Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park

I. Introduction

Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park is located in the central part of the southern coastal scenic area of Dalian, a national-level scenic spot. It covers an area of 1.18 million square meters and boasts a winding coastline of over 4,000 meters. The park is a modern marine-themed park that showcases marine culture, highlights the characteristics of the coastal city, and integrates sightseeing, entertainment, science education, shopping, and culture. On May 8, 2007, Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park was officially approved by the National Tourism Administration as a National 5A-level Tourist Attraction.

Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park features numerous nationally renowned tourist attractions, including:

• The Polar Pavilion, which displays polar marine animals and allows visitors to experience the polar ecosystem.
• The Coral Pavilion, a comprehensive marine life exhibition hall focusing on coral reef ecosystems.
• The Bird Singing Forest, the largest semi-natural artificial aviary in China.
• The Marine Mammal Pavilion, which showcases the communal life of wild walruses, sea lions, and fur seals.
• The Happy Theater, which combines situational drama with animal performances.
• The Group of Tigers Sculpture, the largest granite animal stone carving in China.
• The Ma Siji Root Carving Art Gallery, known for "turning decay into magic." The park also features the longest large-scale cross-sea aerial cable car in China and tourist sightseeing boats for the southern coast of Dalian.

II. Development History

• In October 1987, the Dalian Scenic Area Management Office cooperated with the Beijing Mechanical & Electrical Supply and Marketing Corporation to build China's first cross-sea aerial cable car—the Cross-Sea Sightseeing Cable Car.
• In January 1991, the municipal government established the Tiger Beach Amusement Park Renovation Project Headquarters, marking the beginning of the comprehensive renovation of Tiger Beach. Each cabin could carry 6 passengers per trip, with a total journey time of 15 minutes and a total investment of 4 million yuan.
• On August 20, 1990, the Dolphin Performance Theater broke ground. The theater, a cooperative project between the Dalian Scenic Area Management Office and Hong Kong's Tung Po Entertainment Company, held its opening ceremony. Covering 3,500 square meters with a building area of 2,700 square meters, it included performance pools, breeding pools, training pools, a 1,500-seat tiered stand, and 327 square meters of auxiliary facilities. It was the first permanent dolphin performance venue in mainland China, with a total investment of 2 million RMB. A pair of dolphins named "Xixi" and "Haha," introduced from Hong Kong, could perform 20 spectacular acts, including double-ring ball balancing.
• On June 30, 1991, construction began on the Bird Singing Forest, located in the valley north of the Lingjiao Bay Square.
• On May 12, 1992, the Bird Singing Forest and the Underwater World held their joint opening ceremony. On the same day, the Tiger Beach Amusement Park held its official opening ceremony.
• In June 1993, the second phase of the Underwater World project was completed, adding 1,700 square meters of building area. It featured touch pools, penguin pools, turtle pools, crocodile pools, seal pools, and sea turtle pools, enhancing the viewing experience and performance capabilities of the Underwater World.
• In 2002, Tiger Beach Ocean Park was recognized as a Famous Brand in China's Tourism Industry.
• In 2005, work began to apply for National 5A-level Tourist Attraction status.
• In May 2007, it was honored as one of the first batch of National AAAAA-level Tourist Attractions, and the only marine-themed park among that first group. It also successfully passed international certifications for the ISO9001 Quality Management System and ISO14001 Environmental Management System.
• In 2015, the "Viewing Dalian from the Sea" southern main route—the Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park tourist fleet—officially began operations.

III. Geographical Location

Location and Area

Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park is located at No. 9 Binhai Middle Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province. [22] The core scenic area covers 1.18 million square meters and has a winding coastline of over 4,000 meters. It is a modern marine-themed park integrating sightseeing, entertainment, science education, shopping, and culture.

Climate Characteristics

Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park has a temperate monsoon climate with maritime influences. Its climatic features are: four distinct seasons with a mild climate; warm summers without extreme heat, cold winters but rarely severe cold, and comfortable temperatures in spring and autumn; humid air, concentrated rainfall, distinct monsoons, and relatively strong winds.

IV. Main Scenic Areas

Coral Pavilion

The Coral Pavilion is the largest marine life exhibition hall in Asia focusing on coral reef ecosystems, displaying over 200 species and more than 3,000 specimens of coral reef organisms. The Undersea Laboratory area features interactive projects for visitors, such as vortex fish tanks, electronic photo albums, periscopes, electron microscopes, vacuum tanks, and underwater concerts. The performance area hosts shows like underwater ballet, mermaid performances, and underwater dream weddings.

Bird Singing Forest

Located in Tiger Beach Bay, the Bird Singing Forest covers 18,000 square meters and is the largest semi-natural artificial aviary in China. Centered around a 43-meter-high pillar and anchored at 18 fixed points following the mountain terrain, a massive gray polyethylene net is erected, majestically covering half of the valley. Upon entering, visitors are immediately embraced by nature. It is home to over 80 species and more than 2,000 rare birds, including peacocks, red-crowned cranes, and white swans.

