Harbor Plaza

Harbor Plaza

Harbor Plaza is located at the western end of Renmin Road in Zhongshan District, Dalian. It serves as a traffic plaza in front of Dalian Port’s passenger terminal. Covering an area of 15,000 square meters, it includes a central green space of 5,300 square meters. At the center of the plaza stands a bronze model of Zheng He’s ship that sailed to the Western Seas, showcasing ancient China’s maritime civilization. The northwest corner of the plaza houses the Dalian Garment Trading Market and the Dalian Antiques Trading Market.

As a traffic and landscape plaza, Harbor Plaza’s design first focuses on organizing and directing pedestrian and vehicular traffic to fulfill its functional purpose, while also emphasizing its landscape aesthetics to meet visual appreciation needs. The landscape design is determined based on factors such as Dalian’s urban character and the plaza’s geographical environment to establish its thematic concept, which in turn guides the selection of its focal feature. Given Harbor Plaza’s unique location at Dalian Port and its name’s association with the sea and harbor, the landscape design must reflect these environmental traits. Since its construction, Harbor Plaza has undergone several transformations. Initially composed of several scattered flower beds, it was later redesigned into an elliptical plant landscape plaza centered around a large oval-patterned green flower bed, integrating sculptures, water features, and plant arrangements. At the center of the ellipse lies a large circular fountain, with the plaza’s main sculpture positioned at its heart. The sculpture depicts an ancient warship, beneath which a grand fountain mimics the motion of waves as the ship sails through rough seas. The surrounding greenery is planted in abstract patterned designs that imitate ocean waves. Each layer of the landscape design closely follows the plaza’s theme and stylistic features, interlocking and layering to highlight the central motif, bring the main feature to life, and infuse the plaza with dynamic energy—invigorating visitors as they move through it. Today, Harbor Plaza has become one of the standout attractions among Dalian’s many public squares and serves as a landmark plaza for the district.