Last weekend, I finally went to the Northeast, a trip I had been putting off for a long time. Considering the short weekend time, I didn't go to Heilongjiang.
Early Saturday morning, I took the high-speed train from Beijing to Shenyang. After having a quick bowl of wontons at Shenyang North, I hurriedly boarded the train from Shenyang North to Dandong.
We arrived in Dandong around noon. Based on the route suggestions from Xiaohongshu, we planned to take the G331 national highway route from Dandong to Ji'an to Linjiang. The drive from Dandong to Ji'an was really long, and I was exhausted from driving (if you could rent a car from Ji'an, I think starting from Ji'an would be better, and Dandong can be visited separately). We planned to explore Dandong on our way back, so after picking up the car, we set off directly.
Not far from Dandong, we stopped at the Hushan Great Wall (just took a photo at the entrance, didn't climb the Great Wall).
The most recommended place along the way is the Hunjian Grand Bend Viewing Platform (at this point, we had covered about two-thirds of the Dandong to Ji'an route).
We arrived in Ji'an in the evening and had a meal of the local specialty, Korean BBQ. It was quite good, reasonably priced, and generous in portion size. By the end, we couldn't finish it all...
We stayed overnight in Baishan City. The original plan was to go to Linjiang, but Baishan had better accommodation options, and it's only about an hour's drive from Baishan to Linjiang.
The next day, we took the return route from Baishan to Linjiang, then to Ji'an, and finally back to Dandong.
The Jiangxin Island Park in Linjiang is a must-visit. You can also get a glimpse of the lives of North Koreans across the Yalu River. We arrived at the park around 10 AM, and on the other side, people seemed to be engaged in collective farming, likely working for labor points. After leaving Linjiang, there are several more viewing platforms along the way, which I won't elaborate on—I'll share photos instead. (You will pass through a small town called Weishahe Town, and nearby there's a riverside grassland worth visiting for its beautiful scenery).
Upon reaching the vicinity of Ji'an, we visited Ji'an's National Gate. There is also a Yalu River viewing platform nearby, which is worth a look. We had Yalu River carp for a meal (again, couldn't finish it all).
We arrived in Dandong around 10 PM. After much hesitation (as a southerner, I wasn't familiar with this), I decided to experience the Northeast's bathhouse culture. After the bath, I felt clean and my skin was smooth—very satisfying. We stayed overnight at the Crystal Orange Hotel in Dandong, with a view of the new China-North Korea Yalu River Bridge (under construction) from the window.
On Monday, we visited the Broken Bridge on the Yalu River in Dandong. Since most museums and memorial halls are closed on Mondays, we headed straight back to Shenyang. In Shenyang, we checked out the Shenyang Imperial Palace, the Marshal's Mansion, and the Xiao Nan Catholic Church. We also had the Li Family Charcoal-Grilled Beef at Xita Pedestrian Street (it was delicious and highly recommended).
From the top of the Broken Bridge on the Yalu River, you can take comparison photos: North Korea on the left and Dandong on the right.
That's the end of our brief trip to the two northeastern provinces. Not sure when we'll be back next time.
Thanks to the hospitable people of the Northeast along the way!
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