When it comes to North Korea, I believe that many people's first impression is strange, mysterious and curious, for decades, North Korea has always been in a closed state of seclusion, there are very few people who have the opportunity to travel to North Korea, the more mysterious the more they want to ** after all, the elderly want to come to North Korea to relive their youth, young people want to come to North Korea to explore the unknown existence, only really come to North Korea, can you find the difference of this country!
There are only five socialist countries in the world, North Korea is one of them, the relationship between China and North Korea has been strong for a long time, and the people of China and North Korea have a special and deep relationship, not only because of the historical period of "majestic and high-spirited, across the Yalu River" of the eventful past, but also because the border people of the two countries maintain a shared affection of "a strip of water" because of the Yalu River, and Changbai Mountain is an important bond symbolizing the friendship between the two countries, for various reasons, which also contributed to my trip to North Korea in 2018!
A few years ago, North Korea tourism is very hot, everyone wants to understand the customs of North Korea, people who have not been to North Korea, will feel that this is still in the state of three meals, four walls, lack of food and clothing, and no place to stand, but you must know that North Korea implements the "unified purchase and sales" model during the planned economy period, and the North Korean people still enjoy free medical care, education, housing, material distribution, and job distribution, and such a welfare system is unique in the world. The pressure of saving money and raising children, returning from traveling in North Korea is full of harvest, and most people's feedback is "worth the trip"!
Below, the author will lead you to understand the country of North Korea without leaving home through 6100 words, and friends who are interested in North Korea please read patiently!
In the summer of 2018, out of curiosity, I signed up for a five-day and four-night North Korea tour group at Dandong Travel Agency, the cost was 3,000 plus, except for me, a post-90s generation, the others were uncles and aunts, and traveling to North Korea was not to prove how bold I was, but just to satisfy curiosity, that's all!
Tourists need to provide ID card**, passport first page**, two inches** and registration fee to the travel agency at least 15 days in advance, and everything else can be arranged! When entering the DPRK, you need to carry no more than 20,000 RMB or 5,000 US dollars in cash!
It is worth mentioning that there are two ways to travel to North Korea: train or plane!
Either fly directly from Beijing, Shanghai and other places to Pyongyang;
Either the train from Beijing, Dandong and other places into the DPRK.
Either way, individuals are not allowed to travel freely, can only participate in the group through a travel agency, after coming to North Korea, the same tourist route, the same food and accommodation conditions, the same content of the tour guide, no matter how mysterious things can only be told to you by the tour guide, these days in North Korea due to the mobile phone no signal, will be briefly in a state of "isolation", tourists need to listen to the command, be cautious in words and deeds, although the scenery is the same, but the harvest is full, some people say: things to see during the tour in North Korea, It was all arranged in advance by the DPRK, and the DPRK has two faces, one inside Pyongyang and one outside Pyongyang!
Among the people who travel to North Korea, a considerable number of people are elderly uncles and aunts, these people want to come to North Korea to feel the green years again, remember the deeds of aiding North Korea, visit historical sites, and relive the revolutionary friendship, so for these people, taking the train is the most suitable way, in addition: the train into North Korea, the travel agency to handle the group is a separate paper signature, which is used separately on the passport, and will only leave the seal of Dandong entry and exit, fill in the content to contain personal information and invite units, Generally, international travel agencies and youth travel agencies are the mainstay!
Gather in front of Dandong Railway Station in the morning, the staff of the travel agency issued another paper sign to everyone, the visa needs to be used with the passport, after entering the DPRK, it needs to be handed over to the North Korean tour guide to store, and it will not be returned until returning to China, the train is departing at 10 o'clock in the morning, I didn't expect that in such a modern society, there is a green train, it looks very old, although it looks relatively old, but the internal facilities are clean and tidy, there is no air conditioning, only a fan!
The train departs, about 5 minutes through the Yalu River Bridge to the capital of North Pyongan Province of North Korea - Sinuiju, across the river, the scenery on both sides of the strait is completely different, Dandong is a modern and prosperous city, Sinuiju side looks solemn, the difference is more obvious at night, a dark Sinuiju, it looks extraordinarily quiet, it is said that some North Koreans will think that the lights of Dandong are just the riverside, and the interior is not like this!
It is worth mentioning that there are two iron bridges on the Yalu River, one is a broken bridge that was blown up by the US military in 1950 and is still preserved for tourists to visit and remember the history, and the other is a normal iron bridge!
