[ { "id": 214518, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1998", "page_number": 376, "title": "RAS-1998", "content_text": "345\n\nIt immediately became clear, however, that although very similar to the building in the picture taken by Tess Johnston, the present building was somewhat different. On enquiry, we were told that the old building had been demolished and rebuilt as an almost exact replica. This appeared to be true.\n\nBeyond this, along the road, were a line of impressive European-style residences, with delightfully contrasting back streets leading left and right. The far end of this street opened into a cobbled square with six or eight storey apartment buildings, reminding me of the suburbs of Milan. In fact the whole city has a very European feel to it. Compared to many Chinese cities, Dalian is very neat and tidy, and organised. It is proud of being the first (or only?) city in China to rid itself of rats. (I witnessed some public garden workers in a state of great excitement when they thought they saw a rat in the garden they were working in - it turned out to be a squirrel when the four of them flushed the unfortunate beast out of the bushes.) The streets are clean. There are trees everywhere. The roads leading out of the city are marked with white bollards at the roadside. One finds oneself wondering how come this particular part of China can stand out so much as being - well, rather nice. The answer is quickly offered by anybody to whom you ask this question, and that is that it is the Mayor of Dalian who is responsible for the city's progress. He has travelled extensively overseas, and when he comes home he tells his officials that he wants to see in Dalian the sort of facilities that he has seen abroad. And he is getting his way. The man deserves a medal. It would not be surprising for Dalian to be giving Shanghai a good run for its money some time in the new century.\n\nAnother feature of Dalian is that there is very little in the way of graffiti, although our guide spoiled the illusion somewhat by explaining that \"nobody can afford the paint\".\n\nLunch was in an enormous restaurant where our party were the only customers.\n\nThe city tour continued with a visit to the Nanshan suburb, the former Japanese residential area. Here are a number of quiet leafy streets containing very smart houses that would be at home in Surrey or Kent or a London suburb.", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1998.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 214521, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1998", "page_number": 379, "title": "RAS-1998", "content_text": "348\n\ndome of very Russian origins.\n\nLunch was had in a small restaurant on the road back out of town towards Dalian, in a building next to the one in which the Russians surrendered to the Japanese on 1 January 1905. A sign board records the events of that time, noting that after the Russian defeat the people of Lushun were \"pressed by the Japanese invaders.\" From what we could see, they are still very smartly turned out, with neat creases down their trousers. Next to us at lunch was a tale of rather elderly and venerable Japanese. We were wondering whether or not they had “been there before,\" but we were too polite to ask.\n\nA very productive morning, but it then struck us that there was nothing left to do in the afternoon. We turned down the guides' suggestion that we visit a carving factory. One of our number, who is famous for it, suggested that we visit a textile factory - but this too was voted against. Instead we asked if we could find some Dalian United football jerseys to take home as souvenirs. Believe it or not, the many sporting goods shops that surround the main stadium in Dalian could not between them come up with one jersey of the local heroes' team. England? Yes. Watford? Plenty. Juventus? Loads. Dalian? “Sorry - we don't get much call for them.\"\n\nAfter this disappointment we rather all went our separate ways. A few of us opted for a return visit to Nanshan to take photographs of the beautiful houses there as the sun was going down.\n\nDinner that night was a very pleasant western-style buffet in the Dalian Shangri-La, followed by a beer or two in the hotel's FATS Bar. I never did find out what \"FATS\" stands for, but the place was very popular with the local lads and a number of \"working girls.”\n\nAnd then, suddenly, it was all over. The weeks of planning, and the months before that. The reading and researching, the writing and the wondering. Was it all worth it? Certainly! Would I do it again? Er\n\nDid I learn anything from the experience? Yes - a number of things. I learned (again, for I have been on RAS trips before) that trips with members of this society are always fascinating experiences, attracting, as they do, people who have their own personal mines of information", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1998.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 214538, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1998", "page_number": 396, "title": "RAS-1998", "content_text": "Leafy back street of Nanshan,Dalian\n\n3665", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1998.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 214539, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1998", "page_number": 397, "title": "RAS-1998", "content_text": "366\n\nAnother leafy back street, Nanshan, Dalian", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1998.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/1g05n0794", "rank": 0 } ]