Last December, photographer Elijah Hurwitz journeyed to the Chinese border with North Korea by way of the Yalu River. He found the boundary surprisingly porous, especially outside the major cities, aside from the occasional odd security camera.
Dandong is a Chinese city and the locus for trade, both legal and illicit, across the countries. It’s also a place for family members to meet, and exchange goods and remittances, especially at times when the border is less monitored. Centuries ago it was arguably part of the Korean Koryo dynasty. At the end of the dynasty in the 14 century, the Yalu River became the Chinese and Korean border. As such, many ethnic Koreans (joseon-jok) have lived there for generations and speak the local language.
“My first day in Dandong I shared a taxi with two women who were transporting boxes of soju, who said they were from Pyongyang,” Hurwitz said. “I was skeptical and later ended up showing a picture I took of them to a local Chinese resident in Dandong and he felt confident they were indeed from North Korea.”
At the end of 2017, the UN cracked down with sanctions against Pyongyang in an attempt to halt its weapons program, and Beijing followed suit. Despite the freeze between the two traditional allies and the harsh winter, Hurwitz was able to document what is for many, everyday life. Even amid the tensions, he was able to capture the relative shared experience of being neighbors along one of the most scrutinized borders in the world. (See pictures from both sides of Korea's heavily fortified DMZ.)
On the Chinese side, Hurwitz felt the heightened stakes, especially in Changbai village, a small Chinese town about a 10-hour drive north of Dandong that sits across the Yalu River from Hyesan, North Korea.
“It was probably the most tense place I visited. They are notoriously wary of outsiders and foreign journalists, who have been accused of espionage and imprisoned in the past. My driver was extremely paranoid here, there were security cameras everywhere, and I received extremely suspicious looks from locals as [an] outsider,” Hurwitz, a documentary photographer based in Los Angeles, said. “It was the only place where I felt the need to hide my camera while taking pictures near the border. There were police checkpoints where they stopped our vehicle.”
Indeed, until the last month, when Kim Jung Un made a second surprise visit to Beijing, relations between the two countries have been increasingly tense.
“The Yalu River is one of two rivers that form the border between North Korea and China. The Yalu is wider than Tumen, which is north and east," explained Tim Peters, a Christian activist whose work includes evacuating North Korean defectors from northeast China. "In a way, in particular in the winter, it is a no man’s land, giving the opportunity [to those] who wish to make an exodus [into China].”
Peters, as well as other activists and journalists, have noticed the growing security presence on China’s part over the past 18 months. “This river, especially over the last year, and access to it by non-residents, is increasingly difficult ... due to the militarization on the Chinese side,” he added.
Across the river, in plain sight, North Korean life remains dramatically different and halted: there is no escaping the poverty, desperation and lack of basic necessities. Just as the Chinese tourists gaze upon North Korea from boats, the citizens of Hyesan are likewise used to seeing Chinese tourists across the river.
Still, on the border cities, the two cultures manage to coexist, as they have for centuries. The evidence is the many Korean restaurants, as noted by Hurwitz.
“On a lighter note, I was moved by the delicious traditional Korean food I had in China, especially in Ji'an, Jilin,” he said.
Soo Youn is a freelance journalist based in New York City and Los Angeles.
Elijah Solomon Hurwitz is a documentary photographer based in Los Angeles. Follow him on Instagram @ElijahSol.
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them?
- Animals
- Feature
Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them? - This biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the AndesThis biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the Andes
- An octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret worldAn octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret world
- Peace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thoughtPeace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thought
Environment
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
- Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security, Video Story
- Paid Content
Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security - Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet?
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
History & Culture
- Strange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political dramaStrange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political drama
- How technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrollsHow technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrolls
- Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?
- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
Science
- This 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its timeThis 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its time
- Every 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost timeEvery 80 years, this star appears in the sky—and it’s almost time
- How do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tipsHow do you create your own ‘Blue Zone’? Here are 6 tips
- Why outdoor adventure is important for women as they ageWhy outdoor adventure is important for women as they age
Travel
- Slow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capitalSlow-roasted meats and fluffy dumplings in the Czech capital
- Want to travel like a local? Sleep in a Mongolian yurt or an Amish farmhouseWant to travel like a local? Sleep in a Mongolian yurt or an Amish farmhouse
- Sharing culinary traditions in the orchard-filled highlands of JordanSharing culinary traditions in the orchard-filled highlands of Jordan