Longwangtang Reservoir
On one side of the dam, water stretches across 33.9 square kilometers of impounded river. On the other side, 3,000 cherry trees bloom each spring in a garden that draws visitors from across Dalian. The Longwangtang Reservoir is infrastructure that doubles as spectacle, a concrete wall 33.9 meters high and 326.6 meters long that separates the functional from the beautiful with surprising precision. Built during Japan's colonial administration of Dalian, the reservoir began construction in August 1920 and was completed on March 31, 1924, making it a century old and still serving the city it was designed to supply.
Colonial Engineering on the Longwang River
The reservoir sits on the Longwang River in Guanfang Village, within the Lyushunkou District of Dalian, the same area once known internationally as Port Arthur. Japan controlled this stretch of the Liaodong Peninsula as a leased territory following the Russo-Japanese War, and its engineers invested heavily in infrastructure to support both military installations and the growing civilian population. The Longwangtang Reservoir was part of that program, a water supply project that harnessed the Longwang River and created a substantial body of fresh water in a region where the Yellow Sea climate and rocky terrain made reliable water sources essential. The dam's dimensions reflect serious ambition for a colonial project of the early 1920s.
Blossoms on the Dam's Far Side
The 5,000-square-meter Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park occupies the ground below the dam's downstream face, transforming what might otherwise be a utilitarian flood plain into one of Dalian's most celebrated seasonal attractions. Over 3,000 cherry trees fill the garden, creating a dense canopy of blossoms each April that has become synonymous with spring in the Lyushunkou District. The pairing of reservoir and garden is characteristically Japanese in concept, blending engineering function with aesthetic purpose. Though the colonial era that created both has long passed, the cherry blossoms continue to draw crowds who come as much for the trees as for the unusual experience of standing beneath a massive dam wall surrounded by petals.
A Century of Service
Longwangtang Reservoir has now operated for more than a hundred years, outlasting the empire that built it, the war that ended that empire's presence, and multiple transformations of the city it serves. The Lyushunkou District has shifted from Russian naval base to Japanese colony to Chinese municipality, yet the reservoir continues to impound the Longwang River as designed. Its survival speaks to the quality of the original engineering and to the enduring need for fresh water in a coastal city that has grown dramatically since the 1920s. The reservoir, the dam, and the cherry garden together form a layered artifact: Japanese colonial infrastructure, living botanical heritage, and a working piece of Dalian's modern water system, all compressed into a single site along a river whose name translates to Dragon King.
From the Air
Located at 38.85N, 121.39E in the Lyushunkou District (formerly Port Arthur) of Dalian, Liaoning Province. The reservoir is visible from altitude as a significant body of water in the hilly terrain south of the main Dalian urban area. Nearest major airport is Dalian Zhoushuizi International (ZYTL/DLC), approximately 25 km northeast. The dam and cherry blossom garden sit along the Longwang River in Guanfang Village.