Dalian Naval Vessels Exhibition Center

Dalian Naval Vessels Exhibition Center

The Dalian Naval Vessels Exhibition Center serves as a national defense education base.

The Dalian Naval Vessels Exhibition Center is located by Tiger Beach in Dalian City and was established using the decommissioned "104" naval vessel.

The "104" vessel was built by the former Soviet Union in 1940 and commissioned into the Soviet Pacific Fleet in 1941. It was a distinguished warship during World War II. In 1955, it was purchased by China and became China's first-generation main battleship, known as the "versatile maritime asset." It completed numerous training exercises, drills, naval escorts, and maritime rescue missions, making significant contributions to the development of China’s navy. It was also inspected by the first generation of China’s party, state, and military leaders. After being decommissioned in 1991, it was moored at Tiger Beach in Dalian and served as a training vessel for the Dalian Naval Academy, as well as a base for patriotic and national defense education in Dalian. In December 1998 and April 2004, it was successively designated as the "Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base" and the "Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Demonstration Base" by the Provincial National Defense Education Committee. In April 2007, it was re-designated as the "Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base" by the provincial government.

After its decommissioning, the "104" ship was designated as a training vessel for the Dalian Naval Academy and has always been a site for cadet training and ideological education. Every year after the start of the academic year, new cadets are organized to visit the ship for learning, receive naval knowledge training, and engage in practical drills with onboard equipment. Generations of cadets have grown up under the influence of this national defense education base, with many later assuming leadership positions within the military.

To extend education to society, over the years the Naval Vessels Exhibition Center has used the "104" ship as a platform to leverage the advantages of the education base and persistently promote national defense education to the public. They established a national defense education leadership team on the ship, appointing a full-time officer as director and assigning relevant staff, while improving various systems. In their work, they maintain a strong sense of social responsibility, closely focusing on the theme of national defense education, emphasizing the utilization of military resource advantages, and continuously strengthening and improving facility construction. They invested tens of thousands of yuan to enhance the hardware facilities needed for national defense education. Professional exhibition halls such as a military exhibition hall, Taiwan Strait situation exhibition hall, and ammunition exhibition hall were set up on the ship. These exhibition halls contain detailed materials and rich content, offering significant historical and contemporary educational value. At the same time, various authentic naval settings and equipment on the ship—including the bridge, chart room, radar room, captain’s cabin, combat stations, sailors’ mess, sailors’ cabins, and military club—are open to the public as educational content. Professional guides are available to introduce the exhibitions and deliver face-to-face education.

To fully leverage the guiding, edifying, and radiating role of the base in national defense education, they have organized a variety of enriching activities such as “eating military food, sleeping on military beds, listening to military music, tasting military tea, viewing military sights, and feeling military sentiment,” as well as “loving science and technology, loving the homeland, loving the navy, and loving naval vessels.” These activities blend knowledge, fun, and participation, allowing visitors to operate the ship’s weapons and equipment themselves and simulate live-fire shooting. This enables them to experience the joy of military life firsthand while receiving solid national defense education. Many foreign tourists also visit the ship out of interest. Starting in 2003, they launched a “One-Day Navy” summer camp with the theme “Know the vessel, understand military history, care about the ocean, love the homeland,” allowing students to “eat, live, play, enjoy, observe, and discuss,” and personally experience a day in the life of a young sailor. To maximize the social benefits of the base, on major holidays and National Defense Education Day each year, the "104" ship is opened to the public free of charge, allowing more people to receive education onboard.

According to statistics, since 2001 alone, over 10,000 primary and secondary school students have visited the ship for learning, more than 15,000 youths have participated in the “One-Day Navy” summer camp, and over 60,000 domestic and international tourists have toured the ship. To date, the number of citizens and tourists—both domestic and foreign—who have received education on the ship has reached over 600,000, generating significant social impact and making it a flagship initiative in Dalian’s national defense education efforts.

In June 2006, a national inspection team for the enforcement of the National Defense Education Law visited the "104" ship, gave high praise, and left an encouraging message: “Run the national defense education base well, promote the spirit of patriotism, build our Great Wall, and revitalize China.”