title: HMS Belfast

text: In 1961 plans were drawn up for the conversion of "Belfast" to a hybrid helicopter cruiser for amphibious operations. The two aft 6-inch turrets would be removed to accommodate a helicopter deck and two hangars, capable of housing four Westland Wessex helicopters, while the 4-inch guns would be replaced by davits for four LCA landing craft. Only one of the ship's two boiler rooms would be used, which together with the reductions in armament would allow the ship's crew to be reduced, freeing up space to carry troops. Two infantry companies, 30 officers and 230 other ranks would be carried. The plan was rejected in December 1961, as the time required to carry out the conversions was too great.


title: HMS Belfast

text: The ship left Singapore on 26 March 1962 for the UK, sailing east via Hong Kong, Guam and Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, Seattle, British Columbia, Panama and Trinidad. She arrived at Portsmouth on 19 June 1962.


title: HMS Belfast

text: Recommissioned in July, she made a final visit to Belfast from 23–29 November, before paying off into reserve on 25 February 1963. In July 1963 "Belfast" was recommissioned for the last time, with a crew of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and a number of Sea Cadets flying the flag of the Admiral Commanding Reserves, Rear Admiral Hugh Martell. "Belfast" sailed for Gibraltar in company with sixteen RNR minesweepers for a two-week exercise in the Mediterranean on 10 August. Martell's obituarist considered this commission a well-judged contrivance which 'did much to restore the confidence and image of the new RNR' which had undergone an acrimonious amalgamation with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1958.


title: HMS Belfast

text: "Belfast" returned to Devonport on 24 August 1963 and underwent a short refit to prepare her for paying off into reserve, which occurred in December 1963. In January 1966 parts of the ship and power systems were reactivated and from May 1966 to 1970 she served as an accommodation ship (taking over those duties from "Sheffield"), moored in Fareham Creek, for the Reserve Division at Portsmouth. While "Belfast" lay at Fareham Creek the Imperial War Museum, Britain's national museum of twentieth-century conflict, became interested in preserving a 6-inch turret. The turret would represent a number of classes of cruiser (then disappearing from service) and would complement the museum's pair of British 15-inch naval guns. On 14 April 1967 museum staff visited , a also moored in Fareham Creek at the time. Following the visit the possibility was raised of preserving an entire ship. "Gambia" had already severely deteriorated, so attention turned to the possibility of saving "Belfast". The Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of Defence established a joint committee, which reported in June 1968 that the scheme was practical and economic. However, in early 1971 the government's Paymaster General decided against preservation. On 4 May 1971 "Belfast" was "reduced to disposal" to await scrapping.


title: HMS Belfast

text: Following the government's refusal, a private trust was formed to campaign for the ship's preservation. The "Belfast" Trust was established; its chairman was Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles, captain of "Belfast" from January 1961 to July 1962. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester, Morgan-Giles addressed the House of Commons on 8 March 1971. He described "Belfast" as being in "a really wonderful state of preservation" and that saving her for the nation represented a "case of grasping the last opportunity". Among the MPs who spoke in support of Morgan-Giles was Gordon Bagier, MP for Sunderland South, who served as a Royal Marine gunner aboard "Belfast" and was present at both the sinking of "Scharnhorst" and the Normandy landings. Speaking for the government, the Under-secretary for the Navy, Peter Kirk, said that "Belfast" was "one of the most historic ships which the Navy has had in the last 20 years", but that he could not prevent the stripping of the ship's removable equipment, as this was already too far advanced to be halted. He did, however, agree to postpone any decision on the scrapping of "Belfast" to allow the Trust to put together a formal proposal.


title: HMS Belfast

text: Following the Trust's efforts, the government agreed to hand over "Belfast" to the Trustees in July 1971, with Vice Admiral Sir Donald Gibson as her first director. At a press conference in August the Trust announced "Operation Seahorse", the plan to bring "Belfast" to London. She was towed from Portsmouth to London via Tilbury, where she was fitted out as a museum. She was towed to her berth above Tower Bridge on 15 October 1971 and settled in a huge hole that had been dredged in the river bed; then she was attached to two dolphins which guide her during the rise and fall of the tide.


title: HMS Belfast

text: She was opened to the public on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971. The date was significant, as "Belfast" was the first naval vessel to be saved for the nation since , Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. Though no longer part of the Royal Navy, HMS "Belfast" was granted a special dispensation to allow her to continue to fly the White Ensign.


title: HMS Belfast

text: Now a museum, the ship's opening was well received: in 1972 the HMS "Belfast" Trust won the British Tourist Authority's "Come to Britain" trophy. Support for the ship's restoration was received from individuals, from the Royal Navy, and from commercial businesses; in 1973, for example, the Worshipful Company of Bakers provided dummy bread for display in the ship's NAAFI and bakery. By 1974, areas including the Admiral's bridge and forward boiler and engine rooms had been restored and fitted out. That year also saw the refurbishment of the ship's Operations Room by a team from , and the return of "Belfast"s six twin Bofors mounts, along with their fire directors. By December 1975 "Belfast" had received 1,500,000 visitors. In 1976 "Belfast" was reaffiliated with the successors to the British Army's Royal Ulster Rifles, the Royal Irish Rangers, and in the same year the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society restored the ship's Bridge Wireless Office to working order.


title: HMS Belfast

text: By 1977, the financial position of the HMS "Belfast" Trust had become marginal, and the Imperial War Museum sought permission to merge the Trust into the museum. On 19 January 1978 the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Shirley Williams, accepted the proposal stating that HMS "Belfast" "is a unique demonstration of an important phase of our history and technology". The ship was transferred to the museum on 1 March 1978, and became the Imperial War Museum's third branch, Duxford aerodrome having been acquired in 1976. In October 1998, the HMS "Belfast" Association was formed to reunite former members of the ship's company. The Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive also seeks to record oral history interviews with former crewmen.


title: HMS Belfast

text: Since being brought to London "Belfast" has twice been drydocked as part of the ship's long-term preservation. In 1982 she was docked at Tilbury, and in June 1999 "Belfast" was towed to Portsmouth. This was the first time she had been to sea in 28 years and thus required a Certificate of Seaworthiness from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. While in dock, her entire hull was cleaned, blasted, and repainted, her hull blanking plates inspected and an ultrasonic survey carried out. She was not expected to require further drydocking until 2020. While under tow to Portsmouth she was delayed by bad weather and arrived a day late: it had been intended that she would arrive on 6 June 1999, the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Normandy landings. During the maintenance work, "Belfast" hull and topsides were repainted in her specific camouflage scheme officially known as "Admiralty Disruptive Camouflage Type 25", which she had worn from November 1942 to July 1944. This was objected to by some, due to the anachronistic conflict between her camouflage, which reflects the majority of her active Second World War service, and her present configuration, which was the result of the ship's extended refit from January 1956 to May 1959. With the establishment of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships in 2006, "Belfast" was listed as part of the National Historic Fleet.


title: HMS Belfast

text: On 9 May 2010, a ceremony was held aboard "Belfast" to mark the 65th anniversary of end of the Second World War in Europe. Veterans of the Arctic convoys were in attendance to receive medals from the Russian Ambassador Yuri Fedotov. During the ceremony it was announced that, as part of the restoration of the ship, two new masts had been manufactured at the Severnaya Verf shipyard near Saint Petersburg. The production of the masts, to replace corroded originals, had been supported by a number of Russian businesses at a reported cost of £500,000. The restoration of the masts involved removing the fittings from both masts, allowing them to be individually restored. The old masts were then cut down in sections, the new masts erected, and the original fittings replaced. On 19 October 2010, the new masts were dedicated at a ceremony attended by HMS "Belfast" veterans, by Prince Philip and officials from the Russian embassy and government.


title: HMS Belfast

text: In 2017, it was announced that the third of the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigates would be named "Belfast". At the same time, the IWM stated that the museum would be renamed as "HMS "Belfast" (1938)" as a means of avoiding confusion.


title: HMS Belfast

text: When "Belfast" was first opened to the public, visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure. As of 2011, nine decks are open to the public. Access to the ship is via a walkway which connects the quarterdeck with the pedestrianised footpath on the south bank of the River Thames. The Imperial War Museum's guidebook to HMS "Belfast" divides the ship into three broad sections. The first of these, "Life on board the ship", focuses on the experience of serving at sea. Restored compartments, some populated with dressed figures, illustrate the crew's living conditions and the ship's various facilities such as the sick bay, galley, laundry, chapel, mess decks and NAAFI. Since 2002, school and youth groups have been able to stay onboard "Belfast" overnight, sleeping in bunks on a restored 1950s mess deck.


title: HMS Belfast

text: The second section, "The inner workings", below the waterline and protected by the ship's armoured belt, contains core mechanical, electrical and communication systems. As well as the engine and boiler rooms, other compartments include the transmitting station (housing the ship's Admiralty Fire Control Table, a mechanical computer), the forward steering position and one of "Belfast"s six-inch shell rooms and magazines. The third section, "Action stations", includes the upper deck and forward superstructure with the ship's armament, fire control, and command facilities. Areas open to the public include the operations room, Admiral's bridge and gun direction platform. During 2011, two of these areas were reinterpreted. The operations room was restored to its appearance during Exercise Pony Express, a large British-Australian-American joint exercise held off North Borneo in 1961. The reinterpretation included an interactive audio-visual plotting table.


title: HMS Belfast

text: In July 2011, the interior of Y Turret, the aftmost 6-inch turret, was redisplayed using audio-visual and atmospheric effects, seeking to evoke the experience of a gunner at the Battle of North Cape. To emphasise the range of the ship's armament, the forward six-inch guns of A and B Turrets are trained on the London Gateway service area on the M1 motorway, approximately away on the outskirts of London. A 4-inch gun mount and a shell hoist are kept in working order and used during blank-firing demonstrations by the Wavy Navy re-enactment group. In addition to the various areas of the ship open to visitors, some compartments have been fitted out as dedicated exhibition space. Permanent exhibitions include "HMS "Belfast" in War and Peace" and "Life at Sea". The cost of admission to HMS "Belfast" includes a multilingual audio guide.


title: HMS Belfast

text: HMS "Belfast" also serves as the headquarters of the City of London Sea Cadet Corps, and her prestigious location in central London as a result means she frequently has other vessels berthed alongside. In October 2007, "Belfast" hosted the naming ceremony of the lighthouse tender with the Queen and Prince Philip in attendance.


title: HMS Belfast

text: On 29 November 2011, two workmen suffered minor injuries after a section of gangway, connected to the ship, collapsed during renovation works. The ship was closed to visitors following the accident. An investigation later established that the collapse of the gangway had been caused by a subcontractor cutting through the gangway's structure during refurbishment work. "Belfast" re-opened on 18 May 2012.


title: HMS Belfast

text: The closure delayed the construction of a new two-storey bank-side pavilion to replace "Belfast"s existing retail and admissions building. The structure, for which planning permission was received in October 2011, provides a ground floor café, shop and admissions area, and a rooftop bar. Initially expected to be complete by summer 2012, the pavilion opened in April 2013.


