Life in Dalian
- Shopping
- Buying Food
- Eating out
- Learning Chinese
- Culture Shock
- Cafes, bars, and nightlife
- Fitness and sports
- Travelling outside Dalian
Shopping:
Shopping Malls
Two large modern shopping malls are the Roosevelt Centre on Xian Road, and the Peace Plaza at Heping Guangchang. Both have international chains like Zara and H&M, as well as cinemas, supermarkets and restaurants. Another similar shopping area is the Newmart centre opposite Labour Park.
Chinese Shopping Malls
Victory Square 胜利广场 is an enormous underground shopping mall sprawling over many levels. Located just across from the railway station, the main entrance is just by the big saxophone, although most pedestrian subways will take you there too. It's easy to get lost, but there are lots of bargains to be found as well.
A large central market behind the train station sells even cheaper clothes, household goods, and fresh food.
Large specialty shops
Ikea, Sam's Club, Metro and Decathlon are all located together, near Xianglujiao 香炉礁 light rail station. Many buses go there from downtown or it is an easy 15 minute taxi ride. Decathlon is a French sports equipment chain carrying a wide range of clothing including hiking and outdoors gear as well as shoes (and can be a good place to find larger sizes). Metro and Sam's Club are hypermarkets both stocking a relatively good selection of imported food.
Shopping Malls
Two large modern shopping malls are the Roosevelt Centre on Xian Road, and the Peace Plaza at Heping Guangchang. Both have international chains like Zara and H&M, as well as cinemas, supermarkets and restaurants. Another similar shopping area is the Newmart centre opposite Labour Park.
Chinese Shopping Malls
Victory Square 胜利广场 is an enormous underground shopping mall sprawling over many levels. Located just across from the railway station, the main entrance is just by the big saxophone, although most pedestrian subways will take you there too. It's easy to get lost, but there are lots of bargains to be found as well.
A large central market behind the train station sells even cheaper clothes, household goods, and fresh food.
Large specialty shops
Ikea, Sam's Club, Metro and Decathlon are all located together, near Xianglujiao 香炉礁 light rail station. Many buses go there from downtown or it is an easy 15 minute taxi ride. Decathlon is a French sports equipment chain carrying a wide range of clothing including hiking and outdoors gear as well as shoes (and can be a good place to find larger sizes). Metro and Sam's Club are hypermarkets both stocking a relatively good selection of imported food.
Buying Food:
Supermarkets and grocery shopping
As well as international chains like Tesco, Carrefour, and Walmart, there are plenty of other big Chinese supermarkets, often located on the basement level of shopping malls. The Dalianxpat website has a fairly comprehensive directory. Big supermarkets will often stock much more than food, and can be a good first place to look for every day items from bedsheets to suitcases to screwdrivers.
Some Chinese supermarket tips:
International food
Most supermarkets have an aisle of imported food, ranging from a few packets of biscuits to quite extensive selections. The Sanba square branch of Carrefour is probably the best of the local supermarkets.
Metro is another big supermarket with a large selection of foreign items and a good range of booze. Metro is next to Ikea and Decathlon - see above.
There are also a few specialty imported food shops. These seem to pop up and disappear quite often, but the best currently are Special Taste, which has a few locations, and Sunny Shop, near Gangwan Guangchang 港湾广场.
Supermarkets and grocery shopping
As well as international chains like Tesco, Carrefour, and Walmart, there are plenty of other big Chinese supermarkets, often located on the basement level of shopping malls. The Dalianxpat website has a fairly comprehensive directory. Big supermarkets will often stock much more than food, and can be a good first place to look for every day items from bedsheets to suitcases to screwdrivers.
Some Chinese supermarket tips:
- fruit and vegetables need to be selected and then taken to the weighing person for labeling before you go to the checkout. Good luck convincing them not to put that third plastic bag on it.
- fresh milk is usually sold in small plastic bags, usually, but not always, in the cold section. Carton milk is UHT.
- most supermarkets will have a section selling hot food and individual portions purchasable by weight - these can be a good option for a single diner who doesn't want to eat out.
International food
Most supermarkets have an aisle of imported food, ranging from a few packets of biscuits to quite extensive selections. The Sanba square branch of Carrefour is probably the best of the local supermarkets.
Metro is another big supermarket with a large selection of foreign items and a good range of booze. Metro is next to Ikea and Decathlon - see above.
There are also a few specialty imported food shops. These seem to pop up and disappear quite often, but the best currently are Special Taste, which has a few locations, and Sunny Shop, near Gangwan Guangchang 港湾广场.
