On the other side of the river
THE Yalu river separates the Chinese city of Dandong from North Korea by about half a mile, but the real gulf could hardly be wider. On the Dandong side, Chinese tourists stroll along the river bank, clicking their cameras as they shop for snacks and souvenirs. Some take tourist boats across the river to within a few metres of the Korean side, which is guarded by soldiers with rifles and binoculars, alert for anyone fleeing from the workers' paradise of the Democratic People's Republic.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “On the other side of the river”
From the May 10th 1997 edition
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