At Sinuiju Railway Station, you need to stop and wait for the inspection for about 2 hours, the first group of people will get on the bus to collect documents, including passports and visas, and the second group of people will get on the bus for manual unpacking inspection, although the efficiency is low, but the inspection is especially careful, of course, if you want to improve the efficiency of the inspection, you can also give each other some small gifts, such as chocolates, instant noodles, cigarettes, etc., or **, after all, these staff mainly check the North Koreans who have returned from outside to see if they have anything that they are not allowed to bring!
Before departure, the travel agency has explained what items are not allowed to be brought into the DPRK, including: Korean and English magazines and newspapers, jeans, ** magazines, lens over 200mm SLR camera, electronic devices with GPS function, mobile phones can be carried, from July 1, 2013, foreigners with mobile phones into the DPRK, need to fill out the customs declaration, exit inspection can be presented, but do not store the color of **and**, these entry requirements, Every visitor needs to comply!
After the inspection, the passengers were transferred to another train, and each tourist was given a cold lunch box and a bottle of mineral water, although it was a little cold, but at least there was meat and eggs, some people said that North Korean food is green food, there are not so many additives, so everyone is very happy to eat!
The train officially headed towards Pyongyang, leaving Sinuiju Railway Station, North Korea's three thousand miles of splendid rivers and mountains along the way have just appeared, as far as the eye can see, like the appearance in memory, white walls and gray tiles, flags and slogans, fence courtyard walls, mud roads, driving Laosuo, laughing children, laundry women, no wonder some people say: North Koreans today, as if it is our yesterday, although the train is very slow, but it does not affect the excitement of tourists, Sinuiju to Pyongyang is only 220 kilometers away, I walked at an average speed of 50 mph for 6 hours.
Looking at the real life in the North Korean countryside, the railroad tracks are lined with farmland and houses, white walls and gray tiles, wooden windows and eaves will be painted blue, rows of rice fields, you can see many people busy farming, dirt roads, an ox cart carrying farm tools and children, the slow appearance instantly evokes the memory of the 80s!
Passing through the North Korean countryside, most of the North Koreans seen are emaciated, yellow and thin, as if they are in a state of malnutrition, some people say that this is because the eating conditions of the North Koreans are not very good, although tourists eat well and live well during their travel to North Korea, but for North Koreans in remote areas, it is very difficult to eat a full meal and eat a meat meal, it is understood that North Korea has a land area of 1230,000 square kilometers, but 80% of the barren mountainous land, the area suitable for cultivation is only 1.85 million hectares, according to the population of 25 million, per capita is only one acre of land, there is a gap of several hundred tons of grain every year, in the context of the rationing system, the materials will give priority to Pyongyang, the more remote rural areas, the less materials are allocated, the fewer types!
In order to have a full stomach, North Korean farmers will also find ways to plant some vegetables and grain in their own land or in front of and behind the house, or go to the river to fish, hunt game, and pick wild vegetables to satisfy their hunger. Either you have to be admitted to Pyongyang University, and after graduation, you can stay in Pyongyang and work in Pyongyang to have a chance to get a Pyongyang hukou!
I also learned with friends that North Korea's rural areas mainly grow corn, rice, soybeans, etc., and other cash crops are rare, such as fruits, vegetables, etc., tropical fruits are a priority ** Pyongyang's luxury, it is very difficult to eat durian in North Korea, in addition, North Korea's farming technology is backward, still in the primitive way of manpower with cow power, due to the lack of pesticides and fertilizers, North Korea's grain yield is low, and the grain yield per mu of rice is only about 400-600 catties. This is incomparable with the domestic production of thousands of catties, but this is considered by the Chinese people to be green food!
In the rural areas of North Korea, it is rare to see a car, occasionally you can see a black smoke wood-burning truck or ox cart passing by, the most common is a trolley or a bicycle, most people go out on foot, North Koreans have a strong ability to walk, when they are tired, they go to the shade to rest for a while, and judge whether a rural family is rich, not by looking at the car, house, and ticket, but by seeing whether there are bicycles, TVs, DVD players, and washing machines in the home. Especially having a color TV or an e-bike is a great thing.
North Korean farmers live in this state of "quiet years and no quarrel with the world", when the power goes out in remote rural areas, they will take out candles to light up, the food that fills their stomachs every day is rice and kimchi, and they return home to watch TV after a day of labor, North Koreans are very fond of using DVD players**Chinese TV dramas, just ask: how many days can you stay in this state?
The train arrived at Pyongyang Railway Station at about 6 o'clock in the evening, the tour guide waited enthusiastically at the exit of the station, the hotel that night was settled in the Giethoorn Hotel, which is a special hotel for receiving foreign guests, located on a small island on the Taedong River, and the city center is only a river channel, but not all tourists will be arranged to stay here, North Korea also has a youth hotel, Xishan Hotel, etc., but in terms of facilities, environment, grade, Giethoorn Hotel is the best, but if it is a domestic grade, At best, it's a 3-4 star standard!
