Built up in 1899 by Russians, it's the oldest square in Dalian. Its name evolved from the "Nicholas Square" under Tsarist Russian concession, to "Big Plaza" within the Japanese colonization, and then "Zhongshan" (the formal name of Mr. Sun Yat-sen) after the Liberation (1945). The square is also the first musical square in China. In 1995, 36 sets of audio systems were equipped around it. At every dawn and dusk, people crowd here to play Chinese chess, kick shuttlecocks, dance, do Taijiquan or see an outdoor movie, watch an entertainment show or enjoy concerts companied by the flowing music in the air.