One demonstrator clutched a poster of a time bomb
Thousands of residents took part in the demonstration, state media say.
Calls for the plant to be moved began mounting last week
after a tropical storm broke the dyke around the plant, sparking fears
of a toxic spill.
The plant produces paraxylene (PX), a chemical used in fabric manufacture which can be highly toxic.
China's state news agency Xinhua said the city's top
official, Tang Jun, had tried to calm the crowd on Sunday by promising
to move the plant out of the city, but the protesters showed no sign of
dispersing.
There were no reports of injuries in the scuffles during
which riot police were deployed to shield the municipal government
office.
Calls for protesters to gather on Sunday for a "group
stroll", as the rally was termed, had reportedly been circulating on
social networks.
'PX out!'
Photographs posted on the internet on Sunday showed
protesters, including children, marching under such banners as "I love
Dalian and reject poison" and "Give me back my home and garden! PX out!
Protect Dalian!".
One picture showed three men standing on top of a police van in
front of People's Square and a person in a skeleton costume surrounded
by hundreds of men and policemen, Reuters news agency reports.
On Monday, residents living near the PX plant had to be evacuated after storm waves breached a dyke protecting it.
The dyke was repaired but concern rose among local people and
reports suggested the plant may have been operating illegally months
before it received mandatory environmental approval.
PX is used to make plastics, polyester and cleaning products, and can damage vital organs after long-term exposure.
A Dalian resident, who declined to be named, told Reuters
news agency: "We know that the typhoon caused some leak of poisonous
chemicals from the PX project and we are all worrying about it because
it is a threat to our life."
Local people hoped their protest would "push the government
to do something as soon as possible to dispel" the concern, the resident
added.
Weibo, China's version of Twitter, was being censored by the
authorities to block searches for the terms "PX", "Dalian" and "Dalian
protests".
"Group strolls" have become a favoured tactic for Chinese people to show discontent with the government.
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