Dalian Laodong Park

Dalian Laodong Park (大连劳动公园) is the park in the center of Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. It is located south of the Qingniwaqiao CBD, at the northern foot of Green Mountain (绿山), and only 500 meters from Dalian Railway Station. With an area of 1.02 million square meters, it is the largest park in the city center and the earliest large-scale urban park. The annual tourist volume reaches more than 3 million people. It is such a popular place among the Dalianites that matchmakers post, on weekends, the paper slips on the branches of the trees in the eastern corner of the park, showing potential brides and bridegrooms. The original site of the park was in Wesy Qingniwa Village. The park was built in 1898 by Imperial Russia, which occupied Lüda. It was located in the west of Dalian (then named Dalini City) at that time, so it was named West Park. Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, and after occupying Lüda, the park was expanded, and has a sumo wrestling field, a golf course, horse riding clubs, swimming pools, etc. At that time, there was a tiger in the park, so it was renamed Tiger Park. In 1925, a tower for soldiers who died in battle was built in the south of the park, and the ashes of the Japanese war dead were moved from Asahi Square (also known as Laozhongbei Square, now Sanba Square). With the expansion of the urban area, the park was gradually moved to its current site in the city center, so it was renamed Central Park (中央公園) in 1926. After Japan was defeated in World War II and withdrew from China, on November 1, 1947, the park was renamed Lenin Park in accordance with the decision of the CPC Central Committee. On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the local government mobilized the mass to do voluntary labor to renovate the park, and erected a monument beside the lotus pond in the park, with the words "Labor Creates the World" (劳动创造世界) written on the monument, so the park was changed to the current name of Laodong Park (Laodong means "labor") on March 3, 1949.