Dalian is the second largest city in Liaoning Province, and the largest port in northern China. It is young by Chinese standards, dating from 1898, though smaller settlements had long existed in the area. Like Hong Kong and Shanghai, Dalian's development stemmed from colonial occupation, but in this case by Russia. Under Russian rule Dalian, or Dalny as it was known, became the southern tip of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the main port of the eastern Russian empire.