Situated at the confluence of the Yalu River and the Yellow Sea in the southeast of Liaoning Peninsula, facing the north Korean town of Sinuiji across the Yalu River, small Dandong enjoys its reputation as the largest border city in China. Travellers come to Dandong solely for its vicinity to the North Korean border. Western tourists are few.

The geographic setting and the rich natural resources of Dandong account for its recent development into a city characterized by the light industry, silk industry (Every late May, Dandong is the venue for the Oriental Silk Festival), sea products and special products, such as Ginseng, hawthorn and chestnut.

The quiet riverside city is most famous for the pockmarked Yalu River Bridge spanning distressingly over the river. The bridge survived the bombing during the Korean War, a time when the city still had its old name Andong. Now it is open to the public to commemorate "the defeat of the American Aggression" and is the first choice for a glimpse of North Korea.

From Dandong, you can easily get to the Changbaishan Nature Reserve in Jilin Province. If you are interested in paying a visit to North Korea, you'll have to wait for weeks to see your visa application through. Visitors with American, Israeli and South Korean nationalities are unqualified to apply. But don't worry, you can still learn a lot about North Korea on the streets of Dandong, where vendors sell North Korean stamps and propaganda posters and frequently you'll see Korean writing on boards over shops. In the hotels you can watch North Korean TV. Anyway, the city is so close to North Korea, you can feel the strong influence of Korean culture everywhere.

Yalu River (Ya Lu Jiang)

The meander Yalu River is shared by two nations, China and North Korea. The landmark on the river is the destroyed Old Yalu Bridge (the Chinese called it Yalu End Bridge), paralleled by the new Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. The steel bridge was bombed and strafed by American military forces during November 1950 to February 1951 of the Korean War (the Americans call it "an accident"). There are still shrapnel pockmarks densely covering the bridge. The North Koreans have dismantled their half of the bridge, but the Chinese leave theirs untouched as a memorial of the "Anti-America, aid-Korea" history.

The best method for you to get close to North Korea without a visa is to take a speed boat, or a slow boat trip (RMB20 per person for both), halfway across the Yalu River. Though taking photographs is not allowed, many passengers still do. The more you pay to the captain, the further he'll take you out to the river estuary.

You can not miss the Yalu River Park as a popular spot for taking photographs: There is an old MiG fighter in the park, you can sit in the cockpit and wave proudly at the lens - with the backdrop of the Sino-Korean border.

The nearby Culture Square at the western end of the riverside is a favorite hangout for local people, with children playing sports and old people sitting and chatting. The square is also the place for big fairs and ceremonies.

How to get there: A ten minute walk southeast of the railway station along the main street takes you to the riverside.
Cost: RMB15 for the entrance of the Yalu End Bridge. RMB2 for the Yalu River Park.
Open hours: 08:00-17:00.

Phoenix Mountain (Feng Huang Shan)

52 kilometres north-west of Dandong, the 840-metre-high Phoenix Mountain (Fenghuangshan) towers over the Yalu River. The peace and majesty of the sacred mountain attracted ancient emperors such as Li Shimin of the Tang and Hu Bilie of the Yuan Dynasties, who come to repose themselves and left temples and pagodas behind. The mountain is dotted with caves and springs which form the most interesting scenery. The most famous are the Phoenix Cave, the Church Cave, the Holy Spring and the Phoenix Tear Spring. On the west ridge of the mountain is a newly discovered scenic spot, highlighted by rocks which resemble images of Guanyin, the God of Longevity and some other Immortals.

A temple fair, locally called the "Medicine King Meeting", is held on the mountain every 28th of April and visitors are impressed by local specialties, especially Chinese herbal medicine.

The Phoenix Mountain is cragged and to reach its peaks is really a challenge for one's guts.

How to get there: Only slow trains and buses can take you there, express trains pass without a stop.
Cost: 30RMB for entrance into the mountain. RMB10 for the Phoenix Cave.
Open hours: 08:00-17:00.

Source: ctrip.com