Dandong

Dandong (丹东; Dāndōng; formerly known as Andong (安东)), is a city in Liaoning Province, China, right next to the North Korean border.

Understand

Location of Dandong in China

Dandong in Chinese

Visitors usually come to Dandong for its close vicinity to the North Korean border.

Situated at the confluence of the Yalu River and the Yellow Sea in the southeast of Liaoning Peninsula, facing the North Korean town of Sinuiju 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 characterised by the light industry, silk industry (every late May, Dandong is the venue for the Oriental Silk Festival), and also Xiu Jade is famous for 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.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Dandong Langtou Airport (丹东浪头机场; DDG  ^IATA) (13 miles west of town), ☏ +86 415 6176569. Flights from Dandong are available to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Yantai, and Chengdu. It’s better to fly in/out of Dalian or Shenyang and then take the train or bus to/from Dandong due to frequent cancellations of flights. (updated Apr 2024)

Airport shuttle is available (¥10 as of May 2016).

By train

• 2 Dandong railway station (丹东站; Dāndōng zhàn). Trains from Shenyang several times a day with night trains from Beijing, Dalian, Changchun and Qingdao. From Dalian, the train takes around 2 to 3 hours, while buses complete the journey in 4 hours. You can also take the train from Pyongyang, North Korea and Moscow, Russia.  

By bus

The long-distance bus station is at 98 Shiwei Lu, near the train station.

• Beijing - takes about 10 hours
• Shenyang - takes about 3 hours
• Tonghua - takes about 5 hours

Dalian Express Buses leave from the Baoshan Shicheng on Gong'an Jie. The trip takes about 4 hours.

By boat

The Dandong International Ferry company (Dandong Office: 0415-3152666, Incheon Office: +82-32-891-3322, runs the ferry Oriental Pearl between Dandong and Incheon port in South Korea. The ferry leaves Incheon's Ferry Terminal No. 1 at 17:00 (check-in closing at 15:00) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, arrives at Dandong at 9:00 the next day, and leaves Dandong at 16:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday (check-in closing at 15:00) and arrives at Incheon at 9:00 the next day. Prices: economy (20+ people) ¥1010, 6-beds cabin w/ bathroom ¥1060. Dandong departure tax: ¥30 to buy at the terminal.

Food available for purchase on board in South Korean won only; yuan exchange possible at very bad rate (no currency exchange at Dandong terminal). The passage takes 15 hours.

Buses to the ferry terminal leave Dandong in front of the train station at around 12:00-13:00 (ask station for details) (1 h, ¥20).

Get around

On foot

If you happen to stay in the original CBD area near the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, getting around by walking is good enough if only staying for a night or two, as the city's main draw for Western visitors, the river promenade to see North Korea, is easily reachable. It's often required to walk on the bike lane as pedestrian walkways are frequently blocked by parked cars.

By taxi

If you can't use public buses due to the language barrier, taxis are perhaps best for getting around. They are plentiful all over the city so waiting times should never be long. Almost all of the drivers will bring you anywhere inside the city for the price of ¥10. From downtown to the new district, it should cost between ¥30 and ¥50. When using taxis, make sure the driver activates the meter, and pay attention to it as the meter may 'accidentally' turn off, resulting in the driver demanding more money from you.

By bus

As pretty much everywhere in China, buses are an efficient and very affordable way to traverse a city – if you can read Chinese, that is. All lines have flat fares of ¥1 or ¥2 (the latter mostly for lines going to the new district approx. 14 km from the original town). Note that depending on the line, service may stop as early as 6 pm.

One useful line for those who want to see the huge, relatively new double arch bridge across the Yalu river is no. 303, which can take you from the main road at the exit of the Broken Bridge (bus stop 断桥; Duanqiao; across the street, turning right and walking a few metres) to the northern block of the new district (bus stop 国安路口; Guoanlukou), from which it's a 10-minutes walk to the river promenade and the bridge.

