大连位于中国辽东半岛南端，辽宁的第二大城市，东濒黄海，西临渤海。是中国的5个计划单列市之一、15个副省级城市之一、也是全国14个沿海开放城市之一；是中国东北对外开放的窗口；也是东北亚国际航运中心、东北亚国际物流中心、区域性金融中心。

大连背依中国东北腹地，冬无严寒，夏无酷暑，素有“东北之窗”、“北方明珠”、“浪漫之都”之称。2001年大连成为中国第一个被联合国环境规划署授予“全球环境500佳”的城市。2006年与杭州和成都一起被评为中国最佳旅游城市。

大连是夏季达沃斯世界经济论坛的举办城市。大连位列2010年度中国城市综合竞争力第八名(含港澳台)。

Dalian, the second largest city in Liaoning province, is at the southern tip of Liaoning Peninsula. It is located west of Yellow Sea and east of Bohai Sea. Dalian is one of the five cities specially designated in the state plan and one of the fifteen cities of sub-provincial administrative status in China, as well as one of the fourteen open coastal cities in China. As a window for northeast China to open to the world, Dalian is also the shipping, logistics and regional financial center of Northeast Asia.

As a coastal city in Northeast China, Dalian is neither bitterly cold in winter nor extremely hot in summer. It is, therefore, famous as “window of Northeast China”, “Pearl of North China” and “City of Romance”. In 2001, the United Nations Environment Program awarded Global500 Roll of Honor for Environmental Achievement to Dalian, marking it the first Chinese city to win this honor. In 2006, it was one of the three cities named as “The Best Cities to Visit in China”, along with Chengdu and Hangzhou.

Dalian is the host city of Annual Meeting of the New Championship, also known as Summer Davos. In 2010, Dalian was listed as the eighth most competitive cities in China (Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan province included).