Park of China
Overview
| Designation | Part of the second-batch National Park of China “Dalian Seashore–Lüshunkou” AAAAA tourist attraction |
| Province | Liaoning |
| Location | Liaoning |
| Latitude, longitude | 38.8, 121.2 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Coast, Snake Island, birds |
| Top sights | Snake Island, Laotie Mountain |
| Wildlife | Pit vipers, birds |
| Highest point | 465 m |
| Nearby cities | Dalian |
| Nearby sites | Dalian Coast 37km, Jinshitan 74km, Jiaodong Peninsula Coast 147km, Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao 186km Search nearby |
| Themes | Ocean, Island, Bird, Wildlife, Hill, Stamp, Culture, Passes & fortifications, Coastal landforms |
About
Lüshunkou (Port Arthur), at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in south-west Dalian, Liaoning, is an important sea gateway; the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War were fought here.
Reefs and islets dot the sea off the port. The most famous is Snake Island, 0.8 km², more than 20 nautical miles from Lüshun, where tens of thousands of pit vipers live on migrating birds.
Laotie Mountain at the southern tip, where the Yellow Sea meets the Bohai, rises to 465 m at Dayading. Every autumn great flocks of migrating birds rest here, so it is called the “bird station”; rare visitors include the red-crowned crane, Siberian crane, black stork, swan and white-naped crane.
The Baiyushan Tower on Baiyu Hill was built by the Japanese army after the Russo-Japanese War to commemorate its dead. Originally the Hyōchū Tower, it was begun in 1907 and finished in 1909, 66.8 m high; it received its present name in 1986.
Hill 203, named for its height of 203 m, was a main battlefield of the siege of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War; Japanese forces took it on 5 December 1904, gaining a position from which to shell the Russian fleet in the harbour.
It is part of the Dalian Seashore–Lüshunkou scenic area, in the second batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1988.
Travel tips
Getting there: Lvshunkou District is about 40 km southwest of central Dalian; a bus from Dalian station or a drive takes about an hour. Dalian's Zhoushuizi Airport and Dalian station are the main entry points.
Historic sights: what draws visitors is mostly the modern historical remains, such as the former Russo-Japanese prison, the North Fort at East Cockscomb Mountain, the White Jade Hill tower and other war sites. They can be linked into a route.
Military areas: Lushun port is a naval base and some areas are restricted. Visit only what is open, and do not photograph military installations.
Snake Island and Laotie Mountain: Snake Island is a nature reserve that you cannot land on, and can be seen only from the sea. Laotie Mountain lies at the southern tip of the peninsula with a lighthouse on its summit, and a marker of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea boundary is found nearby.
Bird watching: Laotie Mountain is on a migration route. Autumn, September and October, is the best time, and spring also has birds.
Time: a day covers the historic sights; add half a day for Laotie Mountain and the coast.
Season: summer is cool and good for walking the coast. In winter the sea wind is cold and some sights are quiet.
Stamps
In 2005 China Post issued “Dalian Coast”, four stamps: Tiger Beach, Bangchui Island, Jinshitan and Lüshunkou.
Photo credits: Dalian Coast and Lüshunkou: Your friend (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao 186km |
| National parks | Jinshitan 74km, Jiaodong Peninsula Coast 147km, Xingcheng Seaside 204km |
| AAAAA attractions | Dalian Coast 37km, Penglai Pavilion Tourist Area 117km, Longkou Nanshan Scenic Area 154km, Liugong Island Scenic Area 166km |
| AAAA attractions | Lüshun Prison Site 2km, Dongjiguanshan 4km, Dalian Yinggeshi Botanical Garden 13km, Dalian Natural History Museum 28km |
| Cities | Dalian 32km |
| Historical sites | Russian Deputy Land Defense Commander's Residence in Lüshun <1km, Wanzhong Tomb <1km, Site of the Kwantung Leased Territory Governor-General's Office 1km, Site of the Lushun Red Cross Hospital 1km |
| National geoparks | Dalian Coastal National Geopark 75km, Changshan Islands National Geopark 98km |
| Nature reserves | Snake Island and Laotieshan National Nature Reserve 28km, Daheishan National Nature Reserve 56km, Changdao National Nature Reserve 98km |