By shared bike

Bicycles are a great way to explore Dandong, but you will need to be able to read Chinese if you want to use the locally available share bikes. Unlike China's bigger cities, the seemingly all-present Mobike and Ofo companies don't operate here – instead, one is left with two choices, one of which is virtually useless for short-term visitors:

• ZXBike (智想单车; Zhixiangdanche), whose seagreen bikes are easy recognisable by the solar panel mounted behind the seat. You need their app (Chinese only) to unlock a bike; iOS users can download this from the App Store, Android users can download it directly from their website. Bikes are not nearly as easy to find as in Chinese tier 1 cities, however the app can show you a map to locate one nearby. Unfortunately, these bikes can only be used within the original town, ie they cannot be taken to the new district. Price seems to be ¥1 per 30 minutes of usage once unlocked.
• The Dandong City Government provides orange bikes, available from actual docking stations which seem to be most frequent along the river promenade. They can only be hired with the smartcard that's also used to pay local bus fares and can only be obtained from a particular government office in town – not worth the effort unless you actually live in Dandong.

See

View of North Korea from Dandong

• North Korean Border (朝鲜边界; Cháoxiǎn biānjiè). As the boundary between China and North Korea, the Yalu River flows over 300 km between the countries. Yalujiang Park is the best place to view North Korea, see the public sculptures, the swimming platforms (Warning: do not swim into North Korea), and possibly take a fast boat ride up and down the river along the border. There are remnants of an original railroad bridge across the river, bombed and destroyed by the Americans, a few km north of the Friendship Bridge, with a large stone-carved book inscribed in Chinese as a monument onshore. (updated Mar 2015)
• 1 Yalu River Broken Bridge (Yalu Jiang Duan Qiao). This bridge reaches only halfway across the river, the other half having been badly damaged by American bombing during the Korean War, and got disassembled by the Koreans. One can walk out to the end of this half-bridge and enjoy a binocular view of North Korea. ¥30. (updated Mar 2015)
• 2 Memorial of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝纪念馆), 7 Shanshang Street, Zhenxing District (振兴区山上街7号) (there is a bus stop just outside, which is served by bus nos. 121, 122, 302 and the H1 Red Bus; take bus no. 122 or the H1 Red Bus if coming from Dandong Railway Station), ☏ +86 415 2175988, kgwzjyyx@sina.com. 09:00-16:30, no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays. A large museum and monument built on a hill overlooking central Dandong and the Yalu river. The many, well-labeled bilingual exhibits venerate the courageous Chinese Volunteers Army, and offer a Chinese perspective on the history of the Korean war. The museum reopened in 2020 after six years of renovations. Free.  
• 3 Hushan Great Wall (虎山长城; Hǔshānchángchéng; lit. Tiger Mountain Great Wall) (25 km northeast of Dandong). This Ming Dynasty section of the Great Wall of China, which travels parallel to river, was restored to decent condition. The section is steep so watch your footing. Buy a ticket at the long distance bus station for ¥6.5 and the trip takes about 40 minutes. The bus driver will drop you off at a T-intersection right by the Wall. You can hike along the Wall one way and then return to the beginning on a walkway along the bottom of the mountain. You can climb on top of the tower at the highest point and see the Yalu River, and look into North Korea. There is an old wire fence that separates North Korea from China. North Korean guardhouses are 300-400 metres in the distance. The actual border is a small stream-river along the base of the mountain. Don't cross the water. To return to Dandong, return to the T-intersection and wait for a bus that will take you back to the long-distance bus terminal for ¥3. Confirm with the bus driver that the bus is going to Dandong. ¥60. (updated Jan 2011)

