Travel Notes

Hello, hello, I am shortcake

The loss of contact started when the green train crossed the Yalu River. Sinuiju, across the river from Dandong, was the first stop when arriving in Pyongyang. The K27 train swayed into the waiting station, and the mobile phone signal changed from two bars to no service. The pictures of the two leaders gradually approaching reminded you: Welcome to the most mysterious and hard-core theme park in the 21st century. .

The first shot I captured while driving through the Yalu River was stopped by the tour guide from taking photos the next second.

The train stopped at Sinuiju, and the border inspectors began to collect passports and visas and conduct security checks on the train.

The soldiers guarding the station all carried guns.

The train will stop at the station for about 2 hours, waiting for immigration stamps and security checks. There were almost no people on the platform except for the soldiers standing guard. People in China and North Korea had reached a consensus on getting out of the car to smoke a cigarette. A North Korean uncle wearing a suit with shoulder pads and shiny leather shoes stood at the door of the carriage and took a puff of a cigarette, his chest The leader's badge on the front and the leader's portrait reflected on the car window overlap seamlessly. In the next carriage, a North Korean woman with 28-length curly hair sat in front of the window and ate melon seeds. She looked at us foreigners and was not surprised. After all, North Koreans who can take international trains have seen the world.

Soldiers with guns "watched" us leave the platform. The K27 train drove towards Pyongyang, 200 kilometers away, at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. The environment outside the window receded as time went by, frame by frame. Step back to the 1970s and pause.

The man born in the 1950s who was sitting opposite me pointed to the big red slogan with white letters outside the window and said to his wife: "Look, isn't that what we were when we were young?" In the next six hours, I entered an era that I had never experienced before. Today, forty years after the reform and opening up, I recreated this scene on the land of North Korea.

People’s Volunteers rest on the roadside

There are basically no roads in North Korean rural areas, and most of them are dirt roads. Whenever a car passes by, it will bring up half a meter of dust.

The train passed over patches of spring yellow land. Eight or nine farmers were sitting on the edge of the fields to rest or bent over while working in the fields. In the socialist countryside, they call it "cooperative farm", "collective work", "recording work points", "distributing food"... These words from the history books in middle school reappear in the yellow land of the Korean countryside. above.

The wind is very strong in the North Korean countryside in March. The cyclists on the road are all lean and push forward hard against the wind. Children on the roadside will often wave to people on passing trains.

After looking at the yellow land for five or six hours, the gradual appearance of cement roads and road signs finally made me a little more excited. Pyongyang is almost here. The train was still passing through the streets of Pyongyang at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. For this most isolated and mysterious country in the 21st century, the people in the carriage pressed their faces to the windows with voyeuristic curiosity, while the tram on the opposite side The people inside looked at us in the same way. We are intruders into their lives, but also spectators.

Pyongyang Railway Station built in 1956

The slogan at the railway station reads: Long live the great Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Ilism!

In the next few days, I started to get used to the pictures of leaders and various slogans that could be seen everywhere. "Long Live Comrade" can still be seen faintly in the darkness.

North Korea lacks electricity. Even in Pyongyang, most areas are dark after eight o'clock, and all the shops on the street are basically closed at eight or nine o'clock. Tour guide Xiao Zhao said: "We North Korean people are dark at night. We all went to bed at eleven o'clock." Judging from the enviable hair volume of young and middle-aged North Koreans, I believe it.

Turn on the hotel TV and you can receive CCTVI, CCTV2, CCTV... and Mango Channel. Even if you step on the soil of North Korea, you may still know nothing about the actual situation in North Korea except for news reports that want you to know.

The "Liangjiang Hotel" where we stayed is a first-class hotel in North Korea. Phone calls in the hotel cost $3/minute.

A news broadcast with the same rhythm as PPT is the signal that the North Korean people can receive. Just like their mobile network, you can only connect to networks you are allowed to connect to. Of the 24 million people in North Korea, 4 million have mobile phones, and these people are still disconnected from the world. In North Korea, where there is no Internet, no passport (it was taken away by the tour guide and was given when leaving the country), and no North Korean currency, going downstairs and spending 7 yuan on a bottle of "Daedongjiang" beer at the hotel bar became part of my North Korean nightlife. . Another part: none.

The supermarket downstairs of the special hotel "Yanggakdo Hotel"

Every time something is sold, the salesperson will write it down

It was in North Korea that we learned to go to bed early and get up early. Compulsory course, 7:30 Pyongyang time, 6:30 Beijing time, North Korean tour guide Xiao Zhao is already waiting for us downstairs of the hotel wearing woolen clothes and black stockings. I wanted to put on all the clothes I brought with me, wiped my nose and asked her: "Xiao Zhao, are you cold?" Xiao Zhao said: "Why not? Our country requires that when receiving foreign guests, you must wear a skirt and a Black stockings and leather shoes." I glanced at the "PRADA" Xiao Zhao was carrying, and recalled the LV belt under the blue shirt of Director Yan (another North Korean tour guide). believe.

It was still quite cold in North Korea in early April. Many female students still had bare legs or wore flesh-colored stockings. Black mid-heeled leather shoes have become a must-have for urban girls.

