Dandong
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Northeast China (东北) » Liaoning (辽宁) » Dandong (丹东)
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[edit] Overview
Dandong is a city in the Liaoning province, China. It is on the border between China and North Korea, marked by the Yalu River. Also at this point, the river flows into Korea Bay. The size of the administrative city is 14,910 square kilometers; the urban city is 563 square kilometers in size and has 780,414 inhabitants. The administrative city covers around 2.4 million inhabitants as of 2000.
--from wikipedia.org
[edit] History
Maps and artifacts suggest that the area has been settled since the Zhou Dynasty. The area became known as Andong (安東), county in 1876. Andong, which stands for pacifying the east, was so named to reflect the power projection that China had over Korea at the time. It was occupied by Japan after the start of the first Sino-Japanese War in 1894. During the Manchukuo era it was the capital of Andong Province, one of the fourteen provinces established by Manchukuo. Then, in 1907, it was opened as a treaty port. It adopted its present name on January 20, 1965, which means “red east,” to avoid connotation of its previous name, which was considered imperialistic by some. Recently, the city has been gaining influence in this region of China because of its market with North Korea and the government’s future plans to develop the city into a special “Border Economic Cooperation Zone” for export and import, in order to expand the country’s ability to conduct trade. --from wikipedia.org
[edit] Map
Click here to open Dandong map.
[edit] weather
Current Conditions (2010-03-14 18:00:00, local time)
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Dandong |
Temp: 37°F (3°C) |
Dandong Weather Forecast
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[edit] Getting in & Getting out
[edit] By Air
Dandong Airport (IATA: DDG) - Flights from Dandong are limited, so it is probably better to fly in/out of Dalian or Shenyang and then take the train or bus to/from Dandong. Airport is 13 miles west of town and an airport shuttle is available. Flights are available from Guangzhou, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
[edit] By Train
Trains from Shenyang several times a day with night trains from Beijing, Dalian, Changchun and Qingdao. From Dalian, the train takes a slow route of almost 10 hours, while buses can complete the journey in 4. You can also take the train from Pyongyang, North Korea and Moscow and Russia.
[edit] 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. --from wikitravel.org
[edit] By Ship
[edit] Getting Around
[edit] By Public Bus
[edit] By Tour Bus
[edit] By Metro
[edit] By Taxi & Rental Car
As the city of Dandong is not large and the lack of efficient public transportation, the taxi is probaly the most common using for getting around. Almost all of the drivers accept the price of ¥10 anywhere inside the city.
--from wikitravel.org
[edit] Attractions
- Kuandian Huangyi Mountain Forest Park (宽甸黄椅山森林公园)
- Dandong Dagu Mountain (大孤山)
- Phoenix Mountain National Scenic Area (丹东凤凰山国家风景名胜区)
- Tianhua Mountain Scenic Area (宽甸天华山风景名胜区)
- Tianqiaogou National Level Forest Park (丹东-天桥沟风景区)
- Dandong Wulong Mountain Scenic Area (五龙山)
[edit] Hotels
[edit] Budget
[edit] Luxury
[edit] Restaurants
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 bibimbop in Korean, a try as well as the huoguo (hot pot). If you think you could handle it, xiangla gourou (spicy dog) is something that could be made available to you. There are also a few North Korean restaurants in town (owned by the North Korean government, with North Korean waitresses), recognizable by the Chinese and North Korean flags over the entrances. --from wikitravel.org
[edit] Shopping
[edit] Night Life & Entertainment
[edit] Sports & Recreation
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. Bargain hard. Of course, the usual restrictions apply (see North Korea for details). --from wikitravel.org
[edit] Excursions & Day Trips
- 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
