Jinshitan National Tourist Resort is located in Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province, in the northeastern part of the Dalian urban area. It is a national-level scenic area, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and a national-level geopark. The resort covers a land area of 62 square kilometers and a sea area of 58 square kilometers. It is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with warm winters and cool summers and a pleasant climate. It integrates natural landscapes such as low hills, sea-eroded landforms, and seaside beaches with cultural landscapes, and enjoys reputations such as "Divine Sculpture Park" and "Natural Geological Museum." Its unique geological landscapes were formed in the Sinian and Cambrian periods 600 million years ago, preserving a large number of geological relics, including the core scenic areas of the Geopark such as Rose Garden, Dinosaur Garden, and Nanxiu Garden. It is a natural classroom for studying paleogeography, paleoclimate, and geological changes.
History and Culture
Jinshitan has a long history. As early as the Neolithic Age, there were traces of human activity here. After thousands of years of development, it gradually attracted attention in modern times. In the 1980s, Jinshitan began tourism development and construction. In 1988, Jinshitan was approved by the State Council as a national-level scenic area; in 2000, it was rated as one of the first batch of national 4A-level tourist attractions; in 2010, it was upgraded to a national 5A-level tourist attraction; in 2009, Jinshitan National Geopark was approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as the fifth batch of national geoparks, becoming a comprehensive tourist resort integrating sightseeing, vacation, leisure, entertainment, and geological research, and carrying an important chapter in Dalian's coastal tourism culture.
Main Attractions
Jinshitan National Geopark
Jinshitan National Geopark is the core attraction of the resort, with an area of about 64.50 square kilometers. It has typical sedimentary rock coastal geological and landform landscapes and is a rare concentrated distribution area of coastal karst landforms in northern China. The park includes multiple distinctive scenic groups such as the Rose Garden Scenic Group, Dinosaur Garden Scenic Group, Nanxiu Garden Scenic Group, and Aotan Scenic Group. The Rose Garden Scenic Group is most famous for the "Turtle Crack Stone," which is currently the largest known sedimentary rock specimen in the world with the clearest exposed cross-sectional structure; in the Dinosaur Garden Scenic Group, huge reefs shaped like dinosaurs exploring the sea are vividly lifelike; the Nanxiu Garden Scenic Group has numerous sea-eroded caves and sea-eroded arches; landscapes such as "Peng Spreading Its Wings" in the Aotan Scenic Group are astonishing, demonstrating the uncanny workmanship of nature.
Discovery Kingdom Theme Park
Discovery Kingdom Theme Park covers an area of 470,000 square meters and is one of the largest theme parks in Northeast China. With the theme of "mystery, adventure, and joy," the park is divided into six major themed areas, including Crazy Town, Mysterious Desert, Metal Factory, Magic Forest, Legendary Castle, and Wedding Hall. The park has more than 30 large amusement facilities, such as roller coaster projects like "Thunder War Chariot" and "Sky-Spinning Love," as well as wonderful performances such as float parades and nighttime light shows, bringing visitors exciting and joyful amusement experiences.
Jinshitan Golden Coast
Jinshitan Golden Coast stretches for 4.5 kilometers and is the largest and only natural seawater illuminated bathing beach in northern China. The beach sand is golden, fine, and soft, and the water quality of the bathing area is excellent, capable of accommodating 100,000 people swimming in the sea at the same time. The coastal area has complete supporting facilities, including leisure squares, dining areas, changing rooms, and also provides sea entertainment projects such as sailboats, windsurfing, and motorboats, making it a great place for tourists to enjoy seaside leisure vacations.
Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza
Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza has a building area of about 100,000 square meters and is a comprehensive exhibition hall group integrating cultural exhibitions, science education, and tourism sightseeing. The plaza includes multiple exhibition halls such as the Jinshi Wax Museum, Mystery of Life Museum, Huaxia Culture Museum, and Fantasy Art Experience Hall. The Jinshi Wax Museum displays many lifelike wax figures of celebrities; the Mystery of Life Museum displays the mysteries of life through real human and animal specimens; the Huaxia Culture Museum collects a large number of precious cultural relics, allowing visitors to appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture.
Food
Seaweed Buns
Seaweed buns are a specialty food of Dalian and are also very popular around Jinshitan. They use seaweed growing on coastal reefs as filling, paired with ingredients such as pork and dried shrimp, and the umami of the seaweed blends with the richness of the pork. The dough is made from fermented flour. After steaming, the seaweed buns have thin skins and generous filling, with a fresh and fragrant taste. With one bite, they are full of seafood flavor, making them one of the must-try foods when visiting Jinshitan.
Spanish Mackerel Dumplings
Spanish mackerel dumplings use fresh Spanish mackerel meat as the main ingredient. After removing the bones, the Spanish mackerel meat is chopped into fine filling and mixed evenly with seasonings such as chives, scallions, and ginger. The dumpling wrappers are hand-rolled, and the finished dumplings are relatively large. After cooking, the Spanish mackerel dumplings have tender and juicy fish meat, chewy wrappers, and rich broth, full of a rich seafood flavor. This classic dish can be tasted in restaurants around the resort.
Salted Fish with Corn Cakes
Salted fish with corn cakes is a traditional Dalian fishing family dish. The salted fish is mostly made from fresh sea fish through salting and drying, preserving the freshness and salty aroma of the sea fish. The cakes are made from cornmeal and have a solid and chewy texture. The salted fish is pan-fried until golden brown and paired with warm corn cakes. The saltiness of the fish and the sweetness of the cakes complement each other, making it highly local in character. It is relatively common in farmhouse restaurants near Jinshitan.
