By CGTN's Zhao Lingfeng
69-year-old Liu Xianwu has lived in Dandong for over four decades.
69-year-old Liu Xianwu has lived in Dandong for 40 years. /CGTN Photo
Having put down his roots deep by the Yalu River, any change for the worse in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the other side of the river, is the last thing he wants to see. Liu says that the people here don’t want any war. They won’t allow that to happen.
The military guard the new Yalu River Bridge /CGTN Photo
That wish is no different for others visiting the border town during the Labor Day holiday. Many visitors to Dandong voice their wishes for peace rather than tension.
But still a few worries about the current situation remain, after seeing the border control guards walking around.
The Yalu River Bridge from distance. /CGTN Photo
In contrast to the packed riverbank, the bridge that links Dandong and Sinuiju, a key trade passage for the DPRK, seems idle. Barely any trucks are seen passing, after a failed ballistic missile test early Saturday morning. Until one day ago, trucks could still be spotted on the bridge.
Visitors voiced their hopes for peace. /CGTN Photo
This idleness might not last, as it serves as a trade lifeline for the country on the other side.
But a few kilometers downstream, another cross-border bridge has been left unused since it was completed over a year ago.
Holiday makers visit Dandong on Labor Day. /CGTN Photo
But there remains no word on when the bridge might open, after several delays. The new bridge is a military controlled zone right now, and that part of the city remains mostly a ghost town, with empty residential and office buildings.
The tight security on the Chinese side signals that some differences have not been ironed out yet.
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