A Historical Review on the Role of the Bohai Coastal Region in China’s History: Qingdao, Dalian, and Economic Rim

A relaxed political environment has fostered a maritime economy that has flourished since ancient times in Bohai Bay, a natural gateway for trade and exchanges of culture for the dynasties. With the development of maritime resources making great strides in recent years, Bohai Sea port clusters have played a significant role in the economic development of the region. Dalian and Qingdao are among the most important coastal cities of the modern era. Due to colonial rule, they both were forced to open up to the outside world. Dalian and Qingdao ports started late, but within a relatively short period of time, they were able to surpass many of the major ports. During the 1980s, both major cities opened up to the outside world in their own way, developing at a rapid rate and on an expansive scale. In this chapter, a comparative study will be conducted between Dalian and Qingdao, two of the core cities of Bohai Bay. Throughout the chapter, the reader will take an in-depth journey through the thousands of years of development of Bohai Bay, which will be translated into vivid narratives based on the insights gained from interviews and field trips. Furthermore, the chapter will discuss the strategic development and implementation of Bohai Economic Circle policies in the context of the interaction between the two cities and examine how cities in the Circum-Bohai Economic Zone can engage in deep integration and synergistic cooperation.