Dalian is one of the many cities in China where there are no longer many bicycles, and where there are few motorcycles, because their sale is prohibited. The number of cars on Dalian streets has increased dramatically in recent years, but traffic continues to circulate relatively smoothly. The city has a comprehensive bus system and an efficient Dalian Metro system, usually called Qinggui which connects Dalian Development Zone and Jinshitan with downtown Dalian. The Dalian Tram system is the second oldest in China.
Combined with the city's many parks and green hills, wide thoroughfares and army of street cleaners, make Dalian a more pleasant city to visit and live in than most Chinese cities of comparable size.
Area Code: 0411
Zip Code: 116000
Area: Dalian has a total area of 13,237 square kilometers.
Geography: One of the most heavily developed industrial areas of China, the Dalian administrative district today consists of Dalian proper and the smaller Lüshunkou (formerly Lüshun city, known in western and Russian historic references as Port Arthur), about forty nautical miles farther along the Liaodong Peninsula.
Dalian is located west of the Yellow Sea and east of Bohai Sea roughly in the middle of the Liaodong peninsula at its narrowest neck or isthmus. With a coastline of 1,906 km, it governs the entire Liaodong Peninsula and about 260 surrounding islands and reefs. It is seated at south-south-west of the Yalu River, and its harbor entrance forms a sub-Bay known as Dalian Bay.
Population: The population of Dalian on August 20th 2010 is approximately 6.17 million.
Administrative Division: The city administers 6 districts, 3 county-level cities, and 1 county: There are 92 sub-districts and 69 town/townships .Ganjingzi, Zhongshan, Xigang, and Shahekou Districts make up the urban centre. Changhai County is made up entirely of islands east of the peninsula.
Climate: The city's climate is a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwa), characterized by humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. The city experiences a one-month seasonal lag due to its position on the Liaodong Peninsula. Average temperatures range from −3.6 °C (25.5 °F) in January to 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) in August. Annual precipitation averages 602 millimetres (23.7 in) but can vary greatly from year to year. Despite the coastal location, the area receives 2740 hours of sunshine per year, or 62.5% of the possible amount.