China's Largest Border City: A Wildly Underrated Foodie Paradise

For most contemporary Chinese, Dandong is a place name that feels both familiar and unfamiliar.

Familiar, because over the years, the products of this small city in Liaodong have become nationwide sensations: Dandong strawberries dominate China's strawberry market; hardy kiwis are rising as a top-tier fruit across the country; not to mention the plump, sweet, and incredibly fresh yellow clams that require nothing more than boiling water to deliver an electrifying umami punch... In short, many may never have visited Dandong, but its name has long resonated in their ears.

Dandong strawberries, hardy kiwis, purple stone clams, yellow clams.

Figure 1 Photo by Zhu Mengfei.

Unfamiliar, because this city lies at the remote frontier of the country, and many have no grasp of its geography. Moreover, as the primary departure point for visits to North Korea—with Sinuiju, North Korea’s fourth-largest city, just across the river—Dandong carries an air of lingering mystery. Additionally, for years, travelers to this region have often been drawn to the neighboring star city of Dalian, leaving Dandong a relatively "niche" destination to this day.

So, what is this borderland city really like? What are its landscapes, climate, and character? How does it differ from or resemble other northeastern cities? And why is its produce so exceptionally abundant?

Where is Dandong, and why is it important to China? To answer this, we must look beyond the city itself and consider two grand geographical concepts.

The full view of Dandong, with Sinuiju, North Korea, just across the Yalu River.

The first concept is China’s land borders. As is well known, part of this boundary is a natural coastline, while the rest consists of the country’s vast inland frontiers. Among the many cities along this border, two stand out as particularly unique due to their position at the intersection of land and sea: Fangchenggang in Guangxi and Dandong—meaning Dandong is both a coastal city and a land border city.

The second concept is Changbai Mountain, the "sacred mountain" of Northeast China. On one hand, its southern and northern extensions form the eastern barrier of the "horseshoe-shaped" Northeast. On the other, three rivers—the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu—flow from Changbai Mountain, with the latter two forming the natural border between China and North Korea. At the southern end of Changbai Mountain’s range, where the Yalu River meets the sea, lies Dandong.

A schematic map of Dandong’s location and terrain.

It is this geographical layout that allows Dandong to uniquely combine elements of a coastal city, a riverside city, a border city, and a mountain town—features rarely found together. With its great rivers and seas, frontier charm, bountiful produce, and unusually warm and humid climate for its latitude, Dandong stands out as an extraordinary presence even within the culturally and climatically cohesive Northeast.

In ancient times, Dandong was a frontier zone where multiple civilizations intersected. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Goguryeo people, known for building mountain fortresses, constructed "Wu City" on what is now Phoenix Mountain. This towering fortress still stands as a national heritage site, while the valley town of Fenghuang below served as the region’s political and cultural center for centuries. In modern times, to avoid confusion with Shen Congwen’s hometown in western Hunan, Fenghuang was renamed Fengcheng. Today, Fengcheng remains a tranquil, quintessentially northeastern mountain town, where many restaurants feature waist-deep pits for firewood-fueled iron cauldrons simmering hearty pork stews—a sight unseen elsewhere in the Northeast.

If Fengcheng represents Dandong’s mountainous side, Donggang (a county-level city under Dandong) embodies its maritime character. While Fengcheng residents speak Northeastern Mandarin, Donggang locals use the Jiaoliao dialect—a legacy of their Shandong immigrant ancestors who crossed the Bohai Sea during the "Chuang Guandong" migration. They still preserve many ancient fishing traditions of the Bohai Rim. Donggang is a true fishing and port town, where biting sea winds, flocks of gulls, sprawling aquaculture farms, and lingering sunsets over its islands create a distinctly romantic coastal atmosphere.

Following the Yalu River north from Donggang’s estuary leads to Dandong’s urban center. This compact, orderly riverside city, clean and well-planned, easily defies northeastern stereotypes. The most fascinating area lies along the riverbank, where the clear, quiet waters separate Dandong from the mysterious North Korean city of Sinuiju. Walking to the end of the Broken Yalu River Bridge (the first bridge built here, destroyed by U.S. bombers during the Korean War), one can even see the cabins of Sinuiju’s Ferris wheel. This view, paired with Dandong’s brightly lit North Korean restaurants echoing with songs, lends the city an air of legend.

