Eyes Wide Shut

"Even for us, we live so close, but we’re just as fascinated by what’s over there,” says the local Chinese man standing beside me staring at North Korea. He held his cigarette away from the telescope as he swung about searching for signs of life on the other shore.

Dandong, an otherwise nondescript northeastern town, owes a large debt to Kim Jong-il. