Travel Information
About Dalian Language Time
Climate
Passport & Visa
Vaccinations
Inspection & QuarantineCurrency
Banking Hours
Electrical Appliances
Dialing Codes
TippingTransportation
Sight-SeeingShopping About the City of Dalian
Dalian is a coastal city located in Northeast China. Surrounded on three sides by the sea and filled with open spaces and green parkland, Dalian is clean, vibrant and arguably the most beautiful city in China. In summer, Dalian is one of the most popular cities in China for the tourists from China and overseas. In February 2007, together with two other cities, Dalian was elected to be the “China’s Best Tourist City” by the National Tourism Administration and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
Dalian is a young city but has grown rapidly over the last century and been very successful in attracting investment from China and overseas. Today Dalian is one of the most important port cities in China and its port industry plays a very important role for the economic development in Northern China. Dalian is also the home of China’s largest shipyard.
The city of Dalian has demonstrated how a balance can be struck between economic growth and environmental protection. In 2001, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that Dalian had been elected to the prestigious ranks of its Global 500 Roll of Honour for outstanding contributions to the protection of the environment.
Language
The spoken language in Dalian is mandarin Chinese. Many hotel staff and young people can speak reasonably good English. If your mother tongue is not Chinese, it would be helpful if you have your addresses or instructions written in Chinese. The local organizing committee of the conference will be more than happy to provide help and can be reached by iame2008@plymouth.ac.uk .
Time
Dalian local time is 8 hours ahead of GMT (GMT +8).
Climate
Dalian has four distinct seasons; the winter can be very cold with snow and summer very hot. For up-to-date weather information, please visit Dalian Weather.
Passport and Visa
You are advised to contact your local Chinese embassy to check whether you need to apply for visa to visit China. This should be done as soon as you can because it might take long time for you to obtain the visa. A letter of invitation from the conference organizer is normally necessary for you to apply for visa. After you have completed your registration and paid conference registration fee, upon your request, the local organizing committee can send you the letter of invitation to attend the conference.
Vaccinations
No immunizations are required for entry into China, unless the traveller is coming from an area infected by Yellow Fever in which case a valid vaccination certificate must be presented to the inspection and quarantine authorities. A Health Declaration form must be completed upon arrival. We advise you to check with your doctor well in advance for the travel vaccination.
Inspection & Quarantine
When entering into China, you need to fill in the Quarantine Declaration Form on Entry as required by the inspection and quarantine authorities.
Objects prohibited from being carried into China (the list might NOT be exhaustive)
1. Human blood and the products thereof;
2. Fruits, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes;
3. Animal carcasses and specimens;
4. Soil;
5. Pathogenic micro-organisms of animals and plants, pests and other harmful organisms;
6. Live animals (except cats and dogs as pet) and genetic materials including semen, zygotes and embryos;
7. Eggs, raw hides and skin, hair, hoofs, fat or oil, animal meat (including viscera) and its products, fresh milk, cheese, butter, cream, whey powder, silkworm chrysalis, silkworm eggs, animal blood and its products, and aquatic animal products;
8. Genetically Modified Organisms;
9. Waste and used clothes.Objects allowed entry subject to mandatory declaration (the list might NOT be exhaustive)
1. Seeds, nursery stocks and other propagation materials, tobacco leaves, cereals, and beans, which have pre-entry quarantine permit;
2. Fresh flowers, cut flowers and dry flowers;
3. Plant samples, exhibits and specimens;
4. Nuts, dried vegetables, pickled vegetables and frozen vegetables;
5. Bamboo, rattan, willow, straw and wooden handcrafts;
6. Pets including cats and dogs;
7. Human blood and its products, micro-organism, human tissues and bio-products with special permit.Currency
The official currency of China is Renminbi. The official ISO 4217 abbreviation of China's currency is CNY, but it is also abbreviated as “RMB”. Colloquially, the Chinese currency is called Yuan and Kuai (the word ‘Kuai’ is equivalent to ‘Buck’ in the USA and ‘Quid’ in the UK)
Up-to-date exchange rates can be found through the Universal Currency Converter.