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums) and Keeley Davis (guitar, vocals).


title: At the Drive-In

text: After several early line-up changes, the band solidified into a five-piece, consisting of Bixler-Zavala, Rodríguez-López, Jim Ward, Hinojos and Hajjar. At the Drive-In released three studio albums and five EPs before breaking up in 2001. Their third and final album before their split, 2000's "Relationship of Command", received a number of accolades and is cited as a landmark of the post-hardcore genre. Following the breakup, Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López formed the Mars Volta while Ward, Hinojos, and Hajjar formed Sparta.


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-In reunited in January 2012 and played the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as the 2012 Lollapalooza Festival. In 2016, the band reunited for a second time, with guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Jim Ward no longer participating. He was replaced by Sparta's Keeley Davis. The band released their fourth studio album, "in•ter a•li•a", in 2017. The band announced an indefinite hiatus in November 2018.


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-In was founded in 1994 by guitarist Jim Ward and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The newly formed band played its first live show on October 14, 1994, at The Attic, a venue in El Paso, Texas, followed up by a show on the 15th at the Loretto High School Fair. Not long after, At the Drive-In released its first studio recording entitled "Hell Paso", a 7-inch EP issued in November 1994. Following "Hell Paso" release, the band members embarked on their first tour – a 2,000-mile trek across the state of Texas. After a drummer change due to Bernie Rincon's death, At the Drive-In released its second EP "¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!" in June 1995. The band then set out on another tour, this one in a newly purchased 1981 Ford Econoline and spanning 42 days and 10,000 miles across the United States. During these tours, At the Drive-In began developing a large underground following by mostly playing in basements and small venues across the western United States, with their popularity spread by word of mouth among fans. One such show that changed the course of history for the band was in a now defunct bar in Los Angeles, where the band put on an explosive performance for just nine people – some of them employees of the Flipside record label. The staffers were so enthralled by the show that they offered to put out At the Drive-In's record then and there. Accepting the offer, the band first headed out on another 21-day tour of the Southwest before ending in Los Angeles again where they recorded their debut full-length album titled "Acrobatic Tenement" for $600.


title: At the Drive-In

text: The album was released August 18, 1996, and the band commenced another tour of the United States the following year spanning 100 days (February to June 1997) and 24,000 miles. This tour included shows with hundreds of other bands such as Screw 32, J Church, AFI, Still Life, Mustard Plug, Face to Face, and Cosmic Psychos. At the Drive-In's fan base began to swell with every show it performed. Following this tour, the band members took a month vacation (Jim Ward remained on vacation until the recording of "In/Casino/Out") before rehearsing for their next record and subsequent tour.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Following the recording of "Acrobatic Tenement" in July 1996, the final line-up of At the Drive-In fell into place with the addition of Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos and with Omar Rodríguez-López transitioning from bass to guitar. At the Drive-In's third EP titled "El Gran Orgo" was released on September 18, 1997, and "showed a more melodic side of the band, but the musical depth and heartfelt emotion was never more apparent." Two days after its release, the band was in Boulder, Colorado, playing a show with Welt to kick off its next 35-day, 11,000-mile tour that also included six dates with Karp and the Young Pioneers, and one-offs with Guttermouth, The Criminals, Piss Drunks, and the Humpers. At the Drive-In's popularity at this point was undeniable, with headlining shows in the Midwest drawing between 100 and 350 fans.


title: At the Drive-In

text: When the time came for At the Drive-In's next recording, Flipside quit producing records and Offtime was financially unable to, "so the band figuratively approached almost every indie label they could think of." When hope was almost lost and the possibility of another record seemed dim, Bob and Michelle Becker of Fearless Records saw At the Drive-In open for Supernova at a bar named Club Mesa. Despite Fearless's history of producing mainly pop punk bands, the band members "felt very comfortable with Bob and Michelle on a personal level" and a deal was signed. Consequently, At the Drive-In began recording its second full-length album titled "In/Casino/Out" on June 3, 1998. With producer and mixer Alex Newport, the band spent four days recording at Doug Messenger's, in North Hollywood, Revolver Recordings in Costa Mesa with Engineer Andy Troy for Fearless Records, and an additional two days mixing the album at Paramount, in Hollywood. This album marked a notable maturation in At the Drive-In's sound and is special in that it was recorded live with just a small number of overdubs. "In/Casino/Out" was chosen to be recorded live because, according to some sources, At the Drive-In struggled to capture the intensity and emotion of its live shows in the recording studio.


title: At the Drive-In

text: "In/Casino/Out" was released on August 18, 1998, although the band toured almost non-stop from July until December, playing shows with bands like Knapsack and The Murder City Devils. At the Drive-In took a couple month break until March 1999, at which point they kicked off another tour with a two-week stint with Jimmy Eat World in the United States until they headed to Europe for a six-week European tour spanning eleven countries. Upon returning to the United States, At the Drive-In played a handful of shows before returning to the studio to record their fourth EP entitled "Vaya", which was released on July 13, 1999. Without missing a beat, the band kicked off another tour on July 28 at Emo's in Austin, Texas, with El Paso band Universal Recovered and Austin band Schatzi opening this show. This tour included shows with bands like The Get Up Kids and Rage Against the Machine. Later, in April 2000, At the Drive-In released a split EP with the Czech band Sunshine, containing five songs, two of them by At the Drive-In.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Recording for At the Drive-In's third and then-final full-length album "Relationship of Command" began on January 17, 2000. The recording took place at Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California, with producer Ross Robinson (and mixer Andy Wallace), who the band had met on an earlier tour and who had "convinced the boys that he was the guy who could get every ounce of them onto tape." "Relationship of Command" was recorded over a seven-week period and featured Iggy Pop with minor parts on a couple of the album's songs. It was released September 12, 2000, to critical acclaim, and catapulted At the Drive-In into the mainstream musical spotlight.


title: At the Drive-In

text: In addition to touring worldwide in Europe, Japan, and the United States following the release of "Relationship of Command", At The Drive-In performed on several television shows. The band's first nationally televised performance was on "Farmclub", a now defunct television show which aired late at night on the USA Network. After that performance, they also appeared on "Later with Jools Holland," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and the "Late Show with David Letterman". Additionally, their minor hit radio single "One Armed Scissor" had circulation on MTV and significantly contributed to the band's popularity. By 2002, "Relationship of Command" had sold 273,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


title: At the Drive-In

text: On November 12, 2000, At the Drive-In was involved in a motor vehicle accident when their touring van skidded out of control on ice and flipped onto its roof. Though the accident left the band shaken, none of the members sustained serious injury – Hajjar and Bixler-Zavala were taken to the hospital for minor injuries and released. In January 2001, At the Drive-In traveled to Australia for the Big Day Out music festival. While performing in Sydney, they left partway through their set after telling the attendance to calm down and observe the safety rules against moshing. After the refusal of the crowd, frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala told them "You're a robot, you're a sheep!" and bleated at them several times before the band left the stage after performing only three songs. "I think it's a very, very sad day when the only way you can express yourself is through slam-dancing", he proclaimed. The following month, At the Drive-In cancelled the last five dates of its European tour, citing "complete mental and physical exhaustion" of the members.


title: At the Drive-In

text: In March 2001—less than a month away from a United States tour set to begin on April 14—at the peak of their popularity and following a world tour, At the Drive-In broke up, initially referring to the split as an "indefinite hiatus". The band played their last show at Groningen's Vera venue on February 21, 2001. A combination of excessive hype, relentless touring, artistic differences, and Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala's drug habits contributed to the demise of the band. Commenting on the hiatus, guitarist Rodríguez-López said: "After a non-stop six-year cycle of record/tour/record/tour, we are going on an indefinite hiatus. We need time to rest up and re-evaluate, just to be human beings again and to decide when we feel like playing music again."


title: At the Drive-In

text: Cedric Bixler-Zavala took responsibility for the breakup, saying repeatedly in interviews that he felt almost as if At the Drive-In was holding him back and that he didn't want his music to be confined to punk or hardcore — that it should encompass many genres and be even more progressive, alternative, and "against-the-grain." Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López had stated that they wanted their next album to sound like Pink Floyd's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", while the other members were intent on progressing in a more alternative rock direction.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Following the break-up of At the Drive-In, Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López focused on their dub side-project De Facto, before starting The Mars Volta. This project was a departure from their previous work, as it pursued the progressive rock sound that they had been interested in. Meanwhile, the other members – Ward, Hinojos, and Hajjar – started the more traditional band Sparta. Hinojos would then leave Sparta to join Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López in The Mars Volta from 2005 to 2009. The Mars Volta disbanded in 2013, and Rodríguez-López went on to play with Bosnian Rainbows, while Bixler-Zavala started a new band called Zavalaz. Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López eventually reunited once again and formed Antemasque in 2014.


title: At the Drive-In

text: During an interview with Drowned in Sound in June 2009, Bixler-Zavala stated that he had been in discussions with the band's former members and suggested that they could get back together after they sorted their financial business out. He added, "I wouldn't mind it. It might happen, we just have to iron out a lot of personal things. A lot of it we've dealt with already and I've apologized for a lot of things I've said and the way it ended... we'll see what happens."


title: At the Drive-In

text: In response to Bixler-Zavala's comments, guitarist Jim Ward quickly quashed rumors of a reunion by stating "I don't think that I'll be answering any questions or doing any interviews anymore, thank you very much. I haven't got much to say about anything except with songs which I will continue to make and release."


