Post the Fifthteenth: The Wall and the Great Wall (Dandong 5 of 5)

Continued from Part IV...

The fence on the PRC-DPRK border.

Part V: The Great Wall

On Saturday morning, we woke up early to go to the eastern terminus of the Great Wall at Tiger Mountain. After buying water at the foot of the mountain (the price increases exponentially as you climb the wall), we set off under an overcast sky. The climb itself didn't take that long and we soon found ourselves panting on the highest observation tower on Tiger Mountain. After taking in our fill of scenery (the weather didn't really permit much to be seen), we climbed down on a different path to get a closer look at the Yalu River and North Korea.

The Wall. Apparently it was restored recently, which is funny because there are still gaping holes in the stairs.

Looking down at the foot of the mountain, the entrance to the Wall, and the parking lot.

And I used to complain about the stairs in the Chemistry Building. I also like that they left a giant non-movable rock in the middle of the stairs and decided to call it a dragon rather than admit that sorry, this was too heavy to move and we ran out of dynamite.

View of the Wall and Tiger Mountain from the other side.

Whatever you do, don't fall.

On our hike down the wall, we were captivated by the view of the DPRK. The expanse of land was uninterrupted except for one field and a group of "houses", which were really more just huts. Of course, there was not a soul to be seen. Adding to the creepiness was the presence of music on the other side in the village. Was it for them, or for us?

A North Korean field. The Yalu River is at the bottom.

More fields.

Fields.

A sentry outpost hut in the DPRK. There was a man inside who was watching all the people climb down the wall.

All of sudden, the six of us found ourselves at a break in the fence between the DPRK and the PRC marked by a sign warning of the border and requesting that we not wave, call to, exchange gifts with, or communicate at all with anyone on the other side. It was both exciting and sort of lame. Here we were, five Americans, on the North Korean border. At any moment a group of rifle-slinging soldiers could pop up and demand we move away or risk being shot. Then again, it was just a piece of land that looked exactly the same as the land on which we were standing on our side of the river. In the end, we took a bunch of photos and listened to the eerie music play from the village before hiking on to the entrance of the Wall.

The barbed wire is pretty welcoming, isn't it?

The village on the other side. Like I said before, not a soul to be seen.

More of the village.

Do these houses have air conditioning? Running water? Television providing state-sponsored programs?

The gap in the fence.

All in all, I'm very pleased that I got to get out of Harbin for a bit and explore a different city. The experience was quite eye-opening and the difference between bustling China and almost deserted North Korea could not have been sharper. It almost makes Harbin feel like a first-class city. Then again, any city that cannot offer me a burrito is unworthy of that title. Find me a Chipotle and then we'll talk.

I'm guessing this includes high-fives...

No matter what you do, don't you dare dabble!

Anyways, only two more weeks left in Harbin! How the time has flown!!

魏德

End of Part V & Dandong Posts

Post the Fourteenth: Robots (Dandong 4 of 5)

Continued from Part III...

Downtown Dandong

Part IV: The City of Dandong

Just like any other city in China, Dandong is a bustling metropolis (see TOO MANY PEOPLE) full of chain stores and small shops alike. The thing about Dandong is while it is much less internationalized and developed than Harbin it still manages to be somewhat cleaner and friendlier. Even two weeks later, I'm still not sure why.

View of downtown Dandong from the Korean War Museum.

A view of the mountains from the Korean War Museum.

After the museum, we went to Dandong''s pedestrian street (apparently every major city in China has to have one area where people can walk around and shop for overpriced goods) to look around. It was sort of a poorer imitation of Beijing's Wangfujing or Harbin's Zhongyang Dajie, though just as lively. The typical banks and foreign stories were there, as well as cheaper Chinese imitations of said foreign stores. The street is home to one of the best bubble tea stands in China. For four kuai (about 60 cents), you could get one of 50+ flavors of milk tea with tapoica pearls. DELICIOUS.