Banking Hours
Large banks in Chinese major cities (including Dalian) are open seven days a week. The office hours are normally 0900-1700 or 0830-1630. If you need to use banking services, you are advised to choose a weekday rather than weekend because some services might not be available on weekend.
Electrical Appliances
China uses 220V power supply for standard domestic and business purposes. Hotels generally provide wall sockets in every bathroom for razors and hair dryers, accommodating both straight two-pin plugs and triangular three-pin plugs.
Dialing Codes
The country code for China is +86 and the area code for Dalian is (0)411. In addition, you can find more area codes in China from Area Code/China.
Tipping
Generally, tipping is not expected in mainland China. However, in recognition of the good service from tour guides, drivers, waiters or bellhops, tipping which was once frowned upon has become gradually accepted. Since tipping is a personal matter, please do not feel uneasy about it. What or when you choose to tip depends entirely on how you rate a service but you are not under any obligation to do so.
Transportation
You can take direct/non-stop flights to Dalian or connecting flights from Beijing/Shanghai to Dalian. The trip from Beijing to Dalian takes an hour, and there are 7-8 flights per day. The trip from Shanghai to Dalian takes an hour and a half, and there are 6-8 flights per day. More information on the flights and Dalian airport can be found on the web page of Dalian airport.
From Dalian Airport to the City
- Taxis are always available at Dalian Airport. A taxi from Dalian Airport to the city centre usually costs about RMB30 ($4) and it takes about 30 minutes.
- Bus 710. If your mother tongue is not Chinese, you are not recommended to choose bus service because you might find it difficult to find your stop.
- The local organizing committee is endeavouring to arrange regular free bus service between airport and the conference hotel. We still cannot promise that such service will be provided. Please check the web page (www.iame2008.org) before you start your trip to attend the conference.
Transport within the city of Dalian
Once you become more familiar with the city of Dalian, you can visit the city by public transport or taxi. The tram in the city enables you to visit the city easily and cheaply.Sightseeing
The public squares. There are altogether more than 100 public squares in Dalian, among which Xinghai Square, Navy Square, Zhongshan Square and People’s Square are the most famous and popular. Local residents are fond of strolling there and enjoy themselves in their spare time. As people in Dalian are normally very friendly, you will find you are very welcome when you visit these squares.
The architecture.For historical reasons, you will find some old Russian and Japanese style buildings. To have a coffee near Zhongshan square, the building might make you feel you are in some East European countries.
Sea landscape. Dalian has a long coastline of 1,906km and is surrounded by the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea on the east, the west and the south. The Golden Beach and the Silver Beach along the coastline are renowned for their amazing sea view. Bin Hai Road stretches along Dalian's famous coastline and the view is often breathtaking. One side of the road features mountainous areas covered with forests while the opposite side reveals the panoramic coastline and sea.
The official Dalian tourism website provides tourism information in Chinese, English, Russian, Korean and Japanese. There are also many local travel agencies providing day tours within and around the city.
Shopping
You will find numerous shopping malls in the city. Most shops are open daily from 9am to about 9pm. Generally Speaking, bargaining is not necessary in large shopping centres but might be useful in small stores. Major international credit cards such as Master Card, Visa, JCB and American Express are accepted in large stores.
There are three major shopping areas in the city: Qingniwa area, Tianjin Walking Street, Renmin Road and Xi’an Road.
Qingniwa
Qingniwa area, close to the Dalian Railway Station, is a commercial landmark of the city and a popular tourist destination. A group of large shops and malls make this area the busiest shopping centre in the city.Tianjin Walking Street
This is a century-old shopping street with numerous shops and stalls near Zhongshan and Shengli (Victory) squares. In recent years, the government has gradually turned it into a modern shopping area with all sorts of goods from well-known brands to a variety of local Chinese souvenirs and food.Renmin Road and Xi'an Road
This is a popular choice for locals with many supermarkets including Carrefour, Parkson, Wal Mart and other domestic retail outlets. Recently it has become the second largest shopping area in Dalian in terms of the number of shops and people going shopping there.
