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A journey into the past

By Dong Fangyu ( China Daily ) Updated: 2014-07-25 16:29:42

Tourists can travel by train between Pyongyang and Dandong in Northeast China’s Liaoning province. DONG FANGYU / CHINA DAILY

Tourists' tales

Under Western Eyes

When Kim graduated from Pyongyang University for Foreign Studies, she applied to work at the DPRK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but instead she was assigned to a job at a State-owned travel agency.

Like many foreign tourists, we were taken to the Yanggakdo International Hotel, on Yanggak Islet in the picturesque Taedong River. With more than 1,000 rooms, the Yanggakdo is the largest hotel in the country, and features a revolving restaurant on the 47th floor, a recreation center that includes a sauna and massage service, a casino, and a golf course. I went to the casino, but only found a few visitors. Most of the staff came from Dandong, and one of them told me the casino hasn’t made a profit for a long time because there were so few customers.

A city of mirages

After a good dinner, my roommate and I returned to our room on the 30th floor. When she opened the curtains, my roommate screamed “Wow! Oh my God!”, causing me to jump up to see what was happening. However, nothing untoward was happening, instead, looking through the window, we could see a nighttime view of Pyongyang. Mists rose from the Taedong River, against a background of brightly lit high-rise buildings. The scene was a far cry from the total darkness often portrayed by the Western media; the city pulsed with neon lights. It looked slightly unreal, like a mirage.

Although we were lucky to have the best view of Pyongyang, when we went out later in the evening, it was different story at ground level. There were no street lamps so everything was enveloped in darkness. I had to use the flashlight app on my smartphone to light the road ahead.

The next day started with a tour of the city. Visiting downtown Pyongyang was like going back in time to an old-style, nostalgic world. It was somehow surreal to see the old and new mixed together. We watched as dilapidated old buses, Soviet-style cars and modern Mercedes-Benz traveled along the same street.

I was struck by how similar people appeared. Male attire was lackluster, with most men wearing a quasi-military uniform, or dark green regular work clothes, allied to Kim Jong-il’s trademark pompadour hairstyle. By comparison, women have greater latitude, and the more-fashionable her clothes, the higher her status.

No adults wear denim, however, because jeans are associated with capitalism in their view. Occasionally, younger men opted for a fashionable sportswear look.

Pyongyang is quiet, clean, and orderly. It may be the only capital on the globe where the visitor sees no commercial ads. Modern, high-rise residential blocks dominated the streets — impressive apartment complexes built exclusively for athletes, artists, scientists, and college professors, and of course the cream of Pyongyang society.