DAIREN
Dairen (Dalny), the Southern terminus of the South Manchuria Railway, is a commercial port in the Southern corner of Liaotung Peninsula, Lat 38° 55′ 44′′ N. and Long. 121° 37' 7" E. When Russia leased the place in 1898, it was only a small village. With remarkable push and energy the Russians laid out and built up, in less than three years, one of the finest towns in the Far East, with cathedrals and mansions, parks and roads, wharves and warehouses. Almost at the outset of the late war, the town was occupied by the Japanese Army and served as the principal base of supply. The health of the locality is exceptionally good. The hottest temperature registered in summer is 30° C. (86°F.), and the cold winter season is short and invigorating. The harbour works, which were planned and partially completed by the Russians, are designed on a fairly extensive scale. They comprise, in the main, the main wharf, the east wharf, the north breakwater and the east breakwater. The combined length of the breakwaters is 3,000 ft., and they are 43 ft. above the highest tide. The deep water area inside the breakwater is about 500 acres. The entrance being very open, viz., 1,200 ft. wide, the harbour is accessible to vessels of deep draught at any time of day or state of tide. The total sen-frontage of the two wharves is 5,512 ft., of which 2,131 ft. on the sea end has a depth of 2×ft. at low water and 3,408ft. on the shore end 20ft. The wharves are lighted by electricity and are furnished with extensive closed sheds and railway sidings, together with every up-to-date appliance for the handling of cargo. In view of the phenomenal development of the import and export trade of the port, plans are in course of execution for the further improvement of the westward extension of the existing harbour, including the north breakwater, so as to give more effective protection to the wharves, when the water will be deepened to 30 ft. On the island of Sanshantao at the entrance to Dairen Bay stands a lighthouse. A wireless telegraph station will be established shortly on the hill at the east of the wharves. There is a granite dry dock 380ft. long, 50ft. wide at entrance and 20ft, on the sill, with extensive repair shops attached to and leased and managed by the Dairen branch of the Kawasaki Dock Yard Co., Ltd., of Kobe.
An electric tramway runs along the principal streets and out by the suburban line to Shanhokou, where the South Manchuria Railway workshops are established over four miles westward from Dairen, and extend two miles farther to Hoshigaura (Star Beach), the finest watering place in Manchuria. There is an excellent hotel here manag- ed by the South Manchuria Railway Company, and also a number of bungalows which may be hired by visitors. The town of Dairen is lighted by electricity and gas and has ample telephone facilities. A new electric power-house of 3,000 kilowatts has just been completed. The town has macadamized roads lined up with rows of shady trees, and is well equipped with waterworks, drainage and sewage systems. With the growth of trade, more particularly in Manchurian beans, a number of influential business houses, Japanese, Chinese and foreign, have established themselves at the port. The foreign and Japanese communities in April, 1902, organized and opened the Dairen Club. Ă Gun Club, Golfing Association, Marine Association are among the other institutions of the port. Of places for public amusement, the so-called Electric Park, designed on an up-to-date plan and containing all devices for recreation, forms the chief attraction. The Chinese quarter, situated on the western fringe of the city, has also grown considerably. There is a Railway Hospital equipped with every modern appointment and affording accommodation for 200 patients. It is ably con- ducted by a competent staff of medical officers.
A direct steamship service twice weekly is regularly maintained between Dairen and Shanghai by the South Manchuria Railway Company, making connection with the express train service (four times a week) and the Trans-Siberian route, whereby it is possible to travel from Shanghai to London in 15 days. Regular steamship services are maintained to and from all the important ports of Japan, China and Chosen (Korea). Shanghai can be reached in 42 hours, Chemulpo in 24 hours, and Moji and Nagasaki in
about 50 hours.
For 1999, the trade of Dairen with Japan amounted to Yen 30,500,785, and that with China aggregated Yen 17,079,193. That with Europe and America is represented by a total of Yen 5,984,421, and that with other places by Yen 4,063,747. According to the census taken in September, 1910, the Japanese population of the town was 24,715 Chinese numbered 18,774 and other nationals totalled 87.