Get to know Shahekou District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Dalian
- Chinese name
- 沙河口区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 34.71 km²
- Population · 2010
- 693,140
- Administrative seat
- No. 393 Zhongshan Road (中山路393号)
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Nansong Road (南松路) marks the northern edge with Ganjingzi, and the Youjiacun railway line the western edge facing the High-tech Zone. The ground is higher in the west than the east. The Malan River (马栏河) crosses the west of the district and enters the Yellow Sea at Xinghai Bay (星海湾); the coastline is 8 kilometres long.
History
The name means "mouth of the Sha River": in the Ming dynasty the Sha River reached the sea here. When Russia founded the city of Dalny (达里尼) at Qingniwa (青泥洼) in 1899, Shahekou was one of its three districts; Japan took over the lease in September 1905. The district government was proclaimed on 3 February 1946 in the hall of the former Taisho national school, now the auditorium of Dalian No. 48 Middle School.
Provincial and municipal protected buildings include the former China Engineering Society building (中华工学会旧址), the former Prince Shotoku Memorial Hall (圣德太子纪念堂旧址), the former Shahekou waterworks (沙河口净水厂旧址), the former Jin Bidong residence (金碧东公馆旧址) and Shahekou railway station (沙河口火车站). Old factories, warehouses and other industrial buildings have been turned into technology and creative-industry parks such as Bingshan Huigu (冰山慧谷) and the Heshe Art Factory (和舍艺术工厂).
What to see
Xinghai Square (星海广场) was built on a disused salt works at Xinghai Bay: work began on 16 July 1993, reclaiming 114 hectares from the sea, and finished on 30 June 1997, giving 176 hectares in all. A white-marble nine-dragon column marking the return of Hong Kong stood at its centre until it was taken down in 2016. A man-made beach lies to the south and the Dalian International Conference and Exhibition Centre to the north, and the square hosts the Dalian International Fashion Festival and the beer festival. Xinghai Park (星海公园) and Zhongshan Park (中山公园) are also in the district.
Xi'an Road (西安路) is, according to the district government, Dalian's busiest shopping area, and the Dalian Commodity Exchange (大连商品交易所) is also in the district. The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian Ocean University and Dalian Jiaotong University are all here.
Getting oriented
Dalian Metro Lines 1 and 2 cross within the district, and main roads, elevated roads and a sea-crossing bridge also serve it.
Highlights
- Xinghai Square 星海广场: Seafront square of 176 hectares on reclaimed land at Xinghai Bay, built 1993–1997.
- Former Prince Shotoku Memorial Hall 圣德太子纪念堂旧址: Provincial or municipal protected site in the district.
- Shahekou railway station 沙河口火车站: Protected historic station.
- Xi'an Road 西安路: Provincial-level modern service cluster; Dalian's busiest shopping area according to the district government.
Sources for this guide
沙河口区 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
大连市沙河口区人民政府 走进沙河口 区域简介 · Shahekou District People's Government, Dalian
大连市沙河口区人民政府 走进沙河口 · Shahekou District People's Government, Dalian
大连市沙河口区人民政府 走进沙河口 历史沿革 · Shahekou District People's Government, Dalian
星海广场 (大连市) - 维基百科 · 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 2026-09-26.
Explore Shahekou District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Shahekou District
Xinghai Square · 星海广场Xinghai Square星海广场
Xinghai Square opens Dalian's cityscape towards Xinghai Bay. Developed on former salt-field and reclaimed land, it is a modern civic landscape of lawns, broad paved spaces and waterfront sculpture. The centenary monument and…
Read the place guide →
Sun Asia Ocean World · 圣亚海洋世界Sun Asia Ocean World圣亚海洋世界
Sun Asia Ocean World is a complex of marine and animal pavilions inside Xinghai Park in Dalian's Shahekou District.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Shahekou District covers the centre of Dalian. Search for 沙河口区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Xinghai Square and Sun Asia Ocean World 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 沙河口区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 星海广场 (大连市) — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Xinghai Square · HSJ233 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Sun Asia Ocean World · 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.