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-in finally got back together in late 2011 and officially announced their reunion on January 9, 2012. They played their first show since 2001 on April 9 at Red 7 in Austin, Texas, as part of a 4-date tour across Texas with Zechs Marquise warming up prior to performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 15 and 22. Later in the year At the Drive-in also performed at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Splendour in the Grass, Fuji Rock and Reading and Leeds Festival.


title: At the Drive-In

text: The band had also acquired the rights from Fearless Records to reissue most of their catalogue (three full-length albums as well as "Vaya" EP) and launched their own label, Twenty-first Chapter, to handle the reissues. The name of the label is a reference to the chapter omitted from the US version of the Anthony Burgess book "A Clockwork Orange".


title: At the Drive-In

text: While the reunion shows were met with mostly positive reviews, Rodríguez-López received criticism from fans and observers for his evident lack of enthusiasm while playing on stage; initially this was attributed to the recent death of his mother; however, Rodríguez-López later stated that he also no longer felt connected with At the Drive-in's music.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Rodríguez-López also ruled out the possibility of the band recording new material, though he reversed this stance in light of the band's 2016 reunion.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Following the dissolution of The Mars Volta in 2013, Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López ceased all contact with each other. Bixler-Zavala blamed Rodríguez-López for the breakup on Twitter; however, he stated that he was still happy with At the Drive-In's reunion: "And for the record I'm still in love with ATDI. Proof was in MY performance. I would never get on stage if my heart was else where." The two subsequently focused their efforts on their respective projects, Zavalaz and Bosnian Rainbows, and remained on non-speaking terms until early 2014, when they finally resolved their issues. An initial attempt to restart At the Drive-In didn't work out, however, so Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López went on to form Antemasque, touring and recording for the next two years.


title: At the Drive-In

text: In October 2015, At the Drive-In agreed on doing another reunion, and an appearance at Rock On The Range festival in the following May was scheduled. In January 2016, trailed by a 15-second video of seemingly new music, the band detailed plans for a world tour and new album later in the year. After initial rehearsals, Jim Ward left the reunited band, and was replaced by his former Sparta bandmate Keeley Davis.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Looking back on Ward's departure, in 2017 Bixler-Zavala stated that Ward wasn't ready for a new album and tour: "His head wasn't there. His head wasn't trustworthy. Because of the way Omar and I exploded [with Mars Volta], I completely understood that. You know, you either let it go and keep going forward, or the train goes on without you. We have to honor what is happening now, which is age and the want to do it. I love him. He's a beautiful human being. A beautiful artist. I just wish he would remember that he's an amazing guitar player. I don't know if he does."


title: At the Drive-In

text: The band canceled part of their North American tour after Bixler-Zavala began to have issues with his voice. On December 8, the band released their first new song in 16 years, "Governed by Contagions", through Rise Records. A new album, "in•ter a•li•a", was released on May 5, 2017, preceded by another single, "Incurably Innocent". The "Diamanté" EP was released on November 24 as part of Record Store Day; it had a limited vinyl release of 4000 copies. In May 2018, the band headlined the Neon Desert Music Festival.


title: At the Drive-In

text: During a show on November 17, 2018, at the Circo Voador in Brazil, Bixler-Zavala announced to the crowd that the following night's show would be their final show for the foreseeable future. That night, Bixler-Zavala posted on Twitter stating "Maybe it's a sign of weakness to some of you but I had to give a huge thank you to my ATDI family. This was our 2nd to last show. Tomorrow is the last. Don't know when we'll play again. Thank you Rio. How do I even sleep now?" The following day on November 18, 2018, the band played their final show at Bar Opinião in Porto Alegre, Brazil. On November 19, 2018, the band released a statement on their official Instagram announcing a hiatus.


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-In's style is usually described as post-hardcore. Their sound has also been called punk rock, emo, and art punk. Some of the group's influences are Indian Summer, Swing Kids, Fugazi, Sunny Day Real Estate (referred to by Ward as "Fugazi beyond Fugazi"), Bad Brains, and the Gravity Records-led post-hardcore sound of the 1990s that featured acts such as Antioch Arrow and Heroin. In their last period before their initial breakup, the biggest influences of At the Drive-In included bands such as Drive Like Jehu and The Nation of Ulysses, with frontman Bixler-Zavala going on to say that "there would be no "Relationship of Command" without Drive Like Jehu." The band also performed cover versions of songs such as "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" by The Smiths and "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" by Pink Floyd, both included in the 2004 compilation "This Station Is Non-Operational". Their name was taken from the fact that Bad Brains took their name from the Ramones' song "Bad Brain" (from "Road to Ruin"), and Bixler-Zavala liked the Bad Brains' song title "At the Movies" (track featured in "Rock for Light"); while Ward liked "at the drive-in", and his suggestion would eventually win out.


title: At the Drive-In

text: Though "In/Casino/Out" was recorded live, ""Relationship of Command" may very well be the first record to harness the chaotic balance of adrenaline and intellect of ATDI's live performance." "Ross was instrumental in bringing out a lot of feeling from us," Bixler-Zavala recalls. "We channeled a lot of emotion into this record. He pushed us farther than we thought we could go. I learned to cut loose the way we do live and not to be afraid to break something or whatever." While capturing the essence of ATDI's live shows in a way never before seen, the record also featured some of the band's most experimental songs, including "Rolodex Propaganda," "Non-Zero Possibility," and "Invalid Litter Dept."


title: At the Drive-In

text: The band's guitar-playing, in the majority of their songs, is characterized by unusual chords, a fast tempo, and a quiet-loud-quiet song structure. While Jim Ward and Paul Hinojos provided the rhythmic structure of the song, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez often played more experimental riffs and melodies over the top. Effects were heavily used by Rodriguez-Lopez, especially on "Relationship of Command," while Ward used the keyboard to create melody, often switching between the guitar and keyboard such as in "Invalid Litter Department".


title: At the Drive-In

text: At the Drive-In is considered one of the most influential post-hardcore acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Accolades for their album "Relationship of Command" include being ranked 47th in the 50 Greatest Albums of the 21st century in "Kerrang!", 83rd on "Spin Magazine" 100 Greatest Albums 1985–2005, and 90 on MTV2's greatest albums ever list. BBC's Mike Diver stated that the success and eventual "landmark status" of the album helped post-hardcore position itself as a "vital commercial force," adding that "Relationship of Command" "is the high against which every post-hardcore record since 2000 has been measured."


title: At the Drive-In

text: In October 2011, "Rock Sound" magazine inducted "Relationship of Command" into Rock Sound's "Hall Of Fame". Their writer Ryan Bird spoke about the legacy of the album, stating that "though At the Drive-In may not have built the road, they were most certainly leading the convoy, allowing those who followed behind to reap the of their navigation while they crashed and burned on the hard shoulder. What remains, however, is a legacy the likes of which may not been seen again."


