Historical structures in Dalian are due for demolition. (Photo : Getty Images)
Structures in the oldest street in Dalian are set for demolition. These old Japanese and Russian-inspired buildings were constructed when Dalian was a major port city.
These buildings line up along Russian Street and were built during the early 20th century during the Russian rule. The structures were then handed over to the Chinese in the 1950s.
Dalian was called China's most livable city, but the mayor, Bo Xilai, who made that possible was sent to prison due to corruption charges. The mayor received money and properties from the former chairman of the Dalian Shide Group.
Grace Cong, a resident of the area, said, "When he was mayor, Dalian experienced its fastest development."
"As a result of this, Dalian attracted more tourists than ever, and became known as 'the city of romance.' I think that was the only time Dalian nearly became a 'top-tier' city," she added.
Cong said that the city now is not attracting tourists due to the loss of interest in tourism by the mayors who followed.
Another student, Yijing Liu, went to Dalian to take photographs of the historic streets. She was shocked to find that the buildings were dumped with hoardings.
She noted, "I was shocked to see the beautiful and historic buildings were covered with blue steel hoardings."
"There were signs on them saying 'demolition.' Standing on the empty streets and looking further, I saw skyscrapers just like anywhere else. I thought these old houses and streets were something special in this city, but they were dying," she said.
The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) sued the city government for not preserving these historic sites. Russian Street was due to become a commercial district but construction was halted.
Aside from the buildings, important relics were also removed by the city government. An ornamental column, a huabiao, mysteriously disappeared last year.
The column was built by Bo in 1997 at a government construction site in Xinghai Square.
