parading along the roadside.

Dalian is of course well known for it’s excellent seafood, and all manner of smoked, dried and salted preserved fish are on sale at most markets in the city – together with some of the best and largest specimens of fresh fish this writer has ever seen in China.

Like most cities, Dalian has it’s focal point as regards the bar scene, and here it is Alice’s Bar – just around the corner from the Shangri-La (turn left, left down the adjoining street, it’s on the right hand side) which really gets pumping with great entertainment, and a good selection of beers. FATS in the Shangri-La is also good, if rather more tame, while the Flying Bar just off the main drag is also worth a mention.

Dalian, being a little over an hours flight from either Beijing or Shanghai, is well worth a good weekends visit, so get over, dig into seafood extraordinaire and have a good time !