Length-shot of Buxing Jie, Dandong's pedestrian street.

Another shot of Buxing Jie.

Yes, it's totally normal to wear one's jeans on one's head.

Even superheroes weren't spared by the economic recession.

Zhen Ai, or Real Love, is a nightclub in Dandong. The only reason that it's cool is due to the fact that it has a spring-loaded dance floor.

For dinner on Friday, we decided to check out the Pyongyang North Korean Friendship Restaurant in Dandong. The establishment was built by the North Korea government as a diplomatic bridge between China and North Korea. The restaurant itself is run by a team of North Korean androids waitresses and a lone North Korean director computer programmer manager. It's a bit odd since there aren't any windows, only half the tables are ever full and the place is unnervingly clean (compared to the dirt and grit outside on the street).  The waitresses are all naturally slim and gorgeous (North Korea obviously doesn't have any malnourished ugly people) and most of them can't speak Chinese.

They can't speak Chinese.

Each waitress, who is probably the daughter of some North Korean political big-shot, gets to come to China to work in the restaurant for a maximum of two years. Prior to coming to China, the women do not receive any Mandarin lessons. I'll tell you right now that trying to communicate to someone in a language that neither of you speak is one of the most frustrating things ever.

Anyways, back to the story...

When our (obviously American) party of six strolled into the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by a non-smiling young woman who led us to a table (with four seats) and left us to pull up two more chairs. Another young woman (also emotionless) stepped forward with a menu and stood by silently while we pursued about 20 pages of overpriced Korean fair. Besides dog meat, we had no idea what to get so I turned to the woman and asked her, in Chinese, to recommend a few dishes. She just looked back at me. I asked again. She sort of shook her head and pointed at the menu. "But which things are good?" "Ummmmm..." We went back and forth in this manner for some time, and eventually ended up pointing at the most tasty looking pictures. Our waitress said nothing at all, though she semi-pursed her lips when we ordered the dog meat. While the food was okay, the fengshui was a bit creepy so we quickly paid our bill (I had to ask about three times since she didn't understand me) and went down the street to an open-air barbecue restaurant for dumplings and meat kebabs.

Entrance to the China-North Korea Friendship Restaurant. Notice the blinds are closed.

The presentation seemed almost half-hearted. It's not like it's the only flagship outlet of North Korean cuisine and culture or anything.

Some kimchi, some Korean beef, and some dog meat. Stringy and plain, do not eat.

The restaurant was definitely a weird experience and left me with a lot of questions. Do the waitresses ever go out? What do they think of their Chinese customers? Of their American customers? What happens when they go home to the DPRK? After living for two years in China were there are loud advertisements, cell-phones, and South Korean pop music, do they want to go back?

End Part IV...

Post the Thirteenth: Me? American? Noooo (Dandong 3 of 5)

Continued from Part II...

The Museum Commemorating the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. I told you I'm Brazilian, right?

Part III: The Museum Dedicated the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea

The Korean War, known in China as 抗美援朝战争, refers to the territorial war that took place between North Korea/China and South Korea/US/United Nations from 1950 to 1953 (though it is still technically ongoing). Both sides attempted to defend their territory from the opposing side, ultimately resulting in the division of the peninsula into communist/totalitarian North Korea and capitalist/democratic South Korea along the 38th parallel. While the War's causalities were high for all involved parties, they were particularly high on the North Korean/Chinese side. To this day, does China care? No, because in their mind they, a fledgling recently-established nation with few trained soldiers and even fewer supplies, were able to take on and beat back the attacks of imperialist and omnipotent United States of the America. Take that, capitalist scum!

The museum was built in Dandong to commemorate the Chinese victory over US/UN allied forces in the Korean War. Recently the museum underwent a massive renovation to increase museum space and bring the addition of a park full of old war planes and tanks. Simply stated, the museum is huge and is a huge source of national pride: Chinese tour groups that come to Dandong are required by federal law to pay a visit to the museum.

