North Korea, why is it so quiet

There are two kinds of quietness, one is the quietness of the environment, and the other is the quietness of the mind. Once you have been to North Korea, you will find that even in the most populous Pyongyang, the environment here is not only quiet, but also the hearts of pedestrians are calm. Feel it together:

First, Pyongyang Station.

The journey from Dandong to Pyongyang is more than 200 kilometers. The train moved slowly for more than four hours and finally came into the station. The number of buildings outside the window has increased significantly, and the colors of buildings have become richer. Unlike the dark colors we imagined, the walls in Pyongyang seem to prefer bright colors such as orange and light green.

There is already a pick-up guide with a small flag on the platform, and we are surprised by the regulations here: tourists can be picked up at the station. As the object of being accosted, there is also a little pride. After all, there is no such treatment around us.

The guides at the stop stood quietly, not talking to each other, not making phone calls, and not running with the car.

When we got off the carriage and set foot on the ground that had been ground to a certain extent, we really wanted to shout loudly: finally, we have arrived at the station.

But suddenly, I found that, except for us foreign tourists, the aunts smiled and took pictures with scissors. Other local passengers wearing badges didn't talk, got off the bus quietly and walked quietly to the exit. They didn't even look at us foreigners who were busy taking pictures. There were hundreds of passengers on the platform, but there was no noise.

Secondly, Jiangan Street in Wutan.

When foreign tourists come to Pyongyang, they usually stay in two foreign-related hotels in Liu Hua, which is roughly equivalent to our four-star standard. Among them, Koryo Hotel is located in the center of Pyongyang on the west bank of Datong River, mainly receiving European and American tourists. Yangjiao Island Hotel is located in Koryo Hotel opposite Pyongyang Station, and mainly receives tourists from China.

There is only a small bridge in and out of Yangjiao Island Hotel. Hotel security guards stop on the bridge and can't just go out for a walk.

When you get out of Yangjiao Island Bridge and turn right, you will find Wutan Jiang 'an Street, which extends along Datong River to the vicinity of Datong Bridge. This street is a scenic street in the north of China. Korean tourists always like to take a walk here after dinner.

At the same time, this street is also a place where old residential areas in Pyongyang are concentrated. Dongan Cave, Liucheng Cave and Wutan Cave are all on the other side of the river.

After dinner that day, we asked the tour guide for advice and wanted to go out and see the night view on the road in front of the door. The tour guide readily agreed, which was not as serious as expected, but told us that when we came back before 8 o'clock, we could only walk along the river and not turn, otherwise we would get lost.

Objectively speaking, the night on Jiangan Street in Wutan is very charming. There are no cars coming and going, no car horns, and occasionally bicycle bells, which is very kind. The sidewalk on the roadside is designed to be very wide, with long chairs to rest. We also see several young couples sitting next to each other, or holding hands in love, which is not as conservative as expected.

Different from our main road, there are no aunts dancing in the square dance, disco dancing and shouting wheat. It seems that I can hear the sound of Datong River flowing.

Occasionally, there are small businesses on the roadside, pushing tricycles without shouting, just waiting under the streetlights. No matter whether you buy or not, they just look and occasionally whisper a few words, which is estimated to be the price. Interestingly, the stalls are all middle-aged women.

Once again, the bus stopped in the morning.

Koreans go out to work early, or it has something to do with going to bed early the day before. When you leave Yangjiao Island Bridge and cross the intersection, it is Zhanqian Street, and there is a bus stop not far ahead. Because there are few private cars, Koreans start their day by bus every day. The tour guide told us that there are many people riding at this bus stop, and many people have come out to queue since 7.30.

We arrived here just before half past eight. About a dozen people are waiting in line, and everyone is standing quietly. No one is anxious to see if the bus has arrived, no one has breakfast, no one calls to chat about business, no one travels by hand and no one follows the drama by mobile phone. Many people even read a book with relish.

At this time, when there are the most pedestrians and vehicles on the streets of Pyongyang, passing cars don't honk their horns. But interestingly, cars here also have their headlights on in broad daylight. At first, we thought the driver had forgotten. After reading it for a while, I found that the headlights seemed to be on, which was very strange.

During the subsequent trip, we felt the silence in Pyongyang. After nine o'clock, there are not many local citizens on the street, and there are few vehicles on the street, not to mention traffic jams. Looking around, there is not even a garbage bag or a mineral water bottle on the road. Visitors from China can be seen from time to time, and there are many wonderful photos in continuous shooting.

