Dalian is located in the southernmost part of the three eastern provinces of China, at 38°55′ north latitude; it is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with beautiful scenery; there is no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer. With both the Jinshitan National Geopark and the long and romantic coastal trestle, it is a desirable tourist destination and an important cold-water seafood production area as well as a high-quality production area for cherries, strawberries and apples in China.

Dalian is rich in educational resources, with 31 universities, including Dalian University of Technology, Dalian Maritime University, Northeast University of Finance and Economics, Dalian Medical University, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian University of Foreign Languages and Dalian Ocean University.

Dalian has a long coastline, a wide harbor, deep water, no silt and no freezing, and a natural harbor that is navigable in all seasons. It has four major natural deep-water harbors in China, such as Dayaowan Harbor, Dalian Harbor, Dalian Bay Harbor, Beiliang Harbor, and Yingkou Xingang Harbor, and other harbors. The depth of the waterway is -17.5 meters, which can navigate and dock 300,000 tons of ore ships and 500,000 tons of VLCC super tankers.