Dandong

Located in the southeast of Liaoning Province, Dandong is west of the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with the Yalu River in between, east of Anshan City, south of Benxi City and north of the Yellow Sea. Dandong City is 220 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Shenyang, and it takes about three hours by bus to be there. Dandong City covers an area of 15,222 square kilometers with the area of the city center being 834 square kilometers. It has a population of 2,430,000. The area code is 0415 and the postal code is 118000.

Dandong is the largest border city in China. The Yalu River, where the crystal water shines in the sun, is the name card of the city. The Youyi Bridge (Youyi means friendship in English), which represents the relationship between China and the DPRK, spans the river, magnificent and steady. If you walk along the river, you can enjoy the picturesque scenery in the urban garden and along Binjiang Avenue. It impresses the soul to gaze over the landscape of the DPRK. In the suburbs, lush mountains and crystal water embrace Shuifeng Lake. The Great Wall, which was built on the mountains by the river, starts from Tiger Mountain in the east.

The scenery in Dandong is natural and breathtaking. There is Fenghuang Mountain with steep cliffs, Qingshan Valley with lush mountains and crystal water, Tianhua Mountain with cragged peaks and dangerous gorges, magnificent Tianhou Palace on Dagu Mountain as well as the historic Sino-Japanese War field on Dalu Island. In the spring, a multitude of birds fly over the marsh and the peach trees are in full bloom at the estuary. When the autumn comes, maple leaves make the Tianqiao Valley a colorful world, and the maidenhair trees along the roads decorate the city center with gold.

History

Dandong has a long history. As early as 18,000 years ago in the Paleolithic Age, humans were working and living on this land. By about 600 B.C, it was under the government of the Zhou Dynasty. In the Western Han Dynasty, Anping County and Wuci County were established there. In 668 A.D, the Frontier Command Headquarter to pacify the East was set up, and therefore it got the name Andong (“An” refers to pacify, while “Dong” refers to the east).

In 1876, Andong County was established by the Qing Government, and in 1882 the “Zhongjiang Commercial Intercourse Regulation” was signed by the Qing Government and North Korea. Consequently, business between Andong and North Korea flourished. In 1907, Dongan was identified as a trade harbor by the Qing Government.

After that, the national industry developed rapidly, business people from home and abroad gathered there, international business boomed, and the economy of the city witnessed rapid progress. Andong then became one of the three largest trade ports in northeast China and the goods-distributing center in the area.

On December 1st, 1937, Andong City was formally set up, successively becoming the provincial capitals of Andong Province and Liaoning Province. In June 1954, Andong became a provincially administered municipality, and in 1965 Andong City was renamed as Dandong City by the State Council. “Dan” means red, and “Dong” means east.

Thus the Dandong City refers to the “Red Eastern City”.