Founded in 1958, DPU is one of the oldest institutes of light industry in China. DPU's campus covers 470,000 square meters. It is home to 16,000 undergraduate students and 1,600 graduate students. More than 400 international students study at here annually. As a multidisciplinary university, DPU offers degree courses in a range of subject areas including engineering, science, art, management, business, and the liberal arts.

As an internationalized university, DPU offers international opportunities to students. DPU has links with 70 universities and other partners in 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. DPU welcomes students from many different countries such as France, Italy, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Russia, Mongolia, Sweden, and Thailand. Everyone receives a warm welcome when they join the diverse university community.

   Dalian is a place where you can find natural scenes of stunning beauty, amiable climate, stylish architecture, comfortable beaches and summer tourist resorts. The gardens and circuses everywhere are good decorations of the city. Along the southern coast, a road like a jade ribbon runs among the mountains and along the sea, threading through the scenic spots of Bangchui Island, Tiger Beach, Fujia Village, Baiyunshan Park, and Xinghai Park. To the southwest of the city, there are worldly famous Lushunkou. Taiyanggou (Sun Valley), and Baiyu Mount (White Jade Mount) and natural wonders such as the Snake Island and the Sea Cat Island. To the north of the city, there is the Golden Pebble Beach Holiday Resort, where one can see typical sea-corroded landscape and landform of coastal cast, and the Almighty's master piece — the unique "turtle-shell rocks". In Dalian there is also the Bingyu Valley's scenery attractions in the north of the Zhuanghe city, which boasts soothing green mountains and clear rivers.