Most men on the streets of Pyongyang wear formal suits or suits. Jackets and leather shoes are the basic style for middle-aged men when going out. Narrow-framed sunglasses have become a trend that we cannot copy. The retro resurgence of fashion week and the streets of North Korea Fashion is literally a long-lost brother.

Under the trend of the planned economic system, a high degree of unity is the fashion law of North Korea. When the car drove to "Future Scientist Street", we could finally have a "close" contact with the daily life of Pyongyang people through the car window. At around seven in the morning, the streets of Pyongyang look like Beijing at nine in the morning. Bicycles are their main means of transportation. People who can’t get on trams and trolleybuses told us that “morning rush hour” is an internationally used term. But obviously Pyongyang people want to be more peaceful and nice.

City traffic does not rely on traffic lights. The traffic police in peacock blue uniforms are the most eye-catching "signal".

I heard that in the community every morning there are aunts cheering on young people going to work. I wonder if the team behind the car window is a source of confidence today. In North Korea, only scientists and athletes are assigned private cars, while others do not have private cars. Similarly, the high-end residences on both sides of the "Future Scientists Street" are also allocated to scientists and athletes.

Although ordinary people’s homes are not so good, they are all allocated by the state. In North Korea, both houses and land belong to the state. The state builds houses and distributes them uniformly, which creates a unified "Jin-style aesthetics." The collision of various macaron colors, the perfect axial symmetry, and the portraits of leaders everywhere... all declare the unique aesthetics of this mysterious country. The rise of large-scale high-rise buildings and condominium projects that are in line with international standards has given rise to the beginning of "Pyonghattan" (Pyonghattan).

The Ryugyong Hotel, a landmark building in Pyongyang, started construction in 1987. It has 5 floors underground and 100 floors above ground. If completed on time, it will be the tallest hotel in the world. Now, more than 30 years have passed. Due to North Korea's lack of electricity, the interior decoration has not yet been completed, and the hotel has not yet begun operations.

This design style was actually formulated by Kim Jong Il himself. The principles of architectural design were detailed in a 160-page paper "On Architecture" published in 1991. He believes that this is a style that is "in line with popular aesthetics" and more importantly, it is so "practical, warm, beautiful and durable". It perfectly confirms one of the official patriotic slogans promoted by North Korea in 2015, "Let the entire country turn into a socialist wonderland."

"Eternal leaders" have been incorporated into urban construction. Whether in offices, schools or on publicity boards in the streets, the image of leaders is everywhere. Bright colors and big-character poster-style logos build this kind of power and the supreme dominance of leaders, which became the "KPI" of architecture in the Kim Jong Il era.

North Korea’s ubiquitous symmetry and unity

Brightly colored big-character posters and slogans with the key words "love", "long live" and "unity" constitute an upright and unchanging aesthetics , everything is orderly and simple and unified.

The North Korean Arc de Triomphe, which is 10 meters taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, stands in the center of Pyongyang.

Mangyongdae amusement park, known as "North Korea's Disneyland", is empty. There is also a mysterious and magical large-scale national treasure building that must be mentioned - the International Friendship Exhibition Hall. When the tour guide told me that no photography was allowed in this museum, and all electronic products had to be handed over before entering, and they had to go through security checks (all hats had to be removed), a mysterious atmosphere hit us.

Soldiers with guns stood guarding the closed door, which was about a fist thick. The museum can be said to be solemn and magnificent. Animals (portraits) sent from various countries are displayed on both sides of a corridor, from big bad wolves to tropical fish, which combines the polar styles of zoos and aquariums. The guide led us to a closed door: "The exhibits here are our country's national treasures; our national treasures are not open to the public, so please don't take pictures; please keep quiet when looking at the national treasures and respect the national treasures. ” According to different nationalities of tourists, the treasures they visit will also be different. But after walking through more than 10 exhibition halls, Chinese tourists are the most profitable, because we send the most gifts here. But soon, my eyes were caught by a few familiar treasures. There are golden horses and flying swallows, copper-colored seismometers, and various blue and white porcelain and jade jade handicrafts. When you stroll around, you feel like you are back in Beijing's Panjiayuan. Friends from the Northeast will also feel a sense of intimacy returning to their hometown. The principal of a certain middle school, the CEO of a travel agency, and an entrepreneur will send you greetings from a distance with complimentary messages and congratulatory plaques.

On the back wall of the Juche Tower hangs a gift from the political circles, social circles, Juche research organizations and friendly groups in more than 80 countries in the world to commemorate the establishment of the Juche Tower with the words "Long Live Juche" "The marble and jade are comparable to those of the International Friendship Exhibition Hall. In this mixture of utopian "socialist wonderland" and strict order, the vision of "our life is rich and colorful" becomes particularly straightforward in this soil.

Pyongyang First Department Store

The sales counter in the store

Xiao Zhao told us many times: "The three mountains that are pressing on you are It is our capital that we are proud of." When my mind was still wandering about which three mountains it was, she said loudly: "Our housing is free, medical care is fully covered, and education is 12 years of compulsory education. We are the only ones exempt from the policy.”

