Dandong
Dandong is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning, in the northeastern region of China.
It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea, across the Yalu River, which demarcates the Sino-North Korean border. To the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay. Dandong has therefore had a dynamic history because of its strategic location for the northeast's rich natural resources and because of its convenient access to the ocean. It is designated as a major export production centre for the province, and is a port city connected by rail with Shenyang and Sinuiju. A significant amount of trade with North Korea flows through the city.
The size of the administrative city is. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,188,436 inhabitants and the built-up area made of 3 urban districts is and Sinuju, the North Korean neighboring city, was home to 1,175,199 inhabitants in 2020.
Geography
Dandong is located on the western border of North Korea and the northwest shore of the Yalu River, facing Sinuiju to the southeast. It is situated on the southeast corner of the Liaodong Peninsula, near the mouth of the Yalu River, which empties into the Korea Bay, which is part of the Yellow Sea. There are of coastline and islands including Dalu Island and Xiaomai Island.Dandong City ranges in latitude from 39° 43' to 41° 09' N and in longitude from 123° 22' to 125° 41' E, and at its greatest spans from east to west and from south to north. Bordering prefectures are Dalian, Anshan, Liaoyang, and Benxi.
Climate
The area has long winters, and humid, somewhat hot summers belonging to the humid continental climate regime. Winter usually begins in late November and continues until the end of March, with the most severe cold only lasting for around three weeks in December, January, or February. The coldest month, January, averages. Spring, though a period of quick warming, is delayed by one month compared to more inland parts of the province, and is somewhat dry until May. Summer heat is moderated by proximity to the coast; the city's warmest month, August, averages. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 35% in July to 67% in February, the city receives 2,459 hours of sunshine annually and is, outside of the summer months, generally sunny.For the city proper, the annual mean temperature is, and the total precipitation is, but within the prefecture, annual means can be as low as, while precipitation ranges from.
Administrative divisions
Dandong is divided into 3 districts, 2 towns, and one autonomous county:History
Maps and artifacts suggest that the area has been settled since the Gojoseon kingdom period.During the Han dynasty, the Dandong region was under the jurisdiction of west Anping county. During the Goguryeo kingdom period, the region was the site for Bakjak Fortress. After the fall of the Goguryeo, in the early Tang dynasty, the Dandong region was under the jurisdiction of Andong Prefecture. In the 8th century, the area was conquered by King Mun of Balhae. In Liao dynasty, it was under the jurisdictions of the states Xuan, Kai, and Mu.
It fell under the jurisdiction of the state of Po-Su in the Jin dynasty, the state of Po-Sha in the Yuan dynasty, and the state of Liaodong in the Ming dynasty.
The area became known as Andong County in 1876. "安東" means "pacifying the east", reflecting the power that China had over Korea at the time. After the start of the first Sino-Japanese War in 1894, Andong County was occupied by Japan. During the Manchukuo era, it was the capital of Andong Province, one of the fourteen provinces established by Manchukuo. It was opened as an American treaty port in 1903. It was opened as a treaty port in 1907.
From November 1950 to February 1951, Dandong's Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge was bombed by the United States during the Korean War, as was an older iron bridge leading to North Korea. Even though the Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge was rebuilt, the remains of the Japanese-built iron bridge were left and now serve as a war monument.
On 20 January 1965, the city adopted its present name of Dandong, which means "red east," to avoid the connotations 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.
In 2001, Dandong was granted the "Best Tourist Destination City" award by the National Tourism Administration. Four years later, the same administration granted it the award of "National Clean City."
Demographics
Per the 2020 Chinese Census, Dandong has a total population of 2,188,436. The population of Dandong's urban core totals 1,090,680, while another 416,791 people live in other urban areas in Dandong. 680,965 people live in rural areas.Per 2020 Census data, there are 928,784 households in Dandong, with an average size of 2.36 people. The sex ratio in Dandong is 98.88 males per 100 females. 9.80% of the population is 0–14 years old, 70.20% of the population of 15–64 years old, and 20.02% is age 65 and older.
Floating population
In 2005, the resident population was approximated to be 751,914 with a floating population of 176,926, for a total of 928,840. However, the non-agricultural population is said to consist of only 79.52% of the resident population.Ethnic composition
Dandong is a multi-ethnic area, with at least 48 ethnic groups, including the Han, Manchus, Mongols, Koreans, the Hui, and the Sibe. As of 2020, Han Chinese people comprise 64.59% of Dandong's population. The city's second largest ethnic group is the Manchu, who make up 32.43% of its population. The Manchu minority group has become so acculturated into the Han majority that there remains little or no distinction between the two, although a number of Manchu words have remained in the local lexicon. Ethnic Mongols comprise the city's third largest ethnic group, accounting for 1.14% of its population. The city's fourth largest ethnic group is Koreans, who make up 0.77% of its total population. In Dandong, the Korean language is used in a number of signs and advertisements, as well as in public services. The city is home to many Korean restaurants, shops, churches, schools, and other cultural institutions. The Hui make up the city's fifth largest community, at 0.59% of its population. The Sibe people comprise Dandong's sixth largest ethnic group, at 0.33% of its population.Economy
The total GDP of the city of Dandong is CN¥89.07 billion in the year 2022. The GDP per capita of the city of Dandong is CN¥41,730 in 2022.A substantial portion of North Korea's international trade, both legal and illegal, passes through Dandong and Sinuiju, across the Yalu River in North Korea. China handles roughly 40% of North Korea's worldwide export trade and roughly half of the bilateral commerce with China goes through Dandong which imports $468 million , according to its Ministry of Commerce. Dandong's annual resident per capita wage income for 2004 was somewhere between ¥9,500 and ¥12,237 RMB and the city's GDP was US$3.77 billion.
Dandong is widely known in China for producing the Dandong Yellow Sea brand buses. The port of Dandong is being developed into the second major international logistics centre of Liaoning and has become a notable alternative to the port of Dalian.
The city had "5.86 million tourists" in 2004, of which 16,000 of those travelled into North Korea; another 81,000 of those were from overseas and contributed US$27.54 million to the economy. During 2004, "the total tourism income was 4.02 billion Yuan ," and this was an increase of almost 33% from the previous year.
Memory cards and teddy bears are among the most popular items for North Koreans shopping in Dandong.
Development zones
Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone was approved as a national-level development zone in 1992. It is located on the bank of Yalu River, opposite the North Korean city of Sinuiju. It encourages the following industries: electronic information, machine manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, among others.Dandong Qianyang Economic Development Zone was first approved by Dandong City as a Special Economic Zone, in 1994 by Liaoning Province as Liaoning Dandong Qianyang Economic Development Zone. In July 2009, the development of the Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt was listed as a national strategy. Qianyang Town, situated at the eastern tip of the Belt is now an important component of Dandong's coastal development, and has an opportunity to demonstrate its strategic position.
Infrastructure
Railways
Trains from Dandong to Shenyang are available several times a day with night trains to Beijing, Dalian, Changchun, Qingdao and Shanghai. From Dalian, the high speed train takes less than 3 hours, or from Beijing, less than 7 hours.International trains link Dandong with Pyongyang daily. Both Chinese and North Korean carriages operating the through train from Beijing to Pyongyang are attached to the daily overnight train from Beijing to Dandong. In addition there are North Korean carriages which form a daily dedicated Dandong Pyongyang train.
Road
- China National Highway 201
- China National Highway 304
- G11 Hegang–Dalian Expressway
- G1113 Dandong–Fuxin Expressway