Travellers come to Dandong solely for its vicinity to the North Korean border. Western
tourists are few. Situated at the confluence of the Yalu River and the Yellow Sea in the southeast of
Liaoning Peninsula, facing the north Korean town of Sinuiji across the Yalu River, small
Dandong enjoys its reputation as the largest border city in China. The geographic setting and the rich natural resources of Dandong account for its recent
development into a city characterized by the light industry, silk industry (Every late
May, Dandong is the venue for the Oriental Silk Festival), sea products and special
products, such as Ginseng, hawthorn and chestnut. The quiet riverside city is most famous for the pockmarked Yalu River Bridge spanning
distressingly over the river. The bridge survived the bombing during the Korean War, a
time when the city still had its old name Andong. Now it is open to the public to commemorate
"the defeat of the American Aggression" and is the first choice for a glimpse of
North Korea. From Dandong, you can easily get to the Changbaishan Nature Reserve
in Jilin Province. If you are
interested in paying a visit to North Korea, you"ll have to wait for weeks to see your
visa application through. Visitors with American, Israeli and South Korean nationalities
are unqualified to apply. But don"t worry, you can still learn a lot about North Korea on
the streets of Dandong, where vendors sell North Korean stamps and propaganda posters and
frequently you"ll see Korean writing on boards over shops. In the hotels you can watch
North Korean TV. Anyway, the city is so close to North Korea, you can feel the strong
influence of Korean culture everywhere. |