title: At the Drive-In

text: Among the artists who have cited At the Drive-In as an influence or expressed admiration for them are Billy Talent, Biffy Clyro, Underoath, Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance, Nick Hipa of As I Lay Dying, The Fall of Troy, Jamie Lenman, Rolo Tomassi, La Dispute, Mutiny on the Bounty, sleepmakeswaves, Jarvis Cocker, Night Verses, and St Vincent.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Samsung Galaxy S7 Active are Android-based smartphones manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The S7 series serves as the successor to the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and S6 Active released in 2015. The S7 and S7 Edge were officially unveiled on 21 February 2016 during a Samsung press conference at Mobile World Congress, with a European and North American release on 11 March 2016. The S7 Active was unveiled on 4 June 2016, and released on AT&T in the United States on 10 June 2016.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 is an evolution of the prior year's model, with upgraded hardware, design refinements, and the restoration of features removed from the Galaxy S6, such as IP certification for water and dust resistance, as well as expandable storage with a MicroSD card. Succeeding the S6 and S6 Edge+, respectively, the S7 is produced in a standard model with a display size of as well as an Edge variant whose display is curved along the wide sides of the screen and also has a larger display. The S7 Active features a thicker more rugged frame and an increased battery capacity. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are the last two phones in the Samsung Galaxy S series to have a physical home button with a front-sided fingerprint sensor embedded in the button. The S7 Active is the last in the "Active" series to feature three physical buttons with the fingerprint reader embedded home button, when not considering the prematurely discontinued Galaxy Note 7. It is the last phone in the Samsung Galaxy S series to be equipped with a MicroUSB-B port, which has since been replaced with USB-C technology.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7's hardware design is largely that of the S6. Samsung removed the built-in Infrared blaster due to low demand. The device retains the metal and glass chassis, but with refinements such as a rectangular home button, and a lower protrusion of the camera. Both models are available in black and gold colors; white, pink, blue and silver versions are available depending on market. As a Worldwide Olympic Partner, special editions of the Galaxy S7 Edge were released by Samsung for the 2016 Summer Olympics, with a dark blue body and hardware and software accents inspired by the colors of the Olympic rings. The devices were sold in limited quantities in selected markets, and were given to athletes participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics. In October 2016, Samsung announced a new light blue ("Blue Coral") color option, as previously offered on the recalled Galaxy Note 7.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 Edge is equipped with software that allows the curved edge to act as a ruler, a night clock and various visual notification features such as the "Edge notification light" for phone calls and incoming messages, of which the preferred colour can be selected for five contacts. There is an additional setting that allows adjusting the brightness of the built-in LED lamp when used as a torch between five brightness levels.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The S7, S7 Edge & S7 Active are IP68-certified for dust and water resistance; unlike the Galaxy S5, the ports are sealed and thus do not require protective flaps. The S7, S7 Edge & S7 Active feature a 1440p Quad HD Super AMOLED display; the S7 & S7 Active both have a 5.1-inch panel, while the S7 Edge uses a larger 5.5-inch panel. As with the prior model, the S7 Edge's screen is curved along the side bezels of the device.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The charging port of the Galaxy S7 is equipped with a moisture sensor. When it detects moisture inside the USB port, wired charging is deactivated to prevent damage to the equipment.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: All three models (S7, S7 Edge & S7 Active) have larger batteries in comparison to the S6, with 3000 mAh, 3600 mAh & 4000 mAh capacity respectively and support for AirFuel Inductive (formerly PMA) and Qi wireless charging standards; however, the S7 does use MicroUSB charging.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: For wired charging, Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 with up to 15 Watts is supported. Wireless charging is supported with 7.5 Watts of effective power through a Qi 1.2 supported wireless charging plate connected to a Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 USB charger.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Samsung claims the Galaxy S7 to be able to fully charge using wired and wireless fast charging within 90 and 140 minutes respectively, while 100 and 160 minutes respectively on the S7 edge.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge feature a 12-megapixel (4032×3024) rear-facing camera with "Dual Pixel" image sensor technology for faster autofocus and an f/1.7 aperture lens.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Slow motion videos are recorded with 720p HD at 240 fps, which is twice the frame rate used on the Galaxy S6 and Note 5. For the first time on a Samsung flagship device, slow motion video recording at 240fps is possible. The 240 fps footage is encoded in real-time and recorded with audio. The footage can be edited with the precluded slow motion video editing software. The five-minute time limit for 2160p video has been removed.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The improved burst shot mode captures twenty full-resolution photos per second up to one hundred photos per row. The limit was raised from the thirty photos per sequence at approximately eight photos per second on the S6.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Still photos can be captured during 1440p (30 fps) and 2160p (30 fps) video recording, while the predecessor could only do so at up to 1080p. However, still photos can not be captured during 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The camera software of the Galaxy S7 has a mode for the manual adjustment of operating parameters, such as exposure, ISO light sensitivity, white balance, and exposure value. Parameters can also be set for video recording. However, the ISO light sensitivity and exposure settings are locked during video recording. In addition, the LED torch can not be toggled during video recording.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Galaxy S7 devices are equipped with an octa-core Exynos 8890 system on a chip and 4 GB of RAM in China. In the United States the S7 uses the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820; unlike Exynos, this SoC supports older CDMA networks that are extensively used by carriers in these markets. The heat from the processor is transferred with a 0.4mm thick water-to-steam heat pipe cooling system but still it gets hot to touch. The S7 includes either 32, 64 or 128 GB of internal storage (in most markets only the 32 GB model will be available). Storage can be expanded using a microSD card.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: S7 devices are packaged with a USB OTG adapter. It can be used with the included "Smart Switch" app to help transfer content and settings from a previous Samsung Galaxy device running Android 4.3 or later, iPhone running iOS 5 or later, or BlackBerry running BlackBerry OS 7 or earlier.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 ships with Android Marshmallow (6.0) and Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz software suite. The new TouchWiz also allows the user to disable the app drawer. A new "always on" functionality displays a clock, calendar, and notifications on-screen when the device is in standby. The display is turned off if the device's proximity sensor detects that it is in an enclosed space such as a pocket. Samsung claims this feature would only consume half a percentage of battery capacity per-hour. New widget panes can be displayed on the edge of the S7 Edge, in "Edge Single" and wider "Edge Single Plus" sizes. Android Marshmallow's "adopted storage" feature is disabled and not usable.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: A software update in September 2016 added support for Vulkan, a new low-level graphics API. In January 2017, Samsung released an update to Android 7.0 "Nougat", which replaced TouchWiz with the Samsung Experience software suite (introduced in the Galaxy S8).


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The user interface of the multi windowing feature which allows showing multiple supported applications simultaneously on the screen, both as flexible split screen, as well as floating pop-up, is similar to the preceding Galaxy S6.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 received generally positive reviews with critics praising the return of the micro SD card slot and water resistance, while retaining the premium metal design of the preceding Galaxy S6. The design of the larger Galaxy S7 Edge was particularly praised, as its curved sides on the S7 Edge are used to "make the phone much narrower than it would be if it had a flat display. It makes the whole device smaller and easier to use. That becomes readily apparent when you put the S7 Edge next to other devices with 5.5-inch or similar screens" like the iPhone 6s Plus (5.5-inch) and Google Nexus 6P (5.7-inch). The quality of the primary (rear-facing) camera has been further improved, despite the megapixel decrease from 16 MP to 12 MP, it has larger 1.4-micron pixels and even faster focusing than its S6 predecessor.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: There was some criticism of the Galaxy S7, due to the removal of MHL support and the IR Blaster of the Galaxy S6, stock music and video player apps have been replaced by the Google Play equivalents, and the inclusion of a Micro USB charging port instead of a USB Type C port.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Exynos version is faster than the Qualcomm Snapdragon version at multitasking. There is a clear difference, as the Qualcomm version fails to keep as many apps in the background and takes more time to switch between apps. However, the Snapdragon version performs better in graphically intensive apps and games.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: iFixit gave the S7 a repairability score of 3 out of 10, noting an excessive use of glue and glass panels, as well as it being nearly impossible to service certain components of the device (such as the daughterboard and other components) without removing the screen, which is not designed to be removed, and that "replacing the glass without destroying the display is probably impossible".


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, approximately 100,000 devices were sold within two days of the official launch in South Korea. The Galaxy S7 had between 7-9 million units shipped in its first month. A total of 48 million units were sold in 2016.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Galaxy S7 edge was the most popular handset from South Korean's 2016 lineup. The Galaxy J3, which is regarded as an entry-level device, found its place in the sixth most popular phone for 2016. The iPhone 6s had around 60 million shipments, whereas the Galaxy S7 edge and other phones from Samsung garnered around 25 million shipments.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: At release, videos recorded at high frame rates stuttered, with both Exynos and Snapdragon models suffering from the issue. A following firmware update claimed to fix "flickering video playback after recording".


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: Some S7 Edge units have an irremovable vertical pink line on the display, which seems to appear at random. Samsung is offering free repairs/replacements for users in Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg (limited to those) under warranty given that the screen is not externally damaged.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: It is extremely difficult to repair a broken screen. Removal of the AMOLED panel will be required should the user break the screen on a Galaxy S7.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: In the Philippines on September 23, 2016, a 36 year old make-up artist who has a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge in a beauty salon in Antipolo City, Rizal, along with her 16-year-old daughter, who was using the phone and started to diffuse smoke over the smartphone. The owner of the smartphone said that she will refund the damaged smartphone which she bought last April 2016 and the management is investigating the incident.


title: Samsung Galaxy S7

text: The Galaxy S7 is the first Galaxy S model on which the device's hardware is essentially identical across all of the US variants. As such, all variants were assigned the same device ID (A3LSMG930US) by the FCC. The only differences between US variants is in software/firmware and some minor external branding.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the southern tip of Liaodong peninsula, it is the southernmost city in both Liaoning and the entire Northeast. Dalian borders the prefectural cities of Yingkou and Anshan to the north and Dandong to the northeast, and also shares maritime boundaries with Qinhuangdao and Huludao across the Liaodong Bay to west and northwest, Yantai and Weihai on the Shandong peninsula across the Bohai Strait to the south, and North Korea across the Korea Bay to the east.


title: Dalian

text: As of the 2020 census, its total population was 7,450,785 inhabitants whom 5,106,719 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 6 out of 7 urban districts, Pulandian District not being conurbated yet.


title: Dalian

text: Today a financial, shipping, and logistics center for East Asia, Dalian has a significant history of being used by foreign powers for its ports. Dalian was previously known as "Dalniy" (; ), "Dairen" (), and "Lüda" or "Luta" (). The city used to be better known as "Port Arthur" and "Ryojun" () from the original Port Arthur, now the city's Lüshunkou district.


title: Dalian

text: In 2016, Dalian ranked 48th in the Global Financial Centres Index. In 2012, Dalian ranked 82nd in the Global City Competitiveness Index. In 2006, Dalian was named China's most livable city by "China Daily". It is now a "Beta - Global City" according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian is one of the top 50 science cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the Nature Index, ranking 49th in the world as of 2022. The city is home to several major universities, notably Dalian University of Technology and Dalian Maritime University, members of China's prestigious universities in the Project 211, and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.


title: Dalian

text: Modern Dalian originated from Qingniwa () or Qingniwaqiao (), a small Chinese fishing village. The Russian Empire built a commercial town after coercing a lease of the area from the Qing dynasty in 1898 and called it "Dalniy" ( — "a remote one" or "far-away", in reference to the town's location,


title: Dalian

text: rendered as ) from 1898 to 1905. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Japan occupied the area as the Kwantung Leased Territory and renamed the city after the Chinese name for Dalian Bay () — a name in use since at least 1879. English-language sources called the city "Dairen" in this period (1905-1945), from Japanese.


title: Dalian

text: In 1950 Dalian, back in Chinese control, merged with the nearby town called Lüshun () (formerly "Ryojun" and before that, "Port Arthur") to form the city of Lüda (), a name (formed from the first syllable of each constituent's name) which was usually rendered as Luta in English during that era. In 1981, the Chinese State Council again renamed the city, from Lüda back to "Dalian" (), effective 5 March 1981.


