Lushun or Port Arthur

Going to Lushun

I wanted to make an excursion to Lushun or Port Arthur, as it was called during the Russian era.  With super-hot weather on the cards again, I decided to jump on the opportunity to go early when I woke up naturally at 0550.

I gobbled down some breakfast and said goodbye to D, who was bound for Beijing at 1000, and headed downstairs to catch the 0630 express bus to Lushun.

Initially, I hopped on the multi-stop one by mistake but was fortunately able to hop out and wait for the correct one.

The ride took 1h20 through the regular built-up areas of Dalian before taking the motorway.

Baiyu Tower

Arriving at 0750 in Lushun station, I noticed the Baiyu Tower nearby.  It was near but I wasn’t prepared to walk uphill in this heat.

I ordered a car on the Amap app for the first time, which searches multiple platforms, rather than using Didi on the WeChat app.

The driver let me out to buy the ticket into the paid area once I was near the top of the hill and buggered off, leaving me to walk the short remaining distance.

The area at the base of the tower offered me a great view of the harbour area and I didn’t feel inclined to pay extra to walk up the inside of a stuffy tower in hot weather.

Lushun harbour (formerly Port Arthur during the Russian era) was Chinese territory that was leased to Russia as a year-round ice-free port.  It was lost to the Japanese and after the loss of the Japanese in WWII, it was released by Russia again until the mid-1950s.  The role of a year-round ice-free port is now served by Vladivostok about 1000 km away.

To me, the Baiyu Tower seems to be a strategic defence tower but it is actually a Japanese memorial to their fallen.

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I tried to catch the chairlift downhill but had trouble buying the ticket on my phone without a local phone number.  A car would be far cheaper anyway, so I backtracked to where I had disembarked to order a car.  I didn’t realise till later that cars 15 min free grace access to pass through and I could have remained in the tower area to be picked up.

Soviet Martyr’s Memorial and Cemetery

From the tower, I went to the Soviet Martyr’s Memorial and Cemetery.  The Soviet Martyrs who helped liberate the area from Japanese rule are buried here. They are honoured for this role and for fighting against the American aggression in North Korea.

I was surprised to see crosses in a section of the cemetery but an internet search revealed the site was originally a Tsarist Russian cemetery.

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The quiet cemetery was such sweet respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday China. If only the sun was less fierce, then it would have been pleasant.

Old railway station

From the cemetery, I took a car to the old railway station that was built in 1937 during the Japanese era (replacing an earlier Russian building).  It was a little over-restored and my visit was so short that the same driver took me back downtown.

Japanese-era railway station.

All done in Lushun

By 0950, exactly 2h after arriving at Lushun, I was done with my sightseeing and ready for lunch.  I ate on the top floor of a shopping mall, chowing down on an excellent salad on rice.  The place came highly recommended by the friendly driver.  Many people in the northeast are very friendly and chatty.

It would have been too rushed to try for the 1030 bus back to Dalian, so I considered some other options.  My original plan included a visit to Hill 203 (a hill that was 203 ft high above sea level) that was fought over fiercely by the Japanese and Russians in 1904 to 1905.

There is a memorial there that is surrounded by cherry trees but I didn’t fancy an uphill walk in exposed areas in the heat wave.  I had been told that the summers here are typically 27 degC max and we are about 10 degC warmer than usual.

So, I killed some time before taking the 1130 bus back to Dalian, arriving back at 1300.  I spent the rest of the hot afternoon indoors before having a simple dinner at a nearby restaurant.

D’s suspicion of eateries near the railway station being unsanitary, no good or expensive was quite unfounded.  I had a delicious prawn and cashew stirfry for a reasonable price.

That ended my final day in Manchuria and China on this very interesting visit.