Tuesday's Built Monument: Zhongshan Square

Today, we went to Zhongshan Square. It is located 700 yards from our hotel, and it is home of the cities financial district. It is surrounded by some of the best examples of colonial-era architecture in Dalian. We walked around and looked at the buildings and learned about their past. We found out that the square was first laid out by the Russians and most of the buildings around the square were built between 1920 and 1920 by the Japanese. Talk about a mix of cultures! We walked back to the hotel for lunch and ate left over chicken and rice from the night before. Once we were all full, we walked back to Zhongshan Square for the evening. The square served as a social spot and the locals all gathered to play hacky-sack and watch football on the big screen televisions above the Dalian Hotel. It was strange to see the square during the day when it looked so old and peaceful and then at night when it was full of liveliness and noises. The square is currently under construction, but it still was a great place to visit. We went back to the hotel that night and ate shrimp and vegetables. We all got a fortune cookie. Mine said that I would soon meet the love of my life! Too bad I don't believe in those things. We all had another great day, and ended up spending no money once again.