Border city · Port · Historic city · Liaoning
Dandong
丹东
Border city on the Yalu, facing North Korea
Dandong is a prefecture-level city at the mouth of the Yalu River, directly opposite the North Korean city of Sinuiju. It handles most of China's trade with North Korea, and its bridges across the Yalu — one intact, one cut short in the Korean War — are the best-known sights on the border.
Key facts
Overview
Dandong grew up as a trading town and timber port on the Yalu River at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the railway from Shenyang reached the river and Japanese engineers bridged it to connect with the Korean network. The river is shallow and narrow here, and the riverside promenade looks straight across to North Korea.
The city is the main land crossing between China and North Korea for road and rail, and its markets, restaurants and tour boats reflect the border. Its hinterland of wooded hills and the coast at Donggang are known for strawberries, chestnuts and seafood.
Names and nicknames
安东
“pacify the east”
The name of the city until 1965, when it was changed to Dandong, “red east”.
History
The Ming built the easternmost section of their Great Wall system at Hushan, north of the present city, in the fifteenth century. Andong was opened to foreign trade in the early twentieth century and linked to Korea by the Yalu railway bridge in 1911. During the Korean War the Chinese People's Volunteers crossed the Yalu here in October 1950, and US aircraft bombed the bridges in November of that year.
1469
Ming fortifications at Hushan
The Ming built wall defences on Hushan (Tiger Mountain) above the Yalu, now restored as the eastern end of the Great Wall.
1911
First Yalu railway bridge
The bridge, built by the Japanese colonial government of Korea, connected the Korean and Manchurian railways.
1943
Second bridge completed
The bridge now called the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge still carries road and rail traffic.
October 1950
Chinese troops cross the Yalu
The Chinese People's Volunteers entered the Korean War from Dandong and nearby crossings.
November 1950
The Broken Bridge
US aircraft bombed the 1911 bridge; the Korean half was destroyed and the Chinese half survives as a memorial.
1965
Andong renamed Dandong
The city took its present name, meaning “red east”.
Landmarks
Historic site
Yalu River Broken Bridge
鸭绿江断桥
The surviving Chinese half of the 1911 bridge, ending in mid-river beside the working Friendship Bridge.
Historic site
Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge
中朝友谊桥
The 1943 bridge carrying trains and lorries to Sinuiju.
Museum
Memorial of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea
抗美援朝纪念馆
China's national museum of the Korean War on a hill above the city.
Historic site
Hushan Great Wall
虎山长城
Restored Ming wall climbing a ridge beside the Yalu, with close views of North Korean farmland.
Nature
Mount Fenghuang
凤凰山
Steep granite mountain north-west of the city with temples and exposed trails.
Neighbourhoods
The Yalu riverfront
鸭绿江沿江
Promenade and park along the river, with the bridges, tour-boat piers and Korean restaurants.
Donggang
东港
County-level city on the coast, centre of strawberry growing and shellfish farming.
Food
Yellow clams
黄蚬子
Small clams from the Yalu estuary, boiled or stir-fried.
Korean cold noodles
朝鲜族冷面
Served in the Korean restaurants along the river.
Strawberries
草莓
Donggang strawberries, grown under glass and harvested from winter into spring.
Culture
Dandong's culture is shaped by the border: Korean-language signs, restaurants run by ethnic Koreans, and trade with North Korea. The Korean War is central to the city's memory, and its memorial museum is a national site of remembrance. Manchu communities live in the surrounding counties of Kuandian and Fengcheng.
Getting around
- Dandong station is served by high-speed trains from Shenyang and Dalian.
- Dandong Langtou Airport has domestic flights.
- The riverfront, the bridges and the old centre can be covered on foot; Hushan lies about 15 km upstream.
Day trips
Hekou
河口
Riverside village upstream on the Yalu, known for peach blossom in spring and as a crossing point in 1950.
Kuandian
宽甸
Manchu autonomous county of forested hills and rivers north of the city.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Dandong Municipal People's Government — Dandong Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Dandong — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)