Dalian marks 40 years of growth

Xinhai Square in Dalian, Liaoning province is the world’s biggest city square. [Photo/VCG]

The GDP of Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province was worth 736.39 billion yuan ($106.38 billion) in 2017, an enormous increase when compared to its 1978 figure of 4.21 billion yuan. 

The rise represents the stunning development of the city over the past 40 years.

Dalian also saw its fiscal revenues rise from 489 million yuan to 65.76 billion yuan over the same period. 

China’s opening up to the outside world in 1978 is the main reason for the increase in the city’s wealth, with Dalian now exporting products to markets around the world, particularly the United States and European Union countries. 

In 2017, Dalian’s total import and export volume reached 413.22 billion yuan, accounting for 61.1 percent of the total for Liaoning province, and 44.6 percent of the total for three northeast provinces –– Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

The city’s economic reforms over the past 40 years can be roughly divided into four phases.

The first phase, from 1978 to 1984, saw the city place a special emphasis on economic development. In 1984, Dalian was listed in the first tier of open coastal cities by the State Council and established China’s fist economic and technological development zone.

The next three phases took place from 1984 to 1992, from 1992 to 2012 and from 2012 to the present day. Step by step, Dalian has followed a scientific and efficient development path in response to the central government’s goals and its own needs. And the results of the city’s hard work and pragmatic policies speak for themselves. 

Xinhai Bay Bridge in Dalian is China’s first suspension bridge over seawater. [Photo/VCG]

The skyline of Dalian [Photo/VCG]