Eating out:
For those of us used to thinking of "Chinese" food from home, discovering the breadth of China's cuisine is a real pleasure. In Dalian we are lucky to have lots of Korean and Japanese influences as well. Chinese dining tends to be communal, with a group of people sharing a few dishes but eating from their own individual rice bowl.
For individual diners many dishes can be ordered 盖饭 Gài fàn - basically as a single serving on rice. Noodles 面mian, 包子baozi steamed buns, and 饺子jiaozi dumplings are also reliable options for eating alone.
When dining in with a group of Chinese people the inviter will usually pay the bill. Foreigners in China tend to split bills, Chinese call this AA.
For those of us used to thinking of "Chinese" food from home, discovering the breadth of China's cuisine is a real pleasure. In Dalian we are lucky to have lots of Korean and Japanese influences as well. Chinese dining tends to be communal, with a group of people sharing a few dishes but eating from their own individual rice bowl.
For individual diners many dishes can be ordered 盖饭 Gài fàn - basically as a single serving on rice. Noodles 面mian, 包子baozi steamed buns, and 饺子jiaozi dumplings are also reliable options for eating alone.
When dining in with a group of Chinese people the inviter will usually pay the bill. Foreigners in China tend to split bills, Chinese call this AA.
Learning Chinese
Dalian is recognised as a great place to come to learn Chinese.
Dalian has good Chinese learning infrastructure, with plenty of private language schools, as well as a few universities offering programs in Chinese for foreigners. Some of our teachers have had particularly good experiences with Ruiwen, a private language school few blocks away from Shane. Here is a review (not by us) describing one student's experience studying there. Another well regarded option not far from us is Panda Chinese.
Some of our teachers have preferred to study with a private tutor, meeting at a cafe or at their home. If this is of interest to you, we can certainly put you in touch with good people. And then of course there are the taxi drivers, who will throw in a free lesson in spoken Chinese every time you step in their car.
With relatively low teaching hours and no mandatory office hours, working at Shane allows you to organise plenty of study time, and a few of our staff, in China specifically to study Chinese, have made excellent progress in their time here.
Dalian is recognised as a great place to come to learn Chinese.
Dalian has good Chinese learning infrastructure, with plenty of private language schools, as well as a few universities offering programs in Chinese for foreigners. Some of our teachers have had particularly good experiences with Ruiwen, a private language school few blocks away from Shane. Here is a review (not by us) describing one student's experience studying there. Another well regarded option not far from us is Panda Chinese.
Some of our teachers have preferred to study with a private tutor, meeting at a cafe or at their home. If this is of interest to you, we can certainly put you in touch with good people. And then of course there are the taxi drivers, who will throw in a free lesson in spoken Chinese every time you step in their car.
With relatively low teaching hours and no mandatory office hours, working at Shane allows you to organise plenty of study time, and a few of our staff, in China specifically to study Chinese, have made excellent progress in their time here.
Culture Shock
Most new arrivals to China will experience some level culture shock as they adjust to new surroundings and meet different customs and ways of thinking . Culture shock may take the form of depression, homesickness, or just an increased level of stress or frustration. Simply being aware of the phenomenon of culture shock can be very helpful in managing it, as can doing some research into Chinese social culture to prepare yourself.
This article is a good introduction to the common stages of culture shock http://middlekingdomlife.com/guide/culture-shock-china.htm
Most new arrivals to China will experience some level culture shock as they adjust to new surroundings and meet different customs and ways of thinking . Culture shock may take the form of depression, homesickness, or just an increased level of stress or frustration. Simply being aware of the phenomenon of culture shock can be very helpful in managing it, as can doing some research into Chinese social culture to prepare yourself.
This article is a good introduction to the common stages of culture shock http://middlekingdomlife.com/guide/culture-shock-china.htm
Cafes, Bars, and nightlife
This information changes often so check with your colleagues, but two cafes of particular note are Echo books and coffee on the harbour near Gangwan Guangchang, and Caffe Bintino opposite the Maan coffee on Yanan Lu.
Acapella on Wuyi Lu and Baishan Lu is currently the most popular bar frequented by expats and is a good place to meet people. Trolley bar at 62 Yongfeng Street serves western food and shows sports.
There are a few clubs in the minzhu square area including the popular Soho. JD's is always popular with the foreign exchange students studying in Dalian. Again it's best to check with colleagues for the latest information on where to go.
