Xinghai Square, large square in Dalian, China
Xinghai Square is a large public plaza in Dalian located near the coast, recognized as the world's biggest city square. Its oval layout includes a lawn area, a musical fountain, multiple sculptures, and a central stone pattern carved with Chinese symbols and nine tripods.
The square's site was a disused salt field on Xinghai Bay. Land reclamation began on 16 July 1993, using construction waste to fill 114 hectares and create 62 hectares of land. The project was completed and the square opened free to the public on 30 June 1997, the day before Hong Kong's handover. A 19.97-metre huabiao stood at the centre from 1997 until its removal on 5 August 2016.
The name Xinghai means "Sea of Stars". The central circle, 199.9 m across, is paved with 999 pieces of Sichuan red marble carved with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the solar terms and the Chinese zodiac. Nine tripods around it carry characters forming the sentence "Long live the great unity of the Chinese Nation".
The square lies in Shahekou District, about 4.5 km south of the Qingniwa CBD, with Zhongshan Road as the main road through it. Three circular roads divide the landscape into three levels, and two parallel roads cross the long axis while two X-shaped roads split it into six parts. The north–south diameter is 1,010 m and the northeast diameter 630 m.
The huabiao that stood at the centre was 19.97 metres tall with a diameter of 1.997 metres, figures tied to the year 1997. It was removed at midnight on 5 August 2016, and mainland media reports about the removal were soon deleted.
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