North Korea is willing to show off its educational showcase to the outside world. North Korean students attend classes in the morning and develop interest groups in the afternoon. They attach great importance to the talent learning of female students and the sports development of male students.

"What are your criteria for choosing a mate? It should be a car or a house! Our criteria for 'brand-name pants' are those who have served in the military, have joined the party, and are college graduates."

Our tour guide Xiao Zhao became the Pyongyang person I am most familiar with because he repeatedly reminded me to keep up with the team and delete photos. Xiao Zhao, who was born in 1995, just graduated from Korea Tourism University this year. When she was joking with me, she asked: "Sister, do you have any pants?" "Sister, you don't have any pants!", "I hope my sister can quickly find brand-name pants. "The "pants" that Xiao Zhao and I talked about are the most fashionable words among young people in North Korea. Let's understand them as our "Internet buzzwords."

"Pants" refers to boyfriends, "skirts" refers to girlfriends, unmarried men are "new pants", super-beautiful girlfriends are "miniskirts", and so on, there are "new pants", "old pants", " "Long skirt", "short skirt"...

A young man in military uniform on the roadside in Kaesong

A girl selling fruit at a rest stop

< p> In order to get closer to North Korean young people, I also asked Xiao Zhao: "So, does Xiao Zhao have 'pants'?" Xiao Zhao was a little embarrassed and interrupted me, "We are in free love now, before we were in free love." Organizations and introductions from relatives and friends, but we young people now find their own marriages.” I thought that young people in North Korea would get married earlier, but Xiao Zhao told me that girls are generally 25-30 years old, and boys are 27-33. People don’t get married until they are 10 years old. Think about it, it’s actually about the same age as our marriage. "Late marriage" is now a major trend among North Korean young people, because they must work harder for the development of the country!

Among the 24 million people in North Korea, 4 million people have mobile phones. The touch screen mobile phone of tour guide Xiao Zhao is "Pyongyang" brand. A North Korean government has three brands of mobile phones, one of which is "Pyongyang". Arirang,” the other couldn’t remember. Five years ago, Xiao Zhao’s father spent 300 US dollars to buy this mobile phone as a gift for her.

Hard-working young people in North Korea work six days a week, with only one day off on Sunday. However, Labor Day, Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, Children’s Day, Youth League Day, Military Day, Workers’ Party Day, Remembrance Day to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the birthdays of the two presidents, Socialist Constitution Day...anything with “day” and The days at the end of "festival" are directly equated with "holiday".

North Koreans during lunch break

The normal taxi fare on the streets of Pyongyang starts at US$2, and they are basically for foreigners and local wealthy people. As for this 7-seater medium-sized taxi taxi, 15 people can be squeezed into one car. In the process of practicing socialist ideal life in North Korea, the North Korean people believe that their lives are happy and want to share this happiness with South Koreans. In the early days of the construction of North Korean buildings, half of the houses were allocated to North Korean people and half were reserved for South Korean people. The vehicle drove into the demilitarized military zone 2 kilometers away from Panmunjom. The barbed wire fence was densely covered with winding wires. The North Korean tour guide Xiao Yan said, "Tourists from many countries in the world can come to North Korea, but South Korea does not, and I have never seen them. If they come, , you will go to jail if you go back."

"Independence and reunification"

The 10 cm high concrete platform on the ground is the dividing line between North and South Korea

Soldiers explaining Panmunjeom. Not only can you take photos, but you can also take photos with you

Driving back to Pyongyang from Panmunjeom, the expressway built in the 1990s increased the number of WeChat steps that day to more than 40,000. The service area along the way costs 2 yuan to cut each one. Apples became my only fruit supply in North Korea.

The little girl’s hands peeled the fruit like a spinning top

Returning to Pyongyang city again, our tour guide Xiao Zhao took us to the deepest subway station in the world, Pyongyang Subway. Renaissance Station". The average subway station in Pyongyang is 100 meters deep, and the deepest one is 120 meters. It takes 3 minutes to take the elevator.

There is a promotional poster at the entrance of the subway station

At the end of the steps is a portrait of Kim Jong Il

The subway tunnel is an air raid shelter dug during the Korean War

No matter how many stops or how long you sit, the fare is 5 Korean coins, about 3 cents RMB.

There are no advertisements at the station, only newspapers.

Each carriage has pictures of leaders.

Enter "Fuxing Station" and "Glorious Station" "I took the subway for one stop. When I walked out of the subway station, it was the time for people in Pyongyang to get off work. The afterglow of the sunset fell on the red and white trackless train. The evening breeze blew my cheeks. I stood in the crowd and looked at the street. People who walk home leisurely feel that every corner of the earth should be beautiful at this moment. The creaking 28 bicycles, Zhongshan suits, and woolen jackets with shoulder pads and waistbands in front of them are the signs of running towards a better future in this spring. The only choice.

Early the next morning, the tour guide Xiao Yan took us to the train station. On the bus, Xiao Yan said: "In two or three years, there will be big changes in North Korea. You can come back then." "The spring breeze of "reform" is blowing. Will this be the last time I witness that "North Korea"? Thirteen days after I returned from North Korea, North Korea announced reform and opening up on April 20, 2019.