This information changes often so check with your colleagues, but two cafes of particular note are Echo books and coffee on the harbour near Gangwan Guangchang, and Caffe Bintino opposite the Maan coffee on Yanan Lu.
Acapella on Wuyi Lu and Baishan Lu is currently the most popular bar frequented by expats and is a good place to meet people. Trolley bar at 62 Yongfeng Street serves western food and shows sports.
There are a few clubs in the minzhu square area including the popular Soho. JD's is always popular with the foreign exchange students studying in Dalian. Again it's best to check with colleagues for the latest information on where to go.
Fitness and Sports
The closest gym to our school is the newly opened Dalian National Fitness Centre, where yearly membership costs 1800RMB. Depending on where you live one of the many other gyms may be more convenient, a good list can be found here.
The Dalian Laowai is a foreigner's football team who play games on Sunday afternoon and train through the week. Dalian even has a Gaelic football team which performed very well in the recent championships in Beijing.
The closest gym to our school is the newly opened Dalian National Fitness Centre, where yearly membership costs 1800RMB. Depending on where you live one of the many other gyms may be more convenient, a good list can be found here.
The Dalian Laowai is a foreigner's football team who play games on Sunday afternoon and train through the week. Dalian even has a Gaelic football team which performed very well in the recent championships in Beijing.
Travelling Outside Dalian
While Dalian may not feature heavily in the Lonely Planet guides, there is plenty of opportunity for the keen traveller to get out and do some exploring. Immediately around the city, there are mountains to climb and a veritable archipelago of islands off the coast that are accessible by boat. Further out and into the countryside, the area is famous for cherries and cherry-blossoms. Indeed, at the start of spring, there are various cherry-blossom festivals. Further still, and possible as day/two-day excursions are the cities of Shenyang (a former seat of power in China) and Dandong (a city on the border with North Korea). The functioning Buddhist Monastery, QingYanSe, is also a possible day-trip; it is fully worth waking up early to climb the mountain to reach the main monastery, cut into the face of the rock. The Bingyu valley (pictured) is known as Dalian's version of Guilin.
During holidays, it is possible to go much further without too much greater expense. While Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Hong Kong will always remain popular destinations, there are other sides of China to explore. Destinations that have been popular with our teachers include:
Dandong: Just across the river from mysterious North Korea, you can take a boat tour to for a rare view into life in the DPRK
Qingdao: A ferry ride from Dalian is available to see the former German-occupied coastal city.
Manzhouli: A border town in the north of Inner Mongolia where Chinese, Russian and Mongolian culture interact in the middle of the Mongolian plains.
Lushunkou: The historical Port Arthur, fought over by both Japanese and Russians
Harbin: The furthest north of the major Chinese cities and a popular destination in the winter, if you can brave the cold, for the Ice and Snow Festivals during January and February.
Changbaishan: A mountain range to the North-East of Dalian and running along the North-Korean border.
While Dalian may not feature heavily in the Lonely Planet guides, there is plenty of opportunity for the keen traveller to get out and do some exploring. Immediately around the city, there are mountains to climb and a veritable archipelago of islands off the coast that are accessible by boat. Further out and into the countryside, the area is famous for cherries and cherry-blossoms. Indeed, at the start of spring, there are various cherry-blossom festivals. Further still, and possible as day/two-day excursions are the cities of Shenyang (a former seat of power in China) and Dandong (a city on the border with North Korea). The functioning Buddhist Monastery, QingYanSe, is also a possible day-trip; it is fully worth waking up early to climb the mountain to reach the main monastery, cut into the face of the rock. The Bingyu valley (pictured) is known as Dalian's version of Guilin.
During holidays, it is possible to go much further without too much greater expense. While Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Hong Kong will always remain popular destinations, there are other sides of China to explore. Destinations that have been popular with our teachers include:
Dandong: Just across the river from mysterious North Korea, you can take a boat tour to for a rare view into life in the DPRK
Qingdao: A ferry ride from Dalian is available to see the former German-occupied coastal city.
Manzhouli: A border town in the north of Inner Mongolia where Chinese, Russian and Mongolian culture interact in the middle of the Mongolian plains.
Lushunkou: The historical Port Arthur, fought over by both Japanese and Russians
Harbin: The furthest north of the major Chinese cities and a popular destination in the winter, if you can brave the cold, for the Ice and Snow Festivals during January and February.
Changbaishan: A mountain range to the North-East of Dalian and running along the North-Korean border.