DALIAN, CHINA: Tiger Beach Amusement Park (Laohu Tan Haiyang Gongyuan)

CHINA NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION:

The Tiger Beach Amusement Park is located in southeastern Dalian.  It is a large, multi-functional recreation center consisting of Tiger Beach Park, the Marine World, and the Birds Forest.  In the middle of the park is a newly-established Amusement Center, where people can watch performances of sea lions, visit the Science Fiction Palace, and enjoy delicious food in the Food City.

LONELY PLANET:

Tiger Beach Park has a massive carved-marble tiger sculpture, a small beach and a honky-tonk amusement park. On either side of the park the coastal road provides excellent views of the ragged cliffs and crashing waves. Buses 30 and 712 from Zhongshan Sq travel to Tiger Beach Park (Y1, 20 to 30 minutes).

FROMMER’S:

• Hours:  7:30am-5:40pm
• Address:  Binhai Lu 9
• Transportation:  Bus: no. 2, 4, 403, 404, 30, 521, or 524
• Phone:  0411/8239-9398
• Prices:  Admission ¥15 ($1.95/£1)
  

Tacky cartoonish signboards, dancing clowns, and cheesy shows with dolphins abound, but the locals love it. It's worth a look for its aquarium, its display of polar animals, and a wild bird park, called the niaoyulin. Avoid the "4-dimension pleasure theater" at all costs.

Just west of Bangchui Dao is Laohu Tan (Tiger Beach), a popular beach that also features Dalian's best aquatic theme park, Laohu Tan Haiyang Gongyuan.