title: Dalian

text: In the Qin and Han periods (221 BC–AD 220), the Chinese state expanded its territories into northern Korea through the Dalian region, then under the jurisdiction of Liaodong county. During the Sixteen Kingdoms era (3rd through 5th centuries), the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo controlled this region. In the early Tang dynasty (618–907), the Dalian region formed part of Andong Prefecture in Jili state; during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), it was part of Dong Jing Tong Liaoyang county. Dalian was named Sanshan in the period of Wei Jin (220–420), San Shanpu in the Tang dynasty (618–907), Sanshan Seaport in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and Qingniwakou during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).


title: Dalian

text: In the 1880s, Jinzhou, the north of downtown Dalian, now Jinzhou District, was a walled town and a center for political intrigue and economic activity. The Qing government built bridges and heavily fortified the peninsula. Mining camps on the northern coast of Dalian Bay became the small town of Qingniwa () or Qingniwaqiao (), near what became the downtown core of modern-day Dalian.


title: Dalian

text: The British briefly occupied Qingniwa during the Second Opium War in 1858, but returned it to Chinese (Qing) control in 1860. Port Arthur at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula took its English name from Royal Navy Lieutenant William Arthur, though the area's Chinese name had always been Lüshun. Although China heavily fortified the area, in which it allowed trade with foreigners, in the First Sino-Japanese War Japan swiftly overcame those defenses on 21 November 1894 in the Battle of Lüshunkou, committing the Port Arthur massacre afterwards. In April 1895 China conceded defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, ceding Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and Penghu, and making many other concessions in the Treaty of Shimonoseki (17 April 1895).


title: Dalian

text: In the Triple Intervention of 23 April 1895, Russia, France and Germany forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China, despite the treaty's terms; instead the Russian Empire coerced a lease of the peninsula from the Qing dynasty in 1898. Russia had a particular interest in the region of the peninsula as one of the few areas in the region that had the potential to develop ice-free ports. The Russians built a modern commercial port city, which they wanted to become the Paris of the Far East, and called it Dal'niy (). Linked by 1902 with the Trans-Siberian Railway via the branch line Chinese Eastern Railway through Harbin, Dal'niy became Russia's primary port-city in Asia, and also served Western traders. Russia signed the Pavlov Agreement (1898) with China, which granted Russia a 25-year lease on Dalian and Lüshun and exclusive right to build a branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway—what would become from 1905 the Japanese-operated South Manchurian Railway. Russia spent more than 10 million golden rubles (equivalent to 11.5 billion of today's rubles) building the new ice-free port city.


title: Dalian

text: Russia heavily fortified both Dalniy (Qingniwaqiao of Zhongshan District) and the Port Arthur naval base (Lüshunkou) before and after the Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901. Missionaries and converts were killed in the peninsula during the insurrection, although the massive massacres of ethnic Chinese Christians including Metrophanes, Chi Sung occurred at Harbin. Western expeditionary forces suppressed the Boxers across the Yellow Sea in Shandong.


title: Dalian

text: During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Liaodong Peninsula became a major battleground. Major-General Baron Anatoly Stoessel defended a besieged Port Arthur, for five months (August 1904 to January 1905), but the Japanese army, using long-distance fire, sank several Russian ships at the Port Arthur naval base in early December 1904. Admiral Eugene Alexeyeff was blamed for splitting precious resources shipped across the single tracked Trans-Siberian Railway and Manchurian Railway between Dalniy and Port Arthur. After the Imperial Japanese Navy crippled the remaining Russian battleship "Sevastopol" in three weeks of constant attacks, and explosives detonated in tunnels destroyed Port Arthur's remaining defenses in the final days of 1904, Russia negotiated a ceasefire and surrendered Port Arthur in January 1905.


title: Dalian

text: The Treaty of Portsmouth (signed 5 September 1905) ceded Port Arthur to Japan, which set up the Kwantung Leased Territory or "Guandongzhou" (), on roughly the southern half (Jinzhou District and south) of present-day Dalian. Japanese invested heavily in the region, which became the main trading port between Manchuria and Japan. Japan leased the area from Manchukuo after establishing that puppet state in 1932. In 1937, as the Second Sino-Japanese War began, Japan enlarged and modernized the trade zone as two cities: the northern Dairen (Dalian) and the southern Ryojun (Lüshun or Port Arthur).


title: Dalian

text: With the unconditional surrender of Japan in August–September 1945, Dairen passed to the Soviets, whose Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation had liberated the city on 22 August 1945. The Soviets and Chinese Communists cooperated to develop the city, relatively undamaged during the war, especially its industrial infrastructure and the port. The Soviet government rented the port and in 1945 the first Chinese Communist mayor of the new Lüda Administrative Office () was appointed.


title: Dalian

text: In 1950 the USSR presented the city to the Chinese Communist government without any compensation. Dalian and Lüshun (former Port Arthur) merged as Lüda on 1 December 1950. From 12 March 1953 to 1 August 1954 it was a direct-controlled municipality and not part of Liaoning. Soviet troops left the city in 1955. After the Soviets left, the PRC made Lüda a major shipbuilding center.


title: Dalian

text: In 1981 the city was renamed Dalian, with Lüshunkou becoming a constituent district. In 1984 the Chinese Government designated the city a Special Economic Zone. At the time, Dalian was China's largest foreign-trade port.


title: Dalian

text: The city was upgraded from a prefecture-level city to a sub-provincial city in May 1994, with no change in its administrative subdivisions. In the 1990s the city benefited from the attention of Bo Xilai (later Party secretary of Chongqing). Bo served both as the mayor of the city and as one of the major leaders in the province; among other things, he banned motorcycles and planted large, lush parks in the city's many traffic circles. He also preserved much of Dalian's Japanese and Russian architectural heritage. He also worked as the former Minister of Commerce of China.


title: Dalian

text: Since 2007 Dalian has hosted the Annual Meeting of the New Champions ("Summer Davos"), organized by the World Economic Forum, in alternating years with Tianjin. The venue for the forum is the Dalian International Conference Center in Donggang CBD. In 2008 about 1,000 people protested and blocked traffic as a response to the 2008 Tibetan anti-Chinese protests, and forced the temporary closure of the local Carrefour store.


title: Dalian

text: In 2010 one of the worst recorded oil-spills in China's history occurred in Dalian. The Dalian PX protest occurred on 14 August 2011. In June 2014, China's tenth state-level new area, the Dalian Jinpu New Area was officially established. On 5 August 2016, the Dalian huabiao incident occurred. A huabiao in the center of Xinghai Square was demolished, which was believed to be out of political reasons related to the downfall of Chinese politician Bo Xilai, who oversaw the construction of Xinghai Square and the central huabiao during his tenure as the mayor of Dalian. The site of the huabiao was later replaced with a musical fountain, the largest one in Northeast China.


title: Dalian

text: One of the most heavily developed industrial areas of China, Dalian municipal area today consists of Dalian proper and the smaller Lüshunkou (formerly Lüshun city, known in Western and Russian historic references as Port Arthur), about farther along the Liaodong Peninsula. Historical references note that the Russian designed city of Dalniy (Alt. Dalney), on the south side of Dalian Bay was from Port Arthur/Lüshun (known today as Lüshunkou or literally, Lüshun Port).


title: Dalian

text: Dalian is located on Korea Bay north of the Yellow Sea and roughly in the middle of the Liaodong peninsula at its narrowest neck or isthmus. With a coastline of , it governs the majority of the Liaodong Peninsula and about 260 surrounding islands and reefs. It is seated at south-south-west of the Yalu River, and its harbor entrance forms a sub-bay known as Dalian Bay.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen "Dwa"), characterized by warm wet summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Except for winter, the city experiences a one-month seasonal lag due to its position on the Liaodong Peninsula. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in August. Annual precipitation averages but is heavily concentrated in the summer months and can vary greatly from year to year. Due to the coastal location, the mean diurnal temperature variation annually is small, at . The monthly percent of possible sunshine ranges from 49% in July to 68% in September and October, with 2,740 hours of bright sunshine annually. The annual mean temperature is . Extremes since 1951 have ranged from on 4 January 1970 to on 14 July 2015.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian is the second largest city of Liaoning province, after Shenyang, the provincial capital. The city of Dalian is governed by the Dalian Municipal People's Government.


title: Dalian

text: The municipal government is located in the main building on the north side of People's Square on Zhongshan Road, originally built as the Administrative Office of Kwantung Leased Territory, and other buildings in downtown Dalian. There are the Commerce, Foreign Economy & Trade, Health, Information Industry, Police, Religion, Science & Technology, Transportation and other city-level bureaus, which work closely with the corresponding agencies at the district level.


title: Dalian

text: The population of Dalian according to the 2010 census totaled 6.69 million. The total registered population on household at year end 2014 was 5.943 million, with a net increase of 29,000 over the previous year.


title: Dalian

text: The city has had a continuous annual double-digit percentage increase in GDP since 1992. In 2014, the city's GDP registered a 5.8% increase, reaching RMB 765.56 billion, while per capita GDP hit RMB 109,939. According to a nationwide appraisal by the National Bureau of Statistics, Dalian ranks eighth among Chinese cities in terms of overall strength. The city's main industries include machine manufacturing, petrochemicals and oil refining, and electronics.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian was originally an agriculture and aquaculture-based area, which, after the opening of the ferry between Yantai and Lüshun during the early 20th century, began to be populated by the farmers and fishers of Shandong, across the Yellow Sea during the Chuang Guandong era.


title: Dalian

text: Even before and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the shipbuilding and locomotives industries were located in the city such as the companies which later became Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company and Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works (DLoco). After the WWII, Dalian became an important center of the heavy and light industries, including companies such as Dalian Heavy Industry Co., Dalian Chemical Group, and Wafangdian Bearing Co.; and of the distribution industry, such as the Dashang Group.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian Port is an important port for international trade. It has established trading and shipping links with more than 300 ports in 160 countries and regions of the world. There are over 100 international and domestic container shipping routes. A harbor for oil tankers (the largest by tonnage in China), at the terminus of an oil pipeline from the Daqing oilfields, was completed in 1976. Dalian is the 6th largest port in China; and according to AAPA world port ranking data, Dalian is the 8th busiest port in the world by cargo tonnage in 2012, and the 12th busiest container port in the world by total number of TEUs handled in 2013. Accordingly, Dalian is a major center for oil refineries, diesel engineering, and chemical production.


