Yalu River's unending flow
Decades after war scarred its banks, the waterway remains a living conduit of blood-forged camaraderie and the quiet, everyday friendships bridging China, DPRK
Every morning, residents of Dandong, in Northeast China's Liaoning province, stroll along the banks of the Yalu River. Across the water is Sinuiju, a city in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, close enough to see apartment buildings and passing vehicles.
For generations, the river has served not only as a border, but as a witness to friendship, the resistance to war, and everyday exchanges between the two peoples.
More than 70 years ago, the Chinese People's Volunteers, or CPV, crossed the Yalu River into the Korean Peninsula, marching to fight alongside the Korean people against the United States' aggression.
At that time, Dandong, then named Andong, played a strategic role, with residents mobilizing every possible resource to support the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). Their efforts gave rise to countless stories of sacrifice and solidarity that continue to resonate to this day.
Established in 1958, the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong serves to safeguard a collective memory, housing more than 20,000 artifacts and over 30,000 documents and materials related to the war.
The artifacts preserve stories of soldiers, workers and residents whose efforts supported the war, inviting visitors to reflect on the enduring legacy of a time that shaped the course of nations.
