Aerial view of frozen sea and lighthouse on the cliff in Dalian, China

A colour-splashed coast

Civil engineers in this icy East Asian port decided that this stark seaside park needed not only a guiding lighthouse but a smattering of warm colour. Urban design is a big job in Dalian, a peninsular city in Northeast China known for its eclectic architecture and varied history. The British, Russians and Japanese have all occupied Dalian in the last 200 years, and a hodge-podge of historical design styles can still be found amid the sleek modern cityscape. Perhaps most eye-catching is a neo-romantic hilltop castle – actually a luxury hotel built in 2002.