title: Dalian

text: Also completed in 1993 is a newer port called Dayaowan Port (), on Dagushan () Peninsula in the northern suburbs, specializing in import-export of mining and oil products. Together with the Dalian Railway Station, Dalian North Railway Station, Dalian International Airport and two major express roads to Shenyang (Shenda Expressway), Changchun (Changda Expressway), Harbin (Hada Expressway) in the north and to Dandong to the east, Dalian has been an important distribution center.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian has been given many benefits by the Chinese government, including the title of "open-city" (1984), which allows it to receive considerable foreign investment (see Special Economic Zone). The Development Zone was established in Jinzhou District, to which many Japanese companies, such as Canon, Mitsubishi Electric, Nidec, Sanyo Electric and Toshiba, followed by South Korean, American and European companies (such as Pfizer). In 2007, Intel announced plans to build a semiconductor fabrication facility (commonly known as a fab) in the Development Zone, Dalian. It is Intel's first fab to be built at an entirely new site since 1992. The facility began operation in October 2010. Dalian also houses auto-manufacturing plants for Chery, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, and BYD Automobile (a production base for BYD K9 electric buses).


title: Dalian

text: Other zones in the city include the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dalian Export Processing Zone, Dalian Free Trade Zone, and Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Zone.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian is the financial center of Northeast China. There are the Dalian branches of China's five major banks: Bank of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, and Agricultural Bank of China. Dalian City Commercial Bank is now called Bank of Dalian, which among other things handles processing of the Dalian Mingzhu IC Card for public transportation. Bank of Dalian has opened branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang, among five other cities.


title: Dalian

text: Founded in 1993, Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) is the only futures exchange in Northeast China. The futures industry leaped forward in its development. Among its 19 listed futures products approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) are corn, corn starch, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, RBD palm olein, polished round-grained rice, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), ethylene glycol (EG), ethenylbenzene (EB), metallurgical coke, coking coal, iron ore, egg, fiberboard and blockboard. 3 options are also listed for trading, which includes soybean meal, corn and iron ore options. In 2019, DCE achieved 1,331 million lots and RMB 68.92 trillion respectively in trading volume and turnover. According to the Futures Industry Association (FIA) of the U.S., DCE was 11th largest exchange in the world by trading volume in 2019.


title: Dalian

text: Since the 1990s, Dalian has emphasized the development of the IT industry, especially in Dalian Hi-Tech Zone and Dalian Software Park in the western suburbs near Dalian University of Technology. Dalian High-Tech Zone is the base of high-tech industries, housing more than 4,700 enterprises, including 80 Fortune Global 500 companies. Not only Chinese IT companies, such as DHC, Hisoft and Neusoft Group, but also American, European, Indian and Japanese IT companies are located there, including Wipro, Infosys, IBM, Dell, HP, Ericsson, Panasonic, Sony, Accenture, Oracle, Hitachi and Cisco. Nine professional business incubators are also located in the area, including the Hi-tech Business Incubator, animation and software incubators, with over 400 companies incubated. Currently, the "Lüshun South Road Software Industry Belt" Plan is proceeding, including Dalian Software Park Phase 3.


title: Dalian

text: Intel's Fab 68 is located in Dalian. The plan was announced on 26 March 2007, and operations started on 26 October 2010. It is Intel's first chip-manufacturing fabrication in East Asia.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian is a popular destination among domestic tourists and foreign visitors, especially from Japan, South Korea and Russia. Its mild climate and multiple beaches as well as its importance in the modern history of China have attracted tourists. Some of the most famous beaches are Jinshitan Golden Coast () beach, Fujiazhuang () beach, Bangchuidao () beach, Xinghai Park () beach, Xinghai Bay () beach, and Xiajiahezi () beach. In 2007, it was one of the three cities named "China's best tourist city", along with Hangzhou and Chengdu, recognized by the National Tourism Administration and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.


title: Dalian

text: There are various hot spring hotels in Dalian. Notable ones include Laotieshan Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshunkou District, Tang Dynasty Hot Spring Resort in Jinshitan, Minghu Hot Spring Hotel in Wafangdian, Chengyuan Hot Spring Villa in Ganjingzi District, and Tianmu Hot Spring Hotel in Lüshunkou District.


title: Dalian

text: Skiing has become increasingly popular in Dalian. Famous ski resorts are Linhai Ski Resort in Ganjingzi District, Anbo Ski Resort in Pulandian District, Minghu Ski Resort & Minghu International Skiing Holiday Village in Wafangdian, and Dalian Happy Snow World in Ganjingzi District near the airport.


title: Dalian

text: Despite being in a period of economic and industrial growth, Dalian has placed an emphasis on environmental protection. Dalian's ecological restoration and protection efforts are ongoing and expanding. In 2021, Dalian set a five-year-plan for the marine environment that included targets for conserving populations of the endangered back-faced spoonbill. In 2019, 49 nests were built for the black-faced spoonbill on nearby uninhabited islands. There has also been conservation and rescue efforts targeting spotted seal populations. Dalian also maintains the National Spotted Seal Nature Reserve within Lioadong Bay. This reserve is home to a spotted seal population and is a breeding ground for multiple marine species.


title: Dalian

text: In 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme awarded the Dalian Municipal Government for its outstanding contribution to the protection of the environment.


title: Dalian

text: The average content of the four pollutants in the air reached Class II of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and there were 353 days with Air Pollution Index (API) over Class II (Good), including 108 excellent days with Class I (Superior). Dalian frequently ranks Grade 2 for air pollution according to State Environmental Protection Administration. However, the environmental effects of economic growth are of concern, according to Dalian Environmental Protection Agency, during the first half of 2011, respirable particles in the air increased significantly, with an average 40% higher than 2010.


title: Dalian

text: The water quality of offshore marine space remained stable overall. The annual average content of monitoring indicators for water quality met Class-II of the National Seawater Quality Standard, with the exception of Inorganic Nitrogen in Dalian Bay and the city's southern coast. The water quality of drinking water sources is considered good and complies with Class-III of Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water.Recent events have had a major environmental impact on the city. In July 2010, the explosion of two petroleum pipelines released 11,000 barrels of oil into the Yellow Sea, according to official statements. Rick Steiner, an American marine conservationist working with Greenpeace, says that the figure could be upwards of 400,000. It was reported as the largest oil spill to occur in China, and involved 2,000 firefighters. The oil spill stretched for at least . 800 fishing boats were mobilized for the cleanup. The incident caused President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to intervene, and Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang moved in to help direct the rescue work. A researcher with the China Environmental Science Research Institute, said that "the impact on marine life and on humans – as the pollution enters the food chain – could last 10 years." This has compounded aquatic pollution, affecting the city's fishing industry.


title: Dalian

text: In August 2011, a dike protecting the petrochemical Fujia Factory in Jinzhou District was breached due to a typhoon. Authorities have ordered the plant to be shut down. Around 12,000 residents protested as the factory, which originally was intended to be based in Xiamen, did not receive official approval to operate in Dalian. Municipal authorities ruled that the facility must move, leaving taxpayers to pay the expensive cost of relocation.


title: Dalian

text: Concerns have been raised over mounting traffic due to "bad urban design" and that the growing rate of car ownership is affecting air quality. The United States National Academy of Engineering have raised concern about rising traffic in Dalian stating that "rapid growth of traffic in Dalian and in similar Chinese cities will repeat the air quality and energy consumption mistakes of Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, if not better managed."


title: Dalian

text: Cycling is not as popular in Dalian as in other Chinese cities because of the hilly roads. Dalian is also one of the many cities in China where there are few motorcycles in the downtown core, where motorcycle riding is prohibited by the local law. The city has a comprehensive bus system and an efficient metro system. As of November 2015, the Dalian Metro consists of the underground Line 1, Line 2, and the overground Line 12 (Formerly called line R2) and Line 3. New lines and expansion of the metro system are under way. The Dalian Tram system is the second oldest in China. Most of the public transportation in the city can be accessed using the Mingzhu IC Card ().


title: Dalian

text: In 2005 Dalian expanded the international airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, with direct flights to the most major cities in China, and to cities in South Korea and Japan as well as countries in Southeast Asia. In 2014, the airport was the 20th busiest airport in China with 13,551,223 passengers. The airport is the hub of Dalian Airlines.


title: Dalian

text: The city's location means that train trips to most Chinese cities outside China's northeastern region require changing trains in Beijing or Shanghai. With the high-speed rail system, trips from Dalian to Shenyang can be completed in 1.5 hours, to Changchun 2.5 hours and to Harbin 3.5 hours. The city has two railway stations, namely Dalian railway station and Dalian North railway station , the latter being part of the Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway.


title: Dalian

text: In addition to local and express bus services to Beijing and other areas in the northeast, Dalian is connected by passenger ship service to neighboring coastal cities, including Tianjin, Yantai, Weihai, Penglai and Dongying, as well as Incheon, South Korea.


title: Dalian

text: Standard Mandarin is usually spoken in Dalian because it is a city with people from various locations. But Dalian natives use Dalian dialect, which belongs to the Jiaoliao Mandarin subgroup spoken in parts of Shandong and Liaoning provinces. Most of the residents of Dalian were farmers and fishermen who had come from Shandong Province in a large population move, the "Chuang Guandong", during which era Dalian was occupied by the Japanese as the Kwantung Leased Territory. The Dalian dialect incorporates a few loanwords from Japanese and Russian (very rare in Chinese), reflecting the history of foreign occupation. Dalian dialect is mostly distinguishable from Standard Mandarin based on a low-falling Yinping (31), and it is often referred to as being "oyster flavored" () by the locals.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian cuisine is a branch of Shandong cuisine, with influence from Northeastern Chinese cuisine, and is widely known for its unique style of seafood dishes. The variety of seafood in Dalian includes fish, prawns, clams, crabs, scallops, sea urchins, oysters, sea cucumbers, mussels, lobsters, conches, abalone, algae, razor clams, urechis unicinctus, mantis shrimps, jellyfish and so on. During the winter, many seafoods such as clams, mussels and abalone gain the most fat.