Friendship Bridge

• 4 Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. The official crossing into North Korea. Passage is only by vehicle or train. Travellers are not allowed to walk across this bridge.  
• 5 Jinjiangshan Park (锦江山公园), 93 Shanshang Street, Yuanbao District, ☏ +86 415 225 5896. Located to the west of the railway station and is easily accessible by a 10-minute walk. The park is very popular to visit by local families on the weekend and by the elderly community during the weekdays as they gather to sing Chinese revolutionary or folklore songs. During the Korean War a giant ammunition bunker was dug into the mountain by the PLA and still remains. The walk to the top can be completed within 30-minutes. Once reaching the top you can walk up the stairs of two different pagoda towers for an impressive view of Dandong and North Korea if the weather was great. (updated Jun 2024)
• 6 Andong Old Street (安东老街), 49 Renmin Road, Zhenxing District, ☏ +86 415 3186088. A multi-functional cultural street with nostalgia sightseeing of the Nationalist period, classic food and tourism and shopping. The outer street and inner street shops are designed to reproduce the old streetscape by drawing on the classic architectural elements of the old Andong, together with the old objects and streetscape sculptures, including century-old brands, branded catering, northeastern specialties, local seafood, flavourful snacks, local theatre performances, and a variety of folk arts flourishing in the Andong period. (updated Jun 2024)
• 7 New Yalu River Bridge. This massive, double arch motorway bridge was built by the Chinese government for about ¥2.2 billion and was intended to replace the old Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, as the North Koreans made promises to turn South Sinuiju into a Special Economic Zone and build a connecting road; neither has ever happened, so the bridge is ending in a dirt road among rice fields on the Korean side of the border. It's another example of a huge Chinese infrastructure project which didn't go as planned; also look for the vast, deserted immigration complex on the Northern side of the bridge.  
• 8 Yalu River Park. Riverside park regarded as having some of the best views into North Korea. 
• 9 Yalu River Art Museum (鸭绿江美术馆), 11 Moon Island Street, Zhenxing District (振兴区月亮岛大街11号) (take bus no. 126 to Moon Island; the museum is about 160 meters from the Moon Island bus stop), ☏ +86 415 3190000. 10:00-12:30, 13:00-17:00, no entry between 11:30 and 12:30 or between 16:30 and 17:00, closed on Mondays. A unique art museum that only displays one exhibition at any one time and only changes its exhibitions once a year. Visitors who wish to visit the museum between October 20th and April 1st are required to make a booking at least one hour before visiting. Bookings can be made by scanning the QR code on the museum website. Standard entry fee is ¥40; free entry is granted to persons over 70 and children under 1.3 meters in height who are accompanied by an adult. (updated May 2023)
• 10 Moon Island (月亮岛). A beautiful island with an area of 134,000 square meters on the Yalu River. The island consists of several major parts such as dining and entertainment areas, hotels, fitness and leisure. The buildings on Moon Island are all European-style, integrating accommodation, catering, entertainment and shopping. There is a small playground on Moon Island and facilities such as a Ferris wheel and a pirate ship. The cafes and restaurants on the island are also set off by these buildings, which are very distinctive and full of sentiment. Every summer, there will also be a large night market here, where small commodities and various delicacies line an entire street, which is worth recommending. There's a telescope available to view North Korea. (updated Jun 2024)

Do

• Cross into North Korea – it is possible to cross into Sinuiju, North Korea by train from Dandong, and then change trains to get to Pyongyang. Numerous local tour groups can sort out the paperwork without referring to Beijing and arrange a relatively budget-friendly visit to Pyongyang for Chinese and foreign tourists. The cheapest deals involve joining a large group and can go as low as around ¥2000 for a three night/four day package for Chinese nationals. Foreign nationals should expect to pay at least €560. Bargain hard. Of course, the usual restrictions apply (see North Korea for details).

Buy

Most shops offer products at low cost and North Korean cigarettes can be purchased at many places, especially along the Yalu river.

Along with products from North Korea, many South Korean goods are sold too. If you're specifically looking for something to take home from the North, check the packaging – North Korean products use simple and/or poor packaging designs, and perhaps most strikingly, do not feature internet addresses in the smallprint, which products from the South almost always do.

Dandong is a great place to get your hands on North Korean currency, the won (which supposedly is not allowed to be taken out of the country). Street vendors sell sets of bills in different denominations, which may or may not include some additional coins; prices start at ¥25 per set.

Eat

The town, because of the location, has a lot of Korean restaurants with most congregating on the street facing the river. Give the shiguo Banfan, stonepot rice, also known as bibimbap in Korean, a try as well as the Chinese hot pot. There are also a few North Korean restaurants in town, owned by the North Korean government and with North Korean waitresses, which are recognisable by the Chinese and North Korean flags over the entrances. There are also restaurants run by ethnic Koreans, not part of the North Korean government, that serve Korean food. A good dish to try would be ginseng chicken, which consists of a whole chicken immersed in a ginseng broth, served piping hot. Pyongyang raengmyeon, or Korean-style cold noodles, is also widely available to cater to the North Korean expatriates living here.

