Diving effortlessly into a pool, suspended from above by a wave of red and gold, is an idyllic experience. Maybe when you grow up your only experience of the phenomenon will be a dream that came true, and a video clip from decades ago that will haunt your dreams forever. For the rest of us, the pinnacle of infinity is rarely far away. But there is more than meets the eye with this infinity pool in Dalian, China.
According to a translation on the Local, the newly opened space is called “Lu Shu” and can be found in a half-mile stretch between the two hills of Lu Shu Mountain, where the mountains form a view to rival the three highest mountain ranges on earth: the Eiffel Tower, the Chrysler Building and the Christ the Redeemer statue. In addition to a magnificent view, the pool itself spans 36 acres — meaning there are 360 of them. From its perspective, it’s completely surrounded by other high cliffs, basalt and of course water. Plus, there’s even an enormous terrace where one can enjoy the view out from the almost 8,000-foot peak.
Image: VALENTINO DONATI/AFP/Getty Images
At one point Dalian was called Beijing’s “Gangnam Style” — after the South Korean music video that was seen as the embodiment of contemporary and aping the materialistic excess of its early days. Dalian, on the other hand, has always been a city very closely tied to the military industrial complex. As early as 1710, when the Tang Dynasty existed, Dalian was established as the capital of the Fujian and Hebei provinces, which at that time made it the first Chinese city to have a national capital. It was later relegated to an important seat in the Peninsular Chinese Empire, and as the Qing Dynasty began in 1644, it was given over to China’s first “emperor.”
Eventually, Dalian was divided into several administrative regions, the most important of which is Xiongan, the site of the new 452-acre northern Dalian province in China’s “Central Region,” which was dubbed the “Factory of the World” in the early 19th century. That is where most of the factories and concentration plants are today, and many local residents still proudly remember Dalian as China’s proudest industrial zone. The new city skyline is naturally a mirror image of the country’s changing prosperity. Thanks to the advances in technology — electric cars, smartphones, and luxury vehicles — which have driven the development and expansion of Dalian’s economy, this is undoubtedly the modern day.
Image: VALENTINO DONATI/AFP/Getty Images
Sadly, the best views can only be enjoyed after sunset, and it’s a convenient reminder that life is not always filled with glamorous luxury.
See more photos of the infinity pool in Dalian below.
The Sun Setting Over the Black Peninsula. (Venice, Italy)
The Oriental Gaobe, The Wood Cliffs, and The Land of the Hello Dragon by Heroo Chae Dong. (Marching Colours in Provence, France)