title: Dalian

text: Colorful Snowflake Scallops () is a local seafood dish, where egg white is made into snowflake-shape to embrace the scallops, with seasonal greens, carrot and hot pepper cut into small pieces as decorations on top.


title: Dalian

text: Another popular local dish is Salted Fish with Corn Cake (), where steamed or fried corn cake is served with fried salted fish. Legend goes that, in the old days fishermen going out fishing in the morning couldn't return home to have lunch, so they baked fresh fish to eat with corn cakes, and the habit passed down from generation to generation and eventually became a famous food among local people.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian-style Grilled Squid () is also a local delicacy. It originated in Dalian, where the squid is produced. It is made by frying the squid on an iron plate, then cutting the squid into sections with a spatula, and sprinkling it with special sauce.


title: Dalian

text: Menzi () is a traditional local snack. A protein-rich starch paste coagulated from an extract of potatoes is cut into pieces and fried on a pan to create a crisp cover. A mixed seasoning of smashed garlic, sesame, and sauces is added on eating.


title: Dalian

text: Other popular local specialties include seafood noodles, roast full prawns, salt baked conches, lantern-shaped steamed abalone, and so on.


title: Dalian

text: Well-known theaters in Dalian are: Dalian People's Culture Club (mainly for music), Hongji Grand Stage (for Beijing Opera), Working People's Theater-Doudou Grand Stage (, mainly for Errenzhuan) and Development Area Grand Theater ().


title: Dalian

text: Sports play a big role in the local culture. Dalian's former football club, Dalian Shide (formerly known as Dalian Wanda as the club was originally sponsored by the Dalian Wanda Group), achieved a total of eight titles from China's top-tier football league, the Chinese Jia-A League and the later rebranded Chinese Super League, and was widely considered one of the most successful clubs in Chinese football history. In the Asian Football Confederation, the club reached the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship and 2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup finals. Several of China's greatest players, including Sun Jihai, Hao Haidong and Li Ming, made their names with Dalian Shide. Dalian also produced many top Chinese football players thanks to its youth training system and grassroots football culture. As of the 2014 season of the Chinese Super League, out of the 448 registered Chinese players, a total of 71 players are from Dalian. Therefore, Dalian earned its nickname of China's "Football City" (), and a giant football statue was placed in the Labor Park near downtown Dalian in its honor. Current football clubs in the city are Dalian Pro playing in the Chinese Super League and Dalian Pro W.F.C. playing in the Chinese Women's Football League. Both of their home stadiums are the Dalian Sports Centre Stadium.


title: Dalian

text: The 60,663-capacity Dalian Sports Centre Stadium, the 30,777-capacity Jinzhou Stadium, the 30,000-capacity Puwan Stadium and the 8,000-capacity Dalian Medical University Stadium are notable stadiums in Dalian.


title: Dalian

text: Other popular sports enjoyed by the local Dalianese include swimming, skiing, golf, cycling, bowling and billiards. The government organizes various events every year in Dalian, like marathon, tennis and so on.


title: Dalian

text: As part of the 2013 National Games of China in Liaoning in 2013, Dalian was a host city for 12 events, including synchronized swimming, field hockey, gymnastics, sailing and canoeing.


title: Dalian

text: In February 2018, Dalian Wanda Group decided to take over Dalian Pro (then Dalian Yifang), after a lapse of 20 years before Wanda Group decided to reinvest in a Dalianese football club. Wanda Group announced a long-term investment plan to help Dalian build more advanced football infrastructure, improve on youth training, and revitalize local football culture and Chinese football culture as a whole.


title: Dalian

text: Xinghai Square, Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center, the Dalian World Expo Center and the hotels on Renmin Road are the main places where Dalian's major annual events are held.


title: Dalian

text: Every year from January to February, the Bingyugou Ice Lantern Festival is held in Bingyugou Scenic Area in Zhuanghe City. The event features a large number of ice sculptures, snow sculptures and colorful ice lanterns. Visitors can also participate in a series of ice-sports including ice-skating, ice hockey and iceboating.


title: Dalian

text: From late April to May, the Lüshun International Cherry Blossom Festival is held. The main site is 203 Hill, and the other site is Longwangtang Cherry Blossom Park. It is said that the very first cherry trees were planted by Japanese soldiers stationed in Lüshun during World War II, in order to ease their homesickness. Today, the 203 Hill site has more than 3000 cherry trees, and boasts to be the largest cherry blossom park in China with the most varieties.


title: Dalian

text: Each May, the Dalian International Walking Festival takes place. The purpose of the festival is to foster health and peace for the whole community. It is widely popular among citizens and attracts many foreign participants. Dalian is the only city in China recognized by the IML Walking Association. Four different routes of , , , and are provided for participants, with the longest route going from Xinghai Square along Binhai Road to Laohutan Ocean Park, Bangchuidao Scenic Area and finally reaching Dalian International Conference Center. Starting from 2012, Jinshitan National Holiday Resort also serves as a venue for the festival.


title: Dalian

text: Every May, Dalian International Marathon is held. With the first marathon held in 1987, it is one of the four oldest marathon races in China. The main venue is the Jinshitan National Holiday Resort.


title: Dalian

text: Every June, the China International Software & Information Service Fair is held in Dalian World Expo Center. Officials from overseas government departments, CEOs of World Top 500, well-known consulting firms and overseas IT associations attend the fair each year.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian International Beer Festival takes place in Xinghai Square every year from July to August. It is similar to Oktoberfest in Munich and is a widely popular event in the city. Activities of the Beer Festival include exhibitions by beer manufacturers, a beer disco plaza, a beer culture exhibition, a beer drinking contest, a photography contest, the Beer Industry Summit, and a beer quiz.


title: Dalian

text: Dalian International Automotive Exhibition is held in August in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center.


title: Dalian

text: The annual Dalian International Fashion Festival is held in September in Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibitions Center and Dalian World Expo Center. For the past decade, the festival has been attracting the world's top fashion designers, businessmen and models to Dalian. Arrangement for the show includes various theme activities including the Garment Export Fair, fashion exhibitions, fashion competitions and a model contest.


title: Dalian

text: Japan maintains a branch office for its Consulate General of Japan at Shenyang and a JETRO office in Dalian, reflecting a relatively large Japanese population.


title: Dalian

text: Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry has about 700 corporate members. Those Japanese who had lived in Dalian before the War have organized the Dalian Society.


title: Dalian

text: , Dalian had 29 Christian churches (27 of them Protestant, 2 of them Catholic), 10 mosques, 34 Buddhist temples, and 7 Taoist temples, according to the statistics of the city government.


title: Dalian

text: Taoist temples can be found in various districts including downtown Dalian (Hua Temple in Zhongshan Park), in Lüshunkou District (Longwang Temple), and in Jinzhou District (Jinlong Temple in Daweijia, Xiangshui Temple at the foot of Dahei Mountain, and Zhenwu Temple in Liangjiadian).


title: Dalian

text: Buddhist temples are in downtown Dalian (Songshan Temple on Tangshan Street and Lianhuashan Temple on Yingchun Road), on the northern side of Anzi Mountain (Anshan Temple), at Daheishi (Thousand-Hand Buddha & 500 Luohan Statues), in Lüshunkou District (Hengshan Temple at Longwangtang), and in Jinzhou District (Guanyinge-Shengshui Temple on Dahei Mountain).


title: Dalian

text: Dalian Catholic Church (built in 1926) is in downtown Dalian, west of Dalian Railway Station. Protestant churches are near Zhongshan Square (Yuguang Street Church, the former Dalian Anglican Church, built in 1928 in the British Consulate General's premises by the Church of England and Anglican Church of Japan jointly), on Changjiang Road (Beijing Street Church, now called Cheng-en Church, originally built in 1914 by the Danish Lutheran Church), on Xi'an Road (Christian Church for Korean Chinese and South Koreans), east of the airport (the newly built Harvest Church, which can seat 4000 people), in Jinzhou (the newly built Jinzhou Church) and in Lüshunkou District (Lüshun Church, a former Danish Lutheran church). Dalian Mosque is on Beijing Street.


title: Dalian

text: 23 general institutions of higher education (and another 7 privately run colleges), 108 secondary vocational schools, 80 ordinary middle high schools, 1,049 schools for nine-year compulsory education and 1,432 kindergartens in Dalian. The students on campus of all levels (including kindergartens) totaled 1108 thousand.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century as communications with central London improved.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton is mainly residential, though includes Brixton Market and a substantial retail sector. It is a multi-ethnic community, with a large percentage of its population of Afro-Caribbean descent. It lies within Inner London and is bordered by Stockwell, Clapham, Streatham, Camberwell, Tulse Hill, Balham and Herne Hill. The district houses the main offices of Lambeth London Borough Council.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton is south-southeast from the geographical centre of London (measuring to a point near Brixton Underground station on the Victoria Line).


title: Brixton

text: The name Brixton is thought to originate from Brixistane, meaning the stone of Brixi, a Saxon lord. Brixi is thought to have erected a boundary stone to mark the meeting place of the ancient Brixton hundred court of Surrey. The location is unknown but is thought to be at the top of Brixton Hill, at a road known at the time as Bristow or Brixton Causeway, long before any settlement in the area.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton marks the rise from the marshes in the north of the ancient parish of Lambeth up to the hills of Upper Norwood and Streatham. At the time the River Effra flowed from its source in Upper Norwood through Herne Hill to Brixton. At Brixton the river was crossed by low bridges for Roman roads to the south coast, now Brixton Road and Clapham Road. The main roads were connected through a network of medieval country lanes, such as Acre Lane, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton Water Lane and Lyham Road, formerly Black Lane. It was only at the end of the 18th century that villages and settlements formed around Brixton, as the original woodland was gradually reduced until the area was covered in farmland and market gardens known for game and strawberries.