The museum tower at the top of the hill. Four statues flank the tower, each showing a group of Chinese/North Korean soldiers triumphing over "imperialism".

(At the museum entrance) Oh hi!...American? Of course not. My name is Paolo, I'm from Brazil.

Artillery outside the museum.

Upon entering the museum, we were immediately struck by the gravity of the displays. The main entrance had the declarations of war on the Chinese and North Korean sides (as well as a massive statue of Mao Zedong shaking hands with a North Korean general). These declarations, which sighted American arrogance and ruthlessness as the causes of the war, set the tone for the rest of our visit.

The actual artifacts in the museum are pretty impressive: there is a wide collection of weapons, supplies, artillery, communications, transmissions, etc on display with both English and Mandarin descriptions. Pictures of the war line the wars with captions describing the "determined actions of the Chinese volunteers" and "American blunders" in great detail. My personal favorite was the section detailing Chinese treatment of US/UN POWs: obviously the treatment was fantastic (never mind these prisoners were refused food and water until they agreed to attend Communist Party "reeducation camps"). While it was super interesting to see the Korean War told from the Chinese perspective, the museum brings bias to a whole new level.

A plaque honoring the great Chairman Mao.

An example of "unbiased" reporting. I will never complain about reporting bias ever again.

A lovely little scene depicting "brave Chinese volunteers" triumphing over "cowardly and incompetent" American and UN forces.

Tools used by the US/UN coalition. The quality of the artifacts was top-notch.

A stretcher used by American field paramedics.

"Friendship spirits" and "friendship cigarettes" given to soldiers in the North Korean PKA army.

A propaganda painting dating back to the Korean War depicting a Chinese volunteer defending China from greedy American...gremlins?

After somberly walking around the museum (though still trying to appear neutral - Brazil wasn't involved, right?), we took a tour of the museum grounds. There was a nice little park area directly behind the museum where locals in their 70's and 80's gathered to chat and walk their dogs while a woman trained a flock of doves to land on people's arms and eat birdseed out of their hair without pecking out an eye (not kidding). Two of our new-found army friends paid to enter the vehicle display area that housed a bunch of dilapidated mounted machine guns, tanks, and airplanes as well as a rusty jungle-gym thing. The rest of us, not in the mood for tetanus, decided to appreciate these relics from afar.

An old Chinese tank.

Some machine-gun things.

An old Chinese bomber. I think the Russians gave it to them.

While definitely not as happy as our boat ride on the Yalu River, the museum offered a illuminating glimpse into Chinese views of the West, North Korea, and themselves.

Even the ear-flaps on this Chinese volunteer are ready to combat the imperialist-aggressors.

End of Part III...

Post the Twelfth: North Korea (Dandong 2 of 5)

The famous Sinuiju ferris wheel. It rarely moves since no one ever rides it.

Continued from Part I...

A view of a North Korean factory from Dandong.

After sleeping for a couple hours in our lovely hotel (see LUXURIOUS), we decided to go down to the river to explore a bit and, of course, get a glimpse of the DPRK.

A statue by the Yalu River.

The Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge. Behind it lies the "Short Bridge", a partially dismantled bridge that was bombed by the US during the Korean War.

After looking over the river for some time, we decided to walk down the riverside in the hopes of taking a boat to get closer to North Korea. The official tours (see city-approved) were 50 kuai for a big slow river boat and 70 kuai for a smaller but faster speedboat. Naturally we opted for the speedboat. (There were also unofficial tours given by random salesmen but all them involved bargaining with an obnoxious Dandong person and then being told that there boat wasn't in the river and we had to get in an unmarked black van in order to reach it).

Our speedboat was piloted by a tall Dandong native who rarely smiled or laughed. The man wordlessly provided life-jackets (all XXXL sized and missing buckles) before helping us board the boat and jetting off. I have to say that this was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life: bumping up and down on the waves while blasting our way to the North Korean riverbank as a remix of Gwen Stefani's "Crash" served as our anthem was an excellent remedy for a 12-hour hard-seater train ride. Once we arrived at the other side, our driver slowed the boat so we could take some photos of North Korean children playing in the river water.

