Get to know Changhai County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Dalian
- Chinese name
- 长海县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 156.89 km²
- Population · 2020
- 66,824
- Administrative seat
- No. 1 Changhai Square, Dachangshandao (大长山岛镇长海广场1号)
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
CCTV counts 195 islands in the county, 18 of them inhabited. The islands belong to an extension of the Changbai Mountains (长白山) that sank into the sea together with the northern Yellow Sea plain, and wave-cut and depositional landforms dominate the coast. Guanglu Island (广鹿岛) is the westernmost, Haiyang Island (海洋岛) the easternmost, and the county seat is on Dachangshan Island (大长山岛). The sea keeps the air mild and the gap between day and night temperatures small, with about 220 frost-free days a year.
History
The Shangmashi shell-midden site (上马石贝丘遗址) shows human activity more than 7,000 years ago. Changshan County was set up in November 1949 and renamed Changhai in January 1953, because Shandong already had a Changshan County, today's Changdao.
What to see
On Dachangshan Island, the Sanyuan Palace (三元宫) is a Taoist temple first built in the late Ming or early Qing, later destroyed and since rebuilt, and Qixiang Garden (祈祥园) holds a 6.8-metre statue of the sea goddess carved from a single block of white marble. On Guanglu Island, a Mazu temple (妈祖庙) founded in 1633 stands on the cliffs of the Laotieshan scenic area (老铁山). Kuniangding (哭娘顶) on Haiyang Island, at 373 metres, is the highest peak in the Changshan Islands. Zhangzi Island (獐子岛), to the south of the group, has the Eagle Beak Rock scenic area (鹰嘴石景区) and a large golden-sand bathing beach.
Food and local products
The surrounding waters yield more than 400 kinds of fish, shrimp, shellfish and seaweed. Zhangzi Island is known for abalone, scallops, sea snails and sea urchins, and Zhangzi Island abalone, sea cucumber and Yesso scallops (虾夷扇贝) are Chinese geographical-indication products.
Getting oriented
The islands are reached by sea from Dalian port, Xingshutun (杏树屯) in Jinzhou and Pikou (皮口) in Pulandian, and Dachangshan has an airport with scheduled flights to Dalian. Tides, strong wind and fog stop shipping on more than 60 days a year. The 25.5-kilometre Changhai sea-crossing bridge from Dachangshan to Pikou was launched in February 2025 and is planned to open in 2029.
Highlights
- Dachangshan Island and Xiaochangshan Island 大长山岛与小长山岛: The county seat is on Dachangshan; the Sanyuan Palace and Qixiang Garden are on the island.
- Zhangzi Island 獐子岛: Known for abalone, scallops and sea urchins, with the Eagle Beak Rock scenic area.
- Kuniangding 哭娘顶: Highest peak of the Changshan Islands, 373 metres, on Haiyang Island.
Sources for this guide
东北规模最大跨海大桥开建，将终结全国唯一海岛边境县的交通困局 · CCTV (cctv.com, reprinting The Paper)
长海县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
獐子岛 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Changhai County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Changhai County
A view down from a cliff onto a rocky shore: clear blue-green water with submerged pale rocks and green algae visible below the surface, a jumble of grey boulders along the waterline at the right and a bank of dense green coastal scrub and vines at the right edge.Dachangshan and Xiaochangshan Islands大长山岛与小长山岛
Dachangshan and Xiaochangshan are neighbouring islands in Changhai County's northern Yellow Sea archipelago, joined by Changshan Bridge since 2014.
Read the place guide →
Zhangzi Island · 獐子岛Zhangzi Island獐子岛
Yellow Sea island in Changhai County, 56 nautical miles northeast of Dalian, known for abalone and scallops, with Eagle Beak Rock and a sandy beach.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Changhai County is about 95 km in a straight line from central Dalian. Search for 长海县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Dachangshan and Xiaochangshan Islands and Zhangzi Island are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Dalian →More in Dalian
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 长海县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 獐子岛 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Dachangshan and Xiaochangshan Islands · JesseW900 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Zhangzi Island · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.