title: Brixton

text: The area remained undeveloped until the beginning of the 19th century, the main settlements being near Stockwell, Brixton Hill and Coldharbour Lane. With the opening of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816, improved access to Central London led to a process of suburban development. The largest single development, and one of the last in suburban character, was Angell Town, laid out in the 1850s on the east side of Brixton Road, and so named after a family that owned land in Lambeth from the late 17th century until well into the 20th. As bridges were built across the Thames in the early 19th century those working in the City of London and the West End moved to south London. The first development was in Washway, now Brixton Road. With the enclosing of the Manor of Lambeth, owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1806 and the opening of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816, terraced houses and detached villas started to line the main roads. The Rush Common enclosure stipulations dictated that houses had to be set back from the main roads, allowing for generous gardens. St Matthew's Church on part of the former common land was consecrated in 1824. The parish of St Matthew Brixton, one of five subdivisions of the ancient Lambeth parish, stretched from Camberwell Green in the northeast, to Clapham Road in the northwest, to the outer edge of Brockwell Park in the southeast and to Kingswood Road in the southwest.


title: Brixton

text: Ashby's Mill, one of the few surviving windmills in London, was built in 1816, just off Brixton Hill and surrounded by houses built during Brixton's Victorian expansion. The Surrey House of Correction, later Brixton prison, was established in 1819.


title: Brixton

text: As part of the Reform Act 1832 the expanding area of London was given representation with the creation of new parliamentary boroughs covering the metropolitan area. Only the part of Brixton north of St Matthew's Church became part of the Lambeth parliamentary borough, reflecting the still semi-rural nature of the southern part of the area. The population of Brixton was 10,175 in 1841, about 10% of the parish of Lambeth. In twenty years the population of both had doubled.


title: Brixton

text: When the London sewerage system was constructed during the mid-19th century, its designer Sir Joseph Bazalgette incorporated flows from the River Effra into his 'high-level interceptor sewer', also known as the Effra sewer.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton was connected to central London by rail on 25 August 1862 when Brixton and South Stockwell railway station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on the line from Victoria. On 13 August 1866 the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway opened Loughborough Park railway station with connections to London Bridge and the following year to Victoria. With the arrival of the railways a building boom set in. Brixton was transformed into a middle class suburb between the 1860s and 1890s and Brixton developed into a major shopping centre. The first purpose-built department store, Bon Marché, was opened on Brixton Road in 1877 and Electric Avenue was one of the first shopping arcades to have electric lighting. The now famous Brixton Market began in Atlantic Road and was moved to Station Road in the 1920s to ease traffic congestion.


title: Brixton

text: A prominent building on Brixton High Street (at 472–488 Brixton Road) is Morleys, an independent department store established in the 1880s. In 1888, Electric Avenue was so named after it became the first street in London to be lit by electricity. In this time, large expensive houses were constructed along the main roads in Brixton, which were converted into flats and boarding houses at the start of the 20th century as the middle classes were replaced by an influx of the working classes.


title: Brixton

text: By 1925, Brixton attracted thousands of new people. It housed the largest shopping centre in south London at the time, as well as a thriving market, cinemas, pubs and a theatre. In the 1920s, Brixton was the shopping capital of south London with three large department stores and some of the earliest branches of what are now Britain's major national retailers. Today, Brixton Road is the main shopping area, fusing into Brixton Market.


title: Brixton

text: On the western boundary of Brixton with Clapham stands the Sunlight Laundry, an Art Deco factory building. Designed by architect F.E. Simpkins and erected in 1937, this is one of the few Art Deco buildings that is still owned by the firm that commissioned it and is still used for its original purpose.


title: Brixton

text: The Brixton area was bombed during World War II, contributing to a severe housing crisis, which in turn led to urban decay. This was followed by slum clearances and the building of council housing.


title: Brixton

text: In the 1940s and 1950s, many immigrants, particularly from the West Indies and Ireland, settled in Brixton.


title: Brixton

text: The first wave of immigrants (492 individuals) who formed the British African-Caribbean community arrived in 1948 at Tilbury Docks on the HMT "Empire Windrush" from Jamaica and were temporarily housed in the Clapham South deep shelter. The nearest Labour Exchange (Jobcentre) was on Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, and the new arrivals spread out into local accommodation.


title: Brixton

text: Many immigrants only intended to stay in Britain for a few years, but although a number returned to the Caribbean, the majority remained to settle permanently. The arrival of the passengers has become an important landmark in the history of modern Britain, and the image of West Indians filing off its gangplank has come to symbolise the beginning of modern British multicultural society. In 1998 the area in front of Brixton Library was renamed "Windrush Square" to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the "Windrush".


title: Brixton

text: Brixton was the scene of riots in April 1981 at a time when Brixton underwent deep social and economic problems—high unemployment, high crime, poor housing, no amenities—in a predominantly African-Caribbean community. The Metropolitan Police began "Operation Swamp 81" at the beginning of April, aimed at reducing street crime, largely through the repeated use of the so-called sus law, which allowed police officers to stop and search any individual on the grounds of mere "suspicion" of possible wrongdoing. Plain clothes police officers were dispatched into Brixton, and within five days almost 1,000 people were stopped and searched under this law. There was intense local indignation at this, since the vast majority of those stopped by the police were young black men. The riot resulted in almost 279 injuries to police and 45 injuries to members of the public, more than a hundred vehicles were burned (including 56 police vehicles), and almost 150 buildings were damaged, with 30 burned. There were 82 arrests. Reports suggested that up to 5,000 people were involved in the riot.


title: Brixton

text: Following the 1981 Brixton riot the Government commissioned a public inquiry into the riot headed by Lord Scarman. The subsequent Scarman report was published in November 1981 and found unquestionable evidence of the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of 'stop and search' powers by the police against black people. The report made a number of recommendations and led to a new code for police behaviour in the "Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984" and the creation of an independent Police Complaints Authority in 1985. The 1999 Macpherson Report, an investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, found that recommendations of the 1981 Scarman report had been ignored and concluded that the police force was "institutionally racist".


title: Brixton

text: John Major's childhood roots in the area were used in a campaign poster leading up to the 1992 election "What does the Conservative Party offer a working class kid from Brixton? They made him Prime Minister."


title: Brixton

text: The 1995 riots were sparked by the death of a black man, Wayne Douglas, in police custody and occurred in an atmosphere of discontent about the gentrification of Brixton.


title: Brixton

text: In April 1999, Brixton Market was the site of the first of three attacks known as the London nail bombings. The other two, which followed within a fortnight, were in Brick Lane, the heart of East London's Bangladeshi community, and the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, frequented predominantly by the gay community. In the Brixton attack, 48 people were injured. The bomber was caught after the third attack; the BBC reported that he intended to ignite a race war across Britain with his bombing campaign. He was convicted of murder and given six concurrent life sentences.


title: Brixton

text: There has been, and there remains great debate regarding whether Brixton's recent renaissance should be deemed regeneration or gentrification. Some believe the area has slowly undergone a process of gentrification since the 1990s and has resulted in many wealthy middle-class people taking advantage of the area's location and the thriving bohemian art scene. However, others argue that the area is undergoing exciting regeneration. In recent years, Brixton has hosted a regular farmers' market on Station Road, as well as Pop-up restaurants and pop-up shops. New art galleries, delicatessens, bars, cafes and vintage clothing stores, particularly in and around Brixton Village Market have also opened, which some believe is gentrifying the area in a similar way to that in nearby Clapham.


title: Brixton

text: Pop Brixton exemplifies the ongoing discussion about regeneration. Originally created as a community project, opinion is divided over whether Pop fulfils its intentions of being part of the local community, with some arguing that Pop is seen as just another tourist and retail attraction, and that the council did not meaningfully engage with Brixton residents. Others have welcomed its arrival for its entrepreneurial approach and benefiting start-ups, and that it brings people into the area which has benefited trade and its popularity.


title: Brixton

text: In April 2015, a Reclaim Brixton protest was held by local residents and activists opposing gentrification.


title: Brixton

text: In March 2016, a campaign to save the businesses that occupy the railway arches commenced, with long-running local businesses being forced out due to rent-rises. The council passed the plans for Network Rail to refurbish them in August.


title: Brixton

text: In May 2019, plans for a 20-storey tower block providing office space were unveiled by Taylor McWilliams - a Texan property developer whose company Hondo Enterprises had bought Brixton Market in 2018. This plan drew a large opposition from the local community and campaign groups, already concerned with the threat of eviction of a popular local supermarket. Despite a petition and overwhelming opposition, council planners approved the development on 3 November 2020. A subsequent decision is to be made by London mayor Sadiq Khan, the date so far for which has been postponed.


title: Brixton

text: Brixton was one of the first inner-city based 'Transition town' projects in the UK. Brockwell Park hosts the now annual Urban Green Fair, first held in summer 2007.


title: Brixton

text: The Brixton pound was first trialled at Transition Town Brixton's "Local Economy Day" on 19 June 2008. It was then launched on 17 September 2009 by Transition Town Brixton. The Brixton pound is a local currency that is available as an alternative to sterling. The first trading day of the Brixton pound was on 18 September 2009 with 80 local businesses accepting the currency.


title: Brixton

text: The Brixton pound aims to boost the local economy and build a mutual support system amongst independent businesses by tying local shoppers to local shops and by encouraging local shops to source goods and services locally. The notes are available in B£1, B£5, B£10, and B£20 denominations and depict local celebrities such as the community activist Olive Morris and the environmentalist James Lovelock. Lambeth Council has endorsed the project, which the New Economics Foundation helped to develop.