Looking at North Korea across the Yalu River from Jilin, the pastoral scenery is charming. Why are there straw curtains on the windows of the buildings?

North Korea is our neighbor and a brother who has fought together. But most Chinese people don’t know much about North Korea, which is always full of mystery and unknown. Now that we can’t travel abroad, what is this country like? I once photographed some life scenes on the other side of the Yalu River in Jilin. Let's take a look.

The Yalu River is the boundary river between China and North Korea. This river is famous for being "majestic and high-spirited, crossing the Yalu River". It is also a testimony of the friendship between our two countries. It is said that the Yalu River got its name because the water is as green as a duck's head. It was called that in the Tang Dynasty. It really has a long history.

In the autumn of 2020, I drove in Jilin, driving along the Yalu River from Changbai County to Ji'an. Along the way, I could see North Korea across the Yalu River. Some sections of the river are very narrow, and the water flow has reduced or dried up. In fact, Very easy to cross borders. Along the way, many photos of North Korean villages and cities were taken. Through these photos, one can "see the whole leopard at a glance."

Across the river from Changbai County in Jilin is Huishan City in North Korea. This is a city that ranks relatively high in North Korea. There are also rows of buildings and bungalows. Seen in the daytime, it looks very different from our small countryside. Not too big. Obviously, the contrast is relatively greater at night. The lights in Changbai Town on our side are brightly lit, as bright as day, but the opposite side is indeed pitch black, with black lights and blind lights.

There was also some light on the opposite window, but it was very weak. Some of the brighter things were reflected from our side. Late at night, when we turned off the lights, the other side was completely dark.

Driving all the way, the scenery of North Korea’s fields is still very beautiful. There are green fields beside the Yalu River and there are small woods on the mountains. Many rural houses are scattered along the coast or on the hillsides.

The houses opposite are mainly sloping tile-roofed houses, and the walls of many houses are painted with bright colors. According to the tour guide, many houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, and some are even "horse tail houses" built by the Japanese in the 1940s and 1950s.

Across the river, we can see that the cultivated land in North Korea is cultivated along the mountains, and the crops grown are mainly corn, soybeans, etc. But there are differences between their mountains and ours. In our country, if the mountains are like this, they will usually be transformed into terraces, which are easy to cultivate and can also prevent soil erosion. For example, in Ningxia and Yunnan, there are many dry terraces and water terraces.

The self-driving journey is winding and charming, and you can also appreciate the exotic customs on the other side. In Ji'an, Jilin, across the river is North Korea's sixth largest city, Manpu City. The tour guide said that this is a relatively wealthy city because it is the main producing area of ??coal and copper in North Korea, so the city construction is relatively modern and there are many high-rise buildings.

Looking around, we found that their houses had no glass, and were mainly made of plastic sheets, and some even had straw curtains hanging on them. What's going on? Because in North Korea, houses are allocated free of charge by the state. As long as you are 18 years old, you can apply for housing allocation from the state. However, the house is provided free of charge, but the decoration is not taken care of. The technology for making glass in North Korea is backward and resources are scarce, resulting in a high price of glass. Therefore, many families cannot afford glass and have no choice but to hang plastic sheets or straw curtains.

Along the way, although there is only the Yalu River between them, the gap between the two countries is still obvious. Of course, the development of the world is inherently uneven.

Although many buildings are painted with bright colors, according to the tour guide, they are all face-saving projects on the side facing us, and no color will be painted on the back.

Manpu City will play surging and exciting music through loudspeakers. The sound is very loud, just like the loudspeaker broadcasts in our villages or large factories in the past. The tour guide said that their city is like a big factory. During meal time, music will play, and the songs played are similar to our "Unity is Strength". I hope they can be inspired by music to work hard and become well-off as soon as possible. Pay attention to street light photography and let’s see the world together.