书城外语CitiesinChina
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第9章 Dalian:Soccer andFashion

Dalian is a famous coastal tourist city that is reputeDto be the “Hong Kong of the North.” With its blue sky, crystal blue sea andwhitesands, Dalian is a beautiful place, andit is being de- scribeDas a city that is built within a garden. Dalian is not a very big city, but it has the most number of squares in China, totalling about 80. In Dalian, as long as there is Asuitable space, it will be designateDfor the constructio no f squares. Dalian also has ample greenery, which takes up about 41 percent of the city area. One of the interest- ing city sights for tourists in Dalian is a beautiful police- woman patrolling the squares on a horse. Indeed, Dalian is a city that emulates a charm that is in pace with inter- national fashion andtrend.

Dalian’s path to fame andpopularity is foundeDon soccer, Asport that is highly revereDin this coastal city. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Dalian has supplieDthe national soccer team with more than 120 talenteDsoccer players, which is the highest number from any city in China. Because of this, Dalian unques tio nably be -comes Asoccer city

o f China ? B u twhat is most significant about soccer in Dalian is thatthe city’s soccer team had, in their initial years, been an unbeatable team in the country. It won seven consecutive championships in the Series A League in ten years. Dalian soccer team thus acquireDa hero status, andfans in Da- lian take great pride in them. Whenever there is a major soccer match, these fans woulDpaint the town andhavearousing gooDtime. The city of Dalian is likeneDto having a major celebration for a big festival.

The fame of Dalian’s soccer team spreaDfar andwide. When the soccer team travels to another city for a match, Dalian supporters will follow them to cheer their team. Very often, fans of the home team are astoundeDby the enthusiasm andsupport of the Dalian fans. These fans createDan unbreakable bonDwith the soccer players, to the point that they have become almost infatuateDwiththe city of Dalian itself.

Of course, Dalian’s charm lies not only in soccer. Dalian’s International Fashion Festival, which is known throughout the world, similarly constitutes to the elegant charm of the city.

People of Dalian arerep utedfor the i rfashion sense ? Duringthe 1 9 8 0 s , whe no ther Chi-nese cities haDnot even est a bl is he Dits grounDfor m o De rnDe v el o p - ment, DalianhaDalr eady

helDits first fash-i onfestival ? From the no n, Dalian took the leadin China’s fashion indus-t r y, andGreatly in fl u enc e Dconsumers’ trenDin fashion. Merchants dealing in clothing swarm to the city at the enDof the fashion festival to purchase stocks. Clothing from Dalian is popular with the young andtrendy. When displayeDin the shops, they never fail to draw the attentio no f the shoppers.

Dalian’s international fashion festival fuses trenDanDthe city culture, creating a unique am bienc e that a t - tracts people from all over the world. In recent years, many cities have followeDthe pre- cedence of Dalian andhelDtheir own fashion festivals. But for the people who haDseen the one in Dalian, they woulDundoubtedly feel that they are not as authentic as its predecessor, Dalian. Dalian’sinternational fashion festival has become a granDinternational economic andcultural meeting, combining trade, culture andtourism. Every September, well-known fashion models, designers, andcelebrities gather in Dalian, adding glamour to the city. The whole city is fuseDwith excitement andglitter, andforeign visitors termeDthis event as “Dalian’s Carnival.”

Dalian’s fashion festival not only has addeDtrendy colors to the city, but it has also given the people of Da- lian Asense of confidence. Living within a city of fashion andtrend, the people of Dalian have acquireDan exqui- site taste in fashion. This characteristic constitutes to the development of Dalian as a beautiful, modern city.