Borderlands

After working our way down the steep backside of Tiger Mountain's section of the Great Wall, we nestled into a natural cutout in the face of the cliff to rest for a bit and wait for the stragglers to catch up.  Wind sifted though the cave and the cold rocks made for a wonderfully pleasant respite.  Conversation and laughter slowly died down as we took in the expanse before us.  The muddy canal below us barely moved, separating us from a barbed-wire fence that closed off fields of North Korean corn by a mere 15 meters give or take some bushes.  Slowly the natural silence of water dripping down the mouth of the cave opening and wind whispering through the cave behind us gave way to faint music drifting across the border.  We sat and listened for 5 minutes, not saying anything.

That was the most memorable moment of our trip to Dandong two weekends ago (internet's been out for the last few days, so I didn't have a chance to post this, sorry :\ ).  The trip was great, we got to see a great performance of Manchurian song and dance (which included an epic Lion Dance performance on Jongs!), had a bonfire where we roasted S'mores (so good haha) and a whole lamb AT THE SAME TIME (it was epic), an impromptu dance party with random Chinese tourists in the rain (kind of epic), got to see Qingshan Lake (epically natural), visit half-bridges (epically historical-we met some Korean War/Resist America Help Korea War veterans on the bridge, which was interesting) that had been climb the Great Wall (epically long), and take a boat on the Yalujiang in the city of Dandong (epically touristy), and a brief visit to Shenyang's old Manchurian palace.  All in all it was pretty epic.

But seriously, my impression of Dandong on the whole was kind of strange.  It has a lot of beautiful sites worth visiting, but tourists don't go to Dandong to see Qingshan Lake or Manchurian song and dance.  The real reason they're there is not because of anything that China has, it's simply because it's close to North Korea.  They come to see North Korea from Tiger Mountain's section of the Great Wall, to look through the binoculars the locals have set up at the summit, to purchase Korean postage stamps or currency, to eat authentic North Korean cuisine, to go to the half bridges, destroyed in the 50's when Korea closed itself (in Dandong, there's a new bridge next to the old half-bridge that transports trains and busses full of products and tourists alike), and to places like Yibukua, or One-step-across, the closest point between North Korea and China.

Places like these mean very different things to different people.  To some of the Korean tourists, and there are many, it may be as close as they get to long-lost family members, a somber moment to say the least.  It's completely different for the Chinese, however.

The Chinese side of the Yalujiang, which separates the two countries, is replete with 20+ story buildings, neon lights, a bustling riverside park and street.  The North Korean side, by contrast, is pitch black at night.  During the day it livens up.  Even on Sunday the earth movers and dump trucks were busily transporting dirt and sand, and (rusting) boats were building welded.  We even passed a North Korean boat travelling upriver when we were on our tourist boat.  But it didn't take much to amaze—simply seeing a North Korean riding a bike, or a truck driving through a city would incite Oooos and Ahhhs.

The entire time, I couldn't help but think that each side was putting on a show for the other.  Almost zoo- or circus-like, but I'm not sure who's on which side of the fence.  But Dandong is also putting on a show for China—it's impossible to not notice the stark contrast between the two sides, and for obvious reasons Chinese see that as a source of pride.  An example to see how far they've come.  Everyone has seen a picture of a Chinese kid holding up their index and middle finger in what looks like a peace sign and thought, "Oh those silly Chinese teenagers."  But it's really a V for victory, and when held up taking a picture with North Korea in the background, takes on a new, if unintended meaning.

Regardless, it was a fun trip, with some great stops that I probably wouldn't have ever gone to otherwise.  I got to know a lot of the other Chinese roommates, which was great, probably the best part of the trip.  I also got to spend some more time with Weiqiang, my roommate, without the pressure of homework, which was nice too haha.  I apologize for my tardiness, I had quite a bit of work last week and two extra classes to make up for ones that were missed, and the internet went out on Friday for repairs.  Also, sorry about the format, I wish I could do something about the photos, but I still can't access blogspot.