Dalian Stir-Fried Menzi
Dalian stir-fried menzi uses menzi made from sweet potato starch as the main ingredient. It is cut into small pieces and pan-fried in a wok until the outside is golden and crisp. Sesame paste, minced garlic, chili oil, vinegar, and other seasonings are added and mixed well. The menzi has a soft, glutinous, and chewy texture, and the flavors of the various seasonings blend together, making it spicy and delicious. It is a common specialty snack on the streets of Jinshitan and is deeply loved by tourists.
Tickets：
A separate-ticket system is implemented for each attraction, with tickets starting at 30 yuan.
You can search for the official scenic area public account "Le You Jinshitan" on WeChat to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours：
Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza: 08:30 - 16:30
Hunting and Shooting Club: 08:30 - 16:30
Sightseeing Bus: 08:30 - 16:30
Jinshitan National Geopark: 08:30 - 17:00
Jinshi Garden: 08:30 - 17:00
You can get the latest updates on the official scenic area WeChat public account.
Tour Routes：
One-day tour route: In the morning, go to Jinshitan National Geopark and visit scenic groups such as Rose Garden and Dinosaur Garden to learn about geological wonders, with a touring time of about 3-4 hours; at noon, taste Dalian specialty food near the scenic area; in the afternoon, go to Jinshitan Golden Coast to enjoy seaside leisure time and participate in sea entertainment projects, with about 2-3 hours of play; in the evening, go to Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza and visit exhibition halls of interest, with a touring time of about 2-3 hours.
Two-day tour route: On the first day, visit Jinshitan National Geopark in the morning; in the afternoon, go to Discovery Kingdom Theme Park to experience various amusement facilities and wonderful performances, and in the evening you can enjoy the theme park's nighttime light show and stay overnight in a hotel within the resort. On the second day, visit Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza in the morning; in the afternoon, relax at Jinshitan Golden Coast and enjoy a leisurely seaside vacation atmosphere before returning.
Transportation：
Bus: Take Express Rail Line 3 Jinshitan Line at the North Square of Dalian Railway Station and go directly to Jinshitan Station. The whole journey takes about 52 minutes, and the fare is 8 yuan.
Tourist bus: There are multiple tourist special lines in downtown Dalian going to Jinshitan, such as departures from Dalian Port and Tiger Beach Ocean Park. Fares vary by route and are about 10-20 yuan.
Taxi: Taking a taxi from downtown Dalian to Jinshitan costs about 100-150 yuan, and the journey takes about 1 hour. The specific cost is affected by factors such as traffic conditions.
Self-driving: From downtown Dalian, you can reach Jinshitan via roads such as Zhenxing Road and Huanghai Avenue. The total distance is about 50 kilometers, and the journey takes about 1 hour. There are multiple parking lots in the scenic area, with parking fees of 10-20 yuan/day.
Must-Visit Attractions
Jinshitan National Geopark
It has unique geological landscapes formed 600 million years ago and is a rare concentrated area of coastal karst landforms in northern China. World-class geological relics such as the "Turtle Crack Stone" have extremely high ornamental and scientific value.
Discovery Kingdom Theme Park
One of the largest theme parks in Northeast China, with more than 30 large amusement facilities and wonderful performances, it can meet the entertainment needs of visitors of different age groups.
Jinshitan Golden Coast
The largest natural seawater illuminated bathing beach in northern China, with 4.5 kilometers of high-quality beach, complete supporting facilities, and rich sea entertainment projects. It is an excellent choice for a seaside vacation.
Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza
A 100,000-square-meter comprehensive exhibition hall group. Multiple distinctive exhibition halls cover fields such as culture and science popularization, allowing a deeper understanding of art, life, history, and other knowledge.
Travel Suggestions：
Learn in advance through the scenic area's official website or tourism platforms about the opening hours, ticket policies, and activity arrangements of each attraction, and plan your itinerary reasonably.
When going to Jinshitan National Geopark, wear comfortable sports shoes to facilitate walking within the scenic area. At the same time, you can bring binoculars to better observe the geological landscapes.
When visiting Jinshitan Golden Coast in summer, take sun protection measures and bring sunscreen, a sun hat, sunglasses, etc. Pay attention to safety when swimming in the sea and follow the instructions of staff.
When visiting Discovery Kingdom Theme Park, you can download the park's official APP to check the queue conditions of each amusement facility and arrange the order of play reasonably; for some popular projects, it is recommended to go as early as possible after the park opens.
When visiting the exhibition halls in Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza, you can learn about the introductions of the exhibition halls in advance, focus on visiting the ones you are interested in, and reserve enough time to appreciate them slowly.
Precautions：
When visiting Jinshitan National Geopark, do not climb or damage geological relics, abide by the scenic area regulations, and protect the natural environment.
Some amusement facilities in Discovery Kingdom Theme Park have height and age restrictions. Read the safety tips carefully before playing. Tourists with heart disease, high blood pressure, and other diseases should choose amusement projects according to their own physical condition.
When swimming at Jinshitan Golden Coast, pay attention to sea conditions and the opening hours of the bathing beach, do not cross the safety warning line, and avoid entering the sea in non-swimming areas.
When visiting the exhibition halls in Jinshi Culture Expo Plaza, keep quiet, do not touch cultural relics and exhibits in the exhibition halls, and follow the exhibition halls' photography regulations.
When taking Express Rail Line 3 or tourist buses, take good care of personal belongings and stay alert in crowded places to prevent property loss.