Dalian Travel Forum

Hello, I will be a new student at Dalian University this March and was wondering if you could give me your opinion of the school. I will be taking basic chinese and this will be my first time in China. Also, any suggestions for an American coming here from Los Angeles? Thank you for your response.

I do not have an opinion of the university as I know little about it but I have been to Dalian and believe it is one of the best cities in China for Americans to live in.

My suggestions for an American student coming from LA would be to bring NBA basketball cards to give away as gifts to Chinese kids. Obviously you should try to include as many of Yao Ming as possible. If USC national championship football sweatshirts are on sale in LA then you can bring a couple of those too to give to Chinese classmates who help you the most with your Chinese studies.
The reason I specified sweatshirts and not T-shirts is because it is going to be very cold in March. Dalian is great for a short vacation in the summertime when the beaches become popular destinations but the rest of the year is like living in British Columbia.
There are several neat hangouts in downtown Dalian, specifically around the public squares. You can also take the tram around and visit shops. You'll find a Wal-Mart next to some public tennis courts where you will always buy cut loaves of fresh baked date walnut bread to take back to your dorm (but it never makes it that far!)
When you have a break you should seriously consider going to a couple places within reach of Dalian. The best and most interesting is northeast to Dandong. (You can see my Dandong page for more info.) You can take a bus there from Dalian.
Another option out of Dalian is the ferry to Shandong province. You can go to Yantai or Weihai and maybe even Penglai (I'm not sure if Penglai service still exists) and then proceed to destinations in Shandong such as Qingdao or Qufu.

Know nothing about that University. The only thing I can tell you is bring enough winter clothes. It is very cold there in winter.

You know, I've been thinking.....it might not be a very smart idea to drink six beers at the same time or pack a lot of winter clothes from America to China. You can purchase those bulky items in Dalian instead as you will find cheap bargains on everything from sweaters to parkas and gloves.
You'll want to leave plenty of room in your luggage to bring gifts back from China, so don't pack a lot of clothes on your way across the Pacific! Brilliant!

That's right, but at leat one, otherwise you will be frozen to death before you find clothes. :)