Abstract: After the Russo-Japanese War (1904—1905), Japan occupied the areas around Lvshun and Dalian. For the needs of construction, a large number of Japanese architects followed the army to China. This paper explores the activities of the Japanese colonial authorities, the South Manchuria Railway Company, and the civil construction organizations and architects in Dalian. Then the paper discusses the design as well as the architectural thinking and craft applied to the buildings of Dalian Port, to understand the concept of modernity and demonstrate the process of modernization.