Sitting on a minibus from the ** station, I saw the night of Pyongyang for the first time, different from the hustle and bustle of the country, the night in North Korea seems extraordinarily quiet, there are no shops and small traders and hawkers along the street, there are few pedestrians, fewer vehicles, everything seems so solemn and solemn, the high-rise buildings standing in the distance give people a strange experience that hits the heart!
Tourists are arranged to stay in the Giethoorn Hotel, from the appearance, the 47-storey hotel is indeed very spectacular, the interior decoration is also splendid, the hotel is fully equipped, can solve the needs of catering, accommodation, bathing, massage, shopping, singing, leisure and entertainment, if you have the opportunity, you can walk out of the hotel under the leadership of the tour guide, go outside through the Jiangxin channel, after passing the Jiangxin channel to the right is the direction of Wutan Jiang'an Street, continue to go straight to Datong Bridge, passing through the East Bank Cave, When the Wukoudong residential area is lit up, there are not many lights on the whole building, there are few pedestrians and vehicles, and there are no roadside stalls, the tour guide said that there is very little nightlife for North Koreans, most people stay at home and watch TV, and there are no nightclubs and bars in Pyongyang, and they will go home too late!
The next day, after breakfast, we will start to visit North Korea, you know, Pyongyang is a collection of the country's best quality resources, whether it is hardware facilities or soft quality is the best in North Korea, North Korea is divided into Pyongyang area, Mt. Kumgang area, Myoxiang Mountain area, Kaesong area, Qingpo area and other 9 tourist areas, according to the number of days, the daily itinerary is different, so it is difficult to visit all the attractions at one time, most of the routes are carried out around Pyongyang!
These days, the tour guide has led everyone to visit Kim Il Sung Square, Mangyongdae Former Residence, Dadong Riverside, Liujing Hotel, Juche Thought Tower, Shengli Street, Pyongyang Triumphal Arch, May Day Stadium, Yuliu Hall, Metro Line 1, Renmin University Xi Hall, Children's Palace, Mount Kumgang, Panmunjom, etc.
No matter how many people in each tour group, there will be 2-3 tour guides, a female tour guide is responsible for explaining the content of the scenic spots, a male driver is responsible for vehicle pick-up, and there is a special identity, often staring at the tourists' every move, and even eavesdropping on the speech, the tour guides are in charge of a lot of things, **can go, **can shoot, they have the final say, the tour guide tells tourists that they are not allowed to leave the team, are not allowed to take pictures at will, what tourists need to do is to be cautious in their words and deeds, follow the command, perhaps, it is to take into account the image of the country, Along the way, you can see the state of flowers, joy, joy and tranquility!
Pyongyang is worthy of being the capital of North Korea, whether it is environmental facilities, buildings, humanities and education, dress, The living conditions are the best in the whole of North Korea, from the perspective of the environment, there is no garbage and confetti on the streets, not even garbage cans, pedestrians and vehicles are in good order, there are no random honking and noisy phenomena, there are no roadside stalls and small vendors, there are no various billboards, there are many flower pots placed on the outer balconies of some buildings along the street, looking at the North Koreans who travel on bicycles, I feel that I have returned to China 30 years ago, and there is an inexplicable sense of familiarity!
North Koreans' housing is allocated free of charge, newlyweds by the man to apply for housing area in the unit, generally speaking, couples can apply for a building of about 50-60 square meters, residents can bear the cost of water, electricity and gas, the best buildings in Pyongyang are located on Scientist Street, Cangtian Street, Dawn Street, can live here are basically high-level talents, such as excellent workers, University professors, etc., it is worth mentioning that the distribution system can only be accepted, unless you rely on your own efforts to become a high-level talent, in order to change your fate and live in a high-end building!
After all, North Koreans distribute housing, work, and materials, such as: meat tickets, food tickets, TV tickets, bicycle tickets, beer tickets, cold noodle tickets, etc., and they commute to work every day, without too much economic pressure and survival burden, without comparison and showing off, and live a simple life
During the trip to North Korea, I found a strange phenomenon, that is, the foreign-related posts I came into contact with, basically all of them were young and beautiful girls, not only beautiful, but also of high quality, and could speak a few words of Chinese. You have to look good and receive systematic training to be competent for the job, because these positions have to show a good image to the outside world, these girls are very popular in the North Korean marriage market, and unmarried tour guides will not choose to live together before marriage!