After some time had elapsed, we struck up a conversation with the boat driver. Apparently this rarely happens (then again, most speedboat passengers are 300 lbs. non-Chinese speakers) so he told us that he could take us closer to the coast (than was allowed by company rules) if we put our cameras away. Naturally, everyone's camera was instantly in its case and away we went.

As we slowly motored by hulking, rusty wrecks of ships, we spotted many a North Korean walking, talking, and otherwise going about their lives. When we were in their direct vicinity, however, all conversation stopped and they stared at us as we stared back. Some of them unsmilingly waved to us while we cautiously waved back, aware that at any moment bullets could pepper the side of our vessel. There were plenty of soldiers on the docks, though most ignored us. One solider waved discreetly at us as we passed (his hand moved in a waving motion though his wrist did not leave his waist) so that no one would see his actions, while other soldiers whistled at our passing boat (it became clear that it was a greeting when we passed them again and they waved back). The entire time my heart was forcefully beating in my chest with excitement: I was on the North Korean border waving at North Koreans! And they were waving back! Some of them even smiled!

North Korean children playing on a beach by the Yalu River.

"Ship-building" equipment on the North Korean riverbank. No ship has ever been built by the DPRK here.

Children playing part II.

A far-off view of the North Korean riverbank.

A rusty riverboat on the Yalu River. North Koreans earn a meager living by taking these wrecks apart for scrap metal. Some also may or may not serve as homes.

After some time, the driver turned the boat around and told us that we were heading back to the Chinese side of the river. We were all thrown back into our seats when he suddenly stepped on the gas pedal. Our shock instantly abated when "Baby" by Justin Bieber began blasting out of our boat's speakers. We sped by the North Korean soldiers and ship-workers and passers-by, dancing and singing along to Bieber's (questionably) dulcet tones, smiles nearly breaking our faces as we returned to the dock.

One thing that became apparent on this river cruise was the difference between the city of Dandong and the city of Sinuiju. Dandong is China's 80th largest city; Sinuiju is North Korea's 6th largest. Dandong's population stands at 2.4 million; Sinuiju has 350,000 people. Dandong is a major port city connected to Shenyang and the Pacific Ocean; Sinuiju is one of the special economic zones established by the DPRK to experiment with market reforms. One side of the river is a noisy mess of bodies, cars, and neon billboards, while the other side looks like it hasn't ever been touched by humans. One skyline is pierced by skyscrapers, the other by green mountains. At night, the Chinese side has singing and dancing as well as lanterns, music, fountain shows, and bright lights that make it seem that everyday is a holiday. The last light from North Korea vanishes at around 8PM; after dark, you'd never know it was there.

A view of Dandong from our speedboat.

A mountain rising over North Korea.

Comparison shot: China is on the left and North Korea is on the right.

On the left, part of the fountain-light show on the Chinese riverbank. The Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge appears to extend into nothingness.

View of the Chinese park next to the river. So many lights!

The North Korean side of the river. The only things giving off light: the moon, the water's reflection, and a balloon lantern released from the Chinese park (top, slightly left of center).

It still seems weird to me that the municipal government was allowed to install a light-show fountain on their side of the riverbank when the Chinese know that the other side of the river has nothing to offer after dark. Perhaps this is a display of power to establish China's dominance over the DPRK, a sort of we're-the-only-people-keeping-you-alive-in-this-day-and-age. Or maybe it's an incentive for the North Korean government to open up their economy and allow for more market freedom. The black market trade between China and North Korea for cellphones, clothes, DVDs, etc is considerable; perhaps China wants to legitimize the exchange to increase profits. Regardless of the reasoning behind the fountain, one thing remains obvious: the distance between the two nations may be slight, but the difference is enormous.


End Part II