The railway bridge crossing the Yalu River holds great significance in Dandong.

Like all modern-era northeastern cities, Dandong’s train station plays a central role. A little-known fact: the train ride from here to Pyongyang is shorter than to Shenyang, Liaoning’s capital. Geographically, Dandong is the critical gateway linking Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula. As the site of the first Yalu River bridge, it is undeniably a Northeast Asian rail hub. Even today, 80% of China-North Korea trade goods pass through Dandong by rail.

Details inside the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge.

National Highway 331, which encircles China’s northern border, also begins at Dandong Station. Within Dandong, this road traces the Yalu River northward into the vast northeastern mountains. It’s one of the best autumn scenic routes in the Northeast, winding past blue skies, red leaves, river dams, and islands until reaching Kuandian County—a serene little town nestled in forests, offering yet another distinct landscape.

Thus, traveling in Dandong delivers an astonishing variety of experiences within a single city and day, far beyond most expectations. So while Dandong is China’s largest border city, calling it one of the country’s most richly layered border cities would hardly be an exaggeration.

The charm of Dandong certainly extends beyond its rich culture and landscapes. In fact, even across the entire Northeast region, Dandong stands out as a top-tier culinary city. If I were to recommend just one city for Northeast Chinese cuisine, I would unhesitatingly choose Dandong.

Dandong's culinary prowess is rooted in the sea: the city borders the estuary of the Yalu River. The freshwater flowing down from the Changbai Mountains dilutes the salinity of the seawater, while the flat, sediment-rich seabed, cooler temperatures, and excellent water quality make these waters exceptionally fertile. Though not the highest-yielding seafood region in China, it is undoubtedly one of the most abundant in terms of quality and flavor.

The vast wetlands at the Yalu River estuary.

Dandong's most distinctive seafood is the pride of Northeast China—the yellow clam. Found only in the shallow waters of the Yellow Sea, locals refer to common clams as "black clams," while the yellow clam, as the name suggests, has a yellowish shell. Despite the similar names, the yellow clam's meat is plumper, crisper, and brimming with rich juices, far surpassing regular clams in texture and freshness. Whether boiled at a seafood market and served in a paper bowl or grilled until the shells burst open at a barbecue joint, its irresistible umami makes it a top-tier delicacy.

Thanks to the cold waters, all of Dandong's seafood tends to be firm and succulent. For instance, the local swimming crab (called "flying crab" by Liaoning locals), though less abundant than those from Zhoushan, are often plumper, sweeter, and larger, earning high praise from discerning seafood lovers. The same goes for other seafood like mantis shrimp. That’s why in Liaoning, only the most particular seafood connoisseurs make a special trip to Dandong for a feast.

Freshly boiled seafood at a Dandong street stall.

Beyond the bounty of the sea, Dandong’s chefs also benefit from mountain treasures—as a heavily forested region, Kuandian provides an array of wild delicacies, from farmed forest frogs to various mushrooms. Against this backdrop of diverse ingredients, cultural fusion has given Dandong’s cuisine unique local characteristics: Northeastern Chinese, Korean, and Bohai Rim home-style dishes blend seamlessly into a distinctive culinary tradition. Here, you’ll find Korean-style raw marinated crabs, wok-seared conch with intense wok hei, and even Northeastern inventions like conch stewed with eggplant—far exceeding most people’s expectations of a Northeast Chinese city’s culinary scene.

Abundant sunlight, rare humidity for a cold region, and uniquely fertile black soil have also made Dandong, especially its coastal Donggang City, the most renowned fruit-producing area in the Northeast. The local strawberries, known for their unique varieties, consistent quality, and exceptional sweetness—some even said to carry a milky aroma—have long been a winter delight for locals. Now, with modern logistics and e-commerce, people nationwide can enjoy these exquisite berries during harvest season. Dandong strawberries have earned a solid reputation, and today, simply adding "Dandong" to a strawberry’s name serves as a strong guarantee of quality.

Dandong strawberries.

With such abundant produce, breathtaking natural scenery, and a rich cultural tapestry, Dandong is undoubtedly a captivating city worth exploring. More importantly, its strategic location in Northeast Asia speaks for itself. If we were to speculate which Chinese city today holds the most immeasurable potential for future growth, spanning generations or even centuries, the answer would undoubtedly be Dandong.

Dandong locals enjoying seafood around a barbecue grill.