Emerging sectors have expanded in the city. It has developed several advanced electronic information projects and helped leading information technology businesses enter fields, such as autonomous driving and high-end medical equipment manufacturing.

Taniguchi Megumi from Japan has been in Dalian for more than 20 years. Her company provides Japanese-language training for IT personnel.

"I felt the rapid development of Dalian. When Dalian Software Park was founded in 1998, it housed only several hundred people. Now the number is about 70,000," she said.