AnDong LaoJie night market street: 安东is another name for this region and they have many local specialties as well as food from many provinces and the Koreas. An enclosed night market with newer food stalls, a souvenir area and museum vibes upstairs, with performances in the evenings starting at 6. Dancing lions, drumming North Korean ladies, singers, an indoor rickshaw, people in traditional costumes and more have been observed.

• 1 Dandong Laishun Hot Pot Restaurant (丹东来顺火锅), Jingjuyuan Unit No.1111, Caishenmiao Street, Yuanbao District, ☏ +86 415 285 9909. 09:30-03:00 next day. A Chinese hotpot restaurant still serving the old-fashioned Beijing-style copper hot pots. (updated Jun 2024)

Drink

There is a beer garden down near Yueliang island (right across the small bridge)that gets a lot of foot traffic but closes early.

Be sure to try the local Daxiangjiao soft drink, a clear, banana flavored soft drink typically sold in green glass bottles.

Sleep

• Dandong Yalujiang Mansion, 87 Jiuwei Road, ☏ +86 415 212 5901, fax: +86 41 5212 6180. 
• Post & Telecommunications Hotel, 78 Qiwei Road, ☏ +86 415 216 6888, fax: +86 41 5213 5988. 
• Zhonglian Dajiuian, Shangmao Lüyou Qu A Qu, ☏ +86 415 317 0666, fax: +86 41 5317 0888. Great views and comfortable rooms with a bowling alley, cigar room and western buffet. The cafe has views of North Korea, 143 rooms. 
• 1 Vienna International Hotel (维也纳国际酒店(丹东江景之都店)), 8 Jinhai Road, ☏ +86 415 625 9888. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. Opened in 2017 and 3km from the railway station and 18km from the Airport. Have great views of Yalu River. (updated Jul 2022)
• 2 Wanda Realm Dandong (丹东万达嘉华酒店), 300 Jinshan Avenue, Zhenxing District, ☏ +86 415 378 8888. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. Located right beside the Dandong Wanda Plaza. The property features an indoor pool and a fitness centre. Free WiFi is available in all areas and free parking is available on site. The hotel is a 7-minute drive from Dandong Railway Station and a 20-minute drive from Dandong Langtou Airport. Yalu River is a 10-minute drive away and Hushan Great Wall is a 33-minute drive away. There is also a Japanese restaurant on site. ￥512 and up. (updated Jun 2024)
• 3 Xin'andong Hotel (丹东福瑞德大酒店), 100 Binjiang Middle Road, Zhenxing District, ☏ +86 415 231 3333. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Situated by the Yalu River. 3km away from Dandong Railway Station and 13km away from Langtou Airport. Provide guests with terrific views of Yalu River and the North Korean village opposite the hotel. Featured Korean-style performance is available from time to time. (updated Jun 2024)
• 4 Friend Plaza Hotel (丹东福瑞德大酒店), 158 Middle Binjiang Road, Zhenxing District, ☏ +86 415 318 9999. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Located 5km from Dandong Railway Station and 11km from Langtou Airport. The nearby area boasts an abundance of attractions including Moon Island, Dandong Art Gallery and Maokuishan Park. (updated Jun 2024)

Stay safe

While Dandong is generally safe, avoid filming any North Koreans you might encounter without their explicit permission. The North Koreans here tend to be very touchy about being filmed, and will be accompanied by plainclothes minders who will seize your phone and force you to delete all the videos if you get caught.

Go next

• North Korea - If you are interested in paying a visit to North Korea, you´ll usually have to wait for weeks for your visa application to be processed. But 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 - the city is so close to North Korea, you can feel the strong influence of Korean culture everywhere.
• Dagu Mountain (大孤山; Dàgūshān; lit. Lonely Mountain) (90 km southwest of Dandong, access is by bus from Dandong to town of Gushan). Several Tang dynasty Taoist temples occupy the mountain site. 
• Changbaishan Nature Reserve- from Dandong, you can easily get to the Changbaishan Nature Reserve in Jilin Province.
• Fenghuangshan National Park — 52 km northwest of Dandong, 840m high mountain dotted with Tang, Ming and Qing dynasty temples, monasteries and pagodas.
• The historic city of Shenyang
• The city of Dalian and its wonderful coastlines