Dallying in Dalian

 

China now has over 10,000 kilometres network of high speed train travel.  It has been over five years in the making and has experienced some hiccups along the way but China is poised to become, if it is not already, the leader in high speed train technology.  California has shown an interest in the technology and hopes to establish a high speed rail system from the top to the bottom of the state. 

  

 

 

Only open about a year or so, Harbin has been connected to the city of Dalian by a high speed train system. With a top speed of over 300 KPH, a trip of just under a 1,000 kilometres can take 4 hour and 15 minutes. With ten trains a day going either way, it has made it easy for us to enjoy a long weekend in Dalian. 

 

 

New stations and new track systems have been built to accommodate these new high speed train routes.  

 

 

 

 

The new Harbin station would stand out anywhere in the world, all be it with the usual Chinese touches; hard waiting room seats and no hot water in the washrooms.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Dalian is a coastal city, situated on a peninsula that has the Bohai Sea to the west and the Yellow Sea to the East and is just a short ballistic missile flight from North Korea.   

 

 

Our first thoughts, as we explored the city, were how much it reminded us of Vancouver.  So it was no surprise when we discovered that Dalian and Vancouver are sister port cities. 

 

While is lies a bit further south than Vancouver, its weather pattern is a little cooler than Vancouver’s in the winter and hotter in the summer, with about half the rainfall of Vancouver.  Dalian’s mountains aren’t as huge as Vancouver’s so may not trap those moist ocean breezes like Vancouver’s does.

 

 

 

But one thing is very much alike and that is the vibe created by the strong tourism industry in both cities.   

 

 

Once a semester, Nonie and I take a “Escape from China” weekend. We check into a five star hotel, order western food from room service and spend the weekend watching CNN, BBC and movies on HBO. We combined that with our trip to Dalian and included a long overdue visit with one of our extended Chinese family who we affectionately call our Japanese Granddaughter.  We spent a lovely day wandering the campus where she works as well as exploring the immediate area around it.  

 

 

 

Day two saw us wonder along the well developed ocean frontage and parks that attracts all those tourists.   

 

 

 

 

 

 It is here where we really saw similarities to Vancouver.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

High rises are sprouting up everywhere, many which did not exist only five years ago. Real Estate is booming here, much like it is everywhere in China.  They have been forecasting, for years, that this boom is about to bust, but not seeing it here in Dalian.  

 

 

Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to catch our ride back to the train station and the end of another "Escape From China" weekend.

 

 

 

Our return to Harbin was a bit slower than the 318 KPH we hit on the way to Dalian. It started snowing shortly after we left Dalian and it didn't stop till we reached Harbin, over two hours late. 

 

 

 

 

We woke up the next morning to a record snow fall in Harbin, although they have only been keeping records since the early 60's. Winter has finally arrived.