To reach Xishan Lake Children's Paradise, navigate to Shengda Flowers.

The navigation for Xishan Lake Children's Paradise is inaccurate. It directs you to the T-junction at the Water Sports Center. Instead, navigate to Shengda Flowers. The park is located on the open space between Shengda Flowers and Xishan Reservoir. Parking is free at Shengda Flowers' parking lot, and it's a short walk from there to the children's park. The children's park isn't very large and mainly features non-powered facilities. While it advertises snow play, it's difficult for snow to remain in Dalian's weather. If the park doesn't invest in snowmaking, it's mostly just water and a bit of ice, not really snow. Even with ideal weather, the only area with snow is a small slope at the far end, about a meter high and a few meters long, with a few snow tubes and plastic shovels, suitable only for toddlers. It's a good place to let kids run around and get some exercise, but for real snow play, look elsewhere. The park has an L-shaped layout. Facing the entrance are a carousel and cherry blossom trees. The carousel is the only powered facility in the park, and you need to contact the staff at the entrance to use it. Further in, on the left, is a four-story play structure, and on the right is a low-altitude rope bridge with safety netting. Past this area are a swing set area and a rainbow slide. Next to the slide is a small climbing area. Turning left, you'll find a hexagonal climbing structure with various challenges like tightropes and wooden bridges, and a trampoline in the center. In front of the climbing structure are a double swing and a mini snow slope. To the left are a "dad-powered" zip line, a "dad-powered" roller coaster, and a pirate ship. To the right are a climbing wall and a regular children's zip line. That's all there is. Because all the equipment is non-powered, the "dad-powered" zip line and roller coaster require a parent to use a bicycle-like device to pull the child up to the top, from where they slide down. This isn't too tiring for a couple of goes, but if the child gets hooked, it can become a workout for the parent. It does, however, promote parent-child bonding. The best attraction, in my opinion, is the climbing wall. It consists of a high platform and a slide. Children climb up using rope nets on either side and then slide down. The nets are sturdy and safe, but the height and the single safety net below can be a bit daunting, especially when looking down. Even reaching the top platform doesn't mean safety, as it's made of tempered glass, which is also scary to look down through. Only after sliding down can you breathe a sigh of relief. This climbing wall is the tallest I've seen in a non-powered park, and it's great for building children's courage. Children grow through seemingly casual play. Last week at Jinshitan Happy Snow World, my child was afraid to try the zip line, but this time, with encouragement from other children, she quickly got the hang of it and had a blast. She used to be scared of the two-meter-high rope net at the sports park, but last year in Henan, she bravely climbed the ten-meter-high water drop playground. This time, she conquered this twenty-meter-high rope net and platform. I'm so proud of her. This is the charm and significance of play.