Jurassic Adventure

The Jurassic Adventure Rapids Ride covers a total area of 8,600 square meters. Using a landscape design technique that blends different time periods, it places five types (eight individuals) of dinosaurs from the Jurassic period within an illusory ancient village. An ancient-style passenger boat plummets down a 210-meter-long, 15-meter-high water channel. Along the way, a giant mechanical dinosaur named "Colossus"—the largest in Asia at 9 meters tall, 19.8 meters long, and weighing about 8 tons—occasionally shakes its head and tail, roars, or sprays water at the passengers rushing through the rapids, creating waves up to 25 meters high.

Tourist Boats

Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park operates three of the largest sightseeing boats in the southern waters of Dalian. Each boat has an 800-ton displacement, 140 seats, and covers a 10-nautical-mile route. It passes by eight major scenic spots including Tiger's Tooth, Huangbaizui, and Bangchui Island. From the tourist boat, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Tiger Beach Bay.

Polar Pavilion

The Polar Pavilion is situated within the scenic Tiger Beach area of Dalian. The main structure has three floors, with a partial fourth floor. Upon completion, the pavilion is primarily divided into five major sections.

• Part One: Polar Animal Exhibition. This section mainly displays marine animals from the Antarctic and Arctic. Visitors can observe rare polar animals such as beluga whales, walruses, northern sea lions, fur seals, polar bears, penguins, and emperor penguins in simulated polar environments.
• Part Two: Science Education Area. Visitors can watch thrilling scenes like whale vs. octopus encounters, explore a waterless undersea world, and operate interactive computer terminals. Here, one can look up various scientific knowledge about the poles, oceans, and animals. The soon-to-be-completed Polar Museum will display items from Antarctic and Arctic expeditions, scientific research photos, national and team flags signed by Chinese Antarctic expedition members, clothing and sleds used by researchers, specimens of polar animals like Eskimo dogs and Arctic wolves, and utilize various high-tech methods to popularize polar science knowledge.
• Part Three: The Mysterious Undersea World. This area features a 360-degree underwater tunnel and an underwater viewing hall. In the marine life observation area, visitors can see various precious marine creatures such as spider crabs, leafy sea dragons, jellyfish, seahorses, nautiluses, rays, groupers, and various sturgeon species.
• Part Four: Marine Animal Performance Theater. A large theater for performances by marine mammals.
• Part Five: Visitor Service and Support Facilities.

Marine Mammal Pavilion

The Marine Mammal Pavilion has one underground floor and two above-ground floors. The 24-hour circulating water in the entire pool is purified by a professional water treatment system, ensuring high clarity. People can observe the daily lives of marine animals from underwater, water surface, and aerial perspectives. The pavilion currently houses marine animals such as fur seals, seals, South American sea lions, California sea lions, and African sea lions.

Pirate Village

Pirate Village uses cartoon-style designs of pirates and pirate-themed scenery to decorate all buildings, amusement facilities, leisure areas, and landscapes. The pirate ship from the first phase of the project is the only one in China erected above sea level in a bay. Its pivot point is 13.5 meters high, with a maximum swing angle of 120 degrees, and it can carry 40 passengers per ride.

4D CinemaThe Dalian Tiger Beach 4D Cinema features a 150-seat 4D movie theater, utilizing the world's most advanced 4D film technology. It comprehensively interprets 4D cinema through all available modern techniques. Visually, it employs six large projectors for synchronized playback, creating a 180-degree curved screen that is 31.4 meters wide and 6 meters high, immersing viewers in a three-dimensional visual space. Auditorily, it precisely positions sound sources to moving objects, producing a realistic sense of spatial depth. In terms of touch and smell, it enhances the film's plot with special effects such as vibrations, drops, taps, wind blasts, rain, smoke, scents, flashes, and bubbles, engaging all of the audience's sensory systems.

V. Cultural Activities

The 2024 Tiger Beach "Spring Festival Lantern Fair" continues to dazzle, with a magnificent sea fireworks display lighting up the night sky over Tiger Bay. The upgraded whale and dolphin performance venue presents "Dragon Soaring and Whale Dancing," while the underwater show "Dragon Leaps and Tiger Bounds to Celebrate the New Year" features all-new underwater scenery, blending traditional Chinese style with modern elements to create a festive whirlwind from the undersea dragon palace.

During the 2024 Dragon Boat Festival, Dalian Tiger Beach Ocean Park will host various creative markets showcasing folk cultural characteristics. On the festival day, visitors who enjoy the special "bear-themed" Dragon Boat Festival feast can interact closely with the adorable polar bears "Tuanzi" and "Yuanzi" in front of the Arctic bear exhibition tank. Meanwhile, the "Indigenous" performers at the Happy Theater will sing and dance with passion. The limited-time, 360-degree large aquatic show with a national comic style will bring well-known mythological stories to life for both children and adults. Throughout the holiday, Tiger Beach's distinctive research and study activities will also continue.