Indeed, compared to the North Korean countryside seen by train, the difference between the capital Pyongyang and the countryside is really too great, here you can often see some fashionable young girls, they are basically college and highly educated, they are easy to accept new things, they like to wear hip skirts, ** High heels, even wear jewelry, walk very temperamental, North Korean beauty temperament elegant North Korean girl, and the opposite, North Korean girls give people an intellectual feeling, North Koreans call wages as living expenses, the average monthly income of Pyongyang citizens is 300-500 yuan, the average monthly income of the surrounding villages is 100-200 yuan, the tour guide quietly told me: her monthly income can reach 800-1000 yuan!
During the tour of North Korea, eat well and live well, many people think that North Korea is a place where materials are scarce, and they will purchase a lot of snacks before departure, but they do not know that these are burdens, and in the end they can only be given to tour guides or other North Korean service personnel as gifts, for North Koreans these are imported food!
Come to North Korea Dunton has meat and vegetarian, but also taste the characteristics of Datong River beer, breakfast is generally the hotel buffet form, lunch is not the same, the tour guide will lead everyone to taste all kinds of stir-fried vegetables, hot pot, barbecue, roast duck, cold noodles, copper bowl rice, stone pot bibimbap, ginseng chicken soup and so on, it is worth mentioning that ginseng chicken soup needs to pay 260 yuan a piece, beer is more than 10 yuan a bottle!
During the meal, a strange phenomenon can be found, Chinese tourists will eat all the vegetarian dishes, but there are some meat dishes left, the tour guide does not understand this: such a sumptuous meal, how can these meat not be eaten?Meat is much better than vegetables!
In addition to the normal dining link, some tourists propose to go to Yuliu Pavilion to experience, this is a state-run restaurant in North Korea, cold noodles are very famous, up to the officials and nobles, down to the common people, will choose to come here to the restaurant, tourists come here to taste cold noodles to 15-30 yuan a bowl, the cold noodles of Yuliu Pavilion are most famous for the copper plate cold noodles of buckwheat husk, with shredded chicken, cucumbers, kimchi, beef, Eggs, as well as the cool and delicious cold noodle soup, taste very strong, the cold noodle soup water is taken from the Daedong River, relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, relying on the water to eat water, North Koreans like to eat this delicacy very much!
Travel to North Korea can not only experience the customs, enjoy the natural scenery, but also buy some special products to bring back to China, before the end of the trip, the tour guide will lead the tourists with shopping needs to the foreign-related shops, such as: friendship store, or Guangfu shopping mall, the first department store, Ayutthaya department store, etc., which does not support ** payment, nor is it allowed to use the North Korean dollar, you can use RMB, US dollars, Euro direct settlement, as for the exchange rate, the shopping guide will calculate, the tour guide explained: This is a way for North Korea to develop foreign exchange!After listening to it, I suddenly realized!
In the foreign-related shops, male tourists like to buy cigarettes, ginseng wine, well-known cigarette brands are Huanglongfeng, Zilongfeng, Lanlongfeng, Guangming, Liming, 727, Shangganling brand, etc., while female tourists like to buy cosmetics, national costumes, Angong Niuhuang pills, souvenirs, copper bowls and copper chopsticks, etc., it is worth mentioning that the cosmetics of the Galaxy series and Chunxiang series are produced in Sinuiju and are generally praised by foreign tourists!
The purchasing power of Chinese tourists has refreshed the perception of North Korean tour guides and shopping guides again and again, many of the goods in foreign-related stores are imported from abroad, and the prices are comparable to the domestic second-tier consumption level, but Chinese tourists are generous and do not care very much**, after all, they are going abroad, and they don't have to worry about buying fakes in North Korea, so every tourist will be full of harvest!
It is impossible for us to close one eye and see the whole truth, for the country of North Korea, from the perspective of tourists, there are only a few things to see, it is precisely because we have not seen enough comprehensiveness that we cannot jump to conclusions, all we can do is to bless and hope that the life of North Koreans will get better and better!
Although the economic level of North Korea is backward and materials are relatively scarce, but the national conditions of each country are different, and what suits them is the best, which can be seen from the happy smiling faces of North Koreans: North Korea is known as "one of the countries with the highest happiness index in the world", which should be worthy of the name, and what is not satisfied with surviving in this "low-desire society"?
On the occasion of separation, the female tour guide sent her farewell to the station, reluctant but unable to leave any ***, I don't know if I can have the opportunity to meet again in this lifeWhen North Korean tourism resumes, I hope to come to North Korea to renew her relationship!
What do you think about this?