There are two kinds of quietness, one is the quietness of the environment, and the other is the quietness of the mind. Once you have been to North Korea, you will find that even in the most populous Pyongyang, the environment here is not only quiet, but also the hearts of pedestrians are calm. Feel it together:

First, Pyongyang Station.

The journey from Dandong to Pyongyang is more than 200 kilometers. The train moved slowly for more than five hours and finally came into the station. The number of buildings outside the window has increased significantly, and the colors of buildings have become richer. Unlike the dark colors we imagined, the walls in Pyongyang seem to prefer bright colors such as orange and light green.

There is already a pick-up guide with a small flag on the platform, and we are surprised by the regulations here: tourists can be picked up at the station. As the object of being accosted, there is also a little pride. After all, there is no such treatment around us.

The guides at the stop stood quietly, not talking to each other, not making phone calls, and not running with the car.

When we got off the carriage and set foot on the ground that had been ground to a certain extent, we really wanted to shout loudly: finally, we have arrived at the station.

But suddenly, I found that, except for us foreign tourists, the aunts smiled and took pictures with scissors. Other local passengers wearing badges didn't talk, got off the bus quietly and walked quietly to the exit. They didn't even look at us foreigners who were busy taking pictures. There were hundreds of passengers on the platform, but there was no noise.

Secondly, Jiangan Street in Wutan.

When foreign tourists come to Pyongyang, they usually stay in two foreign-related hotels in Liu Hua, which is roughly equivalent to our four-star standard. Among them, Koryo Hotel is located in the center of Pyongyang on the west bank of Datong River, mainly receiving European and American tourists. Yangjiao Island Hotel is located in Koryo Hotel opposite Pyongyang Station, and mainly receives tourists from China.

There is only a small bridge in and out of Yangjiao Island Hotel, and the hotel security guards stop on the bridge and can't just go out for a walk.

When you get out of Yangjiao Island Bridge and turn right, you will find Wutan Jiang 'an Street, which extends along Datong River to the vicinity of Datong Bridge. This street is a scenic street in the north of China. Korean tourists always like to take a walk here after dinner.

At the same time, this street is also a place where old residential areas in Pyongyang are concentrated. Dongan Cave, Liucheng Cave and Wutan Cave are all on the other side of the river.

After dinner that day, we asked the tour guide for advice and wanted to go out and see the night view on the road in front of the door. The tour guide readily agreed, which was not as serious as expected. He just told us that when we came back before 9 o'clock, we could only walk along the river and not turn, otherwise we would get lost.

Objectively speaking, the night on Jiangan Street in Wutan is very charming. There are no cars coming and going, no car horns, and occasionally bicycle bells, which is very kind. The sidewalk on the roadside is designed to be very wide, with long chairs to rest. We also see several young couples sitting next to each other, or holding hands in love, which is not as conservative as expected.

Different from our main road, there are no aunts dancing in the square dance, disco dancing and shouting wheat. It seems that I can hear the sound of Datong River flowing.

Occasionally, there are small businesses on the roadside, pushing tricycles without shouting, just waiting under the streetlights. No matter whether you buy or not, they just look and occasionally whisper a few words, which is estimated to be the price. Interestingly, the stalls are all middle-aged women.

Once again, the bus stopped in the morning.

Koreans go out to work early, or it has something to do with going to bed early the day before. When you leave Yangjiao Island Bridge and cross the intersection, it is Zhanqian Street, and there is a bus stop not far ahead. Because there are few private cars, Koreans start their day by bus every day. The tour guide told us that there were many people taking the bus at this bus stop, and many people came out to queue after 7 o'clock.

We arrived here just before half past eight. About a dozen people are waiting in line, and everyone is standing quietly. No one is anxious to see if the bus has arrived, no one has breakfast, no one calls to chat about business, no one travels by hand and no one follows the drama by mobile phone. Many people even read a book with relish.

At this time, when there are the most pedestrians and vehicles on the streets of Pyongyang, passing cars don't honk their horns. But interestingly, cars here also have their headlights on in broad daylight. At first, we thought the driver had forgotten. After reading it for a while, I found that the headlights seemed to be on, which was very strange.

During the subsequent trip, we felt the silence in Pyongyang. After nine o'clock, there are not many local citizens on the street, and there are few vehicles on the street, not to mention traffic jams. Looking around, there is not even a garbage bag or a mineral water bottle on the road. Visitors from China can be seen from time to time, and there are many wonderful photos in continuous shooting.