City squares miss urban life: expert

While more and more Chinese cities are following Dalian's example and building large city squares, urban planning experts warned yesterday that local governments must stop simply copying the Western style and look for more practical construction and local flavor.

Dalian, the famous coastal city in Liaoning province, has earned its reputation through building dozens of large modern city squares since the late 1990s and is regarded as a model of an open and modern Chinese city.

Xinghai Square in its southern coastal area is three times bigger than Beijing's Tian'anmen Square and is the largest city square in Asia.