Traveling Around the World (1394): Visiting Laohutan Ocean Park with My Grandson

On the morning of September 1, 2020, taking advantage of the improving COVID-19 situation in Dalian, I took my little grandson to visit Dalian Laohutan Ocean Park. Pictured is a sculpture on the square of Laohutan Ocean Park.

Laohutan Ocean Park is located in the central part of the southern coast of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, and is the largest scenic area in the southern part of the city. Covering an area of 1.18 million square meters with over 4,000 meters of coastline, it is the largest modern seaside playground in China. It has been rated as a 5A-level scenic spot by the National Tourism Administration. Pictured is the entrance to Laohutan Ocean Park.

The combo ticket currently sold at Laohutan Ocean Park includes five venues: Coral Hall, Polar Region Hall, Joy Theater, Marine Mammal Hall, and Bird Forest. The adult ticket seems to be over 200 yuan. I am now over 70 years old and enjoy free admission, so my grandson and I don't need to buy tickets. Due to the pandemic, masks must be worn when entering the park. Pictured is a souvenir photo of my little grandson in front of a sculpture at the park entrance.

Laohutan Ocean Park is a modern themed ocean park that showcases marine culture, highlights the coastal city's characteristics, and integrates sightseeing, entertainment, science education, shopping, and culture. The park boasts beautiful natural scenery, with mountains and sea complementing each other, creating a captivating view. Pictured is a sightseeing car in Laohutan Ocean Park.

We first went to the Coral Hall in the park, which is said to be the largest coral hall in China. Photo taken in Coral Hall.

The corals here are diverse, colorful, and varied in shape. There are many colors: red, pink, orange-red, etc. Countless fish swim through the coral clusters, truly colorful, including emperor angelfish, queen angelfish, and clownfish, making one's eyes dazzled. Photo taken in Coral Hall.

Hidden among the corals are moray eels, also called sea snakes.

We then went to the Polar Marine Animal Hall, abbreviated as Polar Region Hall. Pictured is the entrance to Polar Region Hall.

Polar Region Hall is the venue with the largest number of marine animals and the most complete display of polar animals, offering a polar experience. Pictured is the iconic beluga whale sculpture of Polar Region Hall.

It is said that Polar Region Hall is the largest in the world and the only one in China. Here there are beluga whales that first landed in China, as well as sea otters, walruses, diving birds, polar bears, sea lions, Antarctic penguins, dolphins, and more. Pictured is my little grandson taking a photo with a polar bear sculpture at the entrance of Polar Region Hall.

Inside the hall, you can see many polar animals, such as sea otters and walruses. Pictured are Antarctic penguins in Polar Region Hall.

There are also some terrestrial animals in Polar Region Hall. This is a green snake.

There are also some terrestrial animals in Polar Region Hall. This is a snake that eats small white mice.

There are also some terrestrial animals in Polar Region Hall. This is a lizard.

Polar Region Hall has a glass-built "underwater tunnel" that allows visitors to feel as if they are experiencing the underwater world. Pictured are fish in the "underwater tunnel".

Pictured are fish in the "underwater tunnel".

Pictured is a large fish overhead in the "underwater tunnel".

Pictured is a large sea turtle in the "underwater tunnel".

Pictured is my little grandson taking a photo in the "underwater tunnel".

Polar Region Hall also has a gold panning town where visitors can interact.

The highlight of Polar Region Hall is the dolphin show. The second floor is the dolphin performance hall, and people gradually walk in.

In the past, it was always crowded, but due to the pandemic and the fact that students have started school, today the performance hall is less than half full. We found seats near the front.

Shortly after sitting down, the show began.

Previously, beluga whales and dolphins performed together, but now it is a dolphin-only show.

Dolphins are performing ball balancing.

The trainer interacts with dolphins in the water.

Next, the trainer invited a five-year-old girl to ride a boat, and the boat captain was none other than a dolphin. The girl wore a life jacket and sat in a small boat, and the dolphin pulled the boat around the pool twice with its mouth.

The dolphins performed exciting programs such as ball balancing, spinning, and leaping, and my little grandson watched without blinking.

The dolphin performance lasted more than 20 minutes and won rounds of applause from the audience. Pictured is the dolphins taking a bow to the audience at the end of the performance.

There is a souvenir shop in Polar Region Hall; pictured are dolphin souvenirs in the shop.

There is also a fast food restaurant in Polar Region Hall.

This is a rock from Antarctica, with the three bright red characters "Antarctic Rock" carved on it. On another stone below, there is a blue inscription: "Five hundred million years of polar slumber, five thousand years of civilization awakening." According to an accompanying text, this Antarctic rock was collected in 2003 by the 19th National Antarctic Expedition on the Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica. To promote geological science education and to make the Laohutan Polar Park more authentic, the Polar Exploration Office of the State Oceanic Administration donated this Antarctic rock, along with the retired "Antarctic House" from Zhongshan Station and other equipment, to the Polar Region Hall of Laohutan Park in 2006.

Next, we went to Marine Mammal Hall. Pictured is the Deer Park we passed on the way.

Laohutan Ocean Park covers a large area, and there are many entertainment activities in the sea area. In the distance is a retired destroyer available for visits.

On the way, we had a pleasant surprise: someone was performing a sea flyboard show.

My little grandson asked me to take a photo for memory.

I had seen this kind of sea flyboard performance before on Wuzhizhou Island in Hainan.

We arrived at the entrance of Marine Mammal Hall.

Marine Mammal Hall covers an area of 2,900 square meters, with a building area of 3,500 square meters, consisting of underground and above-ground parts. It is home to more than 50 marine animals, including walruses, fur seals, spotted seals, South American sea lions, and California sea lions.

On the mountain near Marine Mammal Hall, there is a cross-sea cable car station. From here, you can reach Bird Forest across the bay. Because we had to rush to see the Joy Theater performance, we did not take the cable car.

Here is the entrance to Joy Theater.

The performers at Joy Theater consist of walruses, sea lions, clowns, and audience volunteers.

This is a walrus performing.

This is a sea lion performing.

This is a clown performing.

This is an interactive performance between a sea lion and an audience volunteer.

This is an interactive performance between a sea lion and an audience volunteer.

The walrus bids farewell to the audience.

Finally, we went to the Dynamic Flight Hall, a self-funded project built in recent years.

The amazing Extreme Flying Ball is a special high-tech virtual tour project that combines immersive dome projection technology, naked-eye special effects, and dynamic simulation riding technology: entering the experience capsule, visitors are enveloped by a 15-meter ultra-large diameter spherical screen. Without wearing any equipment, sitting on a dynamic seat that can bring swinging, rising, falling, diving, and weightlessness sensations, visitors can follow the virtual scene's simulated aircraft to enjoy Dalian's beautiful scenery and cultural customs, experiencing the Hollywood-level "Fly Over Dalian" and taking in the coastal city's beauty!

Leaving Laohutan Ocean Park, we passed by the souvenir shop as usual.

My little grandson said he hadn't seen any sharks, so I bought him a shark souvenir.