10th February, 2001
Dalian, China: Coastal Road From Tiger Beach To Constellation Square. Chinese Taxis Collide On Hair Pin Bend. Unexpected Second Visit To Friendship Bridge
February, 1999
Dalian Tiger Beach was left behind as we took a taxi for the coastal journey to another bay to visit Constellation Square. We were soon crossing the  "Friendship Bridge" but did not realise at the time how soon we would be back there to admire the view out to sea, and to take some photographs. From the bridge, the road rose sharply to meet one of the many hair pin bends in the Sea Coast Road which provides many wonderful views of mountains, enhanced by yellow earth and twisted pine trees, and on this particular day, a calm blue sea sparkling in the sunlight.
 We were enjoying our journey along the side of the mountains, and at the time I was looking out to sea, trying to decide whether two ships on the horizon were getting closer to each other, when there was a thud, and the taxi came to a sudden stop. The driver of a taxi approaching from the opposite direction, overtaking a minibus just before one of the bends, had misjudged the distance, and he was clearly at fault. There was much argument between the two drivers even though there was little damage and no one was hurt, and after a while both drivers got back into their taxis and headed towards Tiger Beach, leaving Zhang and I standing at the roadside ! We decided to walk back towards the bridge and there we were lucky to pick up another taxi, to continue our journey.
 Constellation Square is on the seaward side of the Xinghai Exhibition Center, and is quite spectacular. It was of course Spring Festival Time, and at each entrance to the square stood decorated plinths supporting shallow drums on which were inscribed Chinese Characters. Despite the size of such a public place, there were no empty drink cans rolling about in the breeze, no discarded cigarette butts, and not a single sign of chewing gum embedded on the walkways or the square. The Dalian people had much to be proud of.....
If you are interested in further Dalian topics, such as...
Dalian City Square Dominated By Glass Globe...
Dalian Beach Sparkles In Sunlight...
Models Of Tigers On Rocky Headland...
Cable Car Station On Bank Of Tiger Beach...
Chinese New Year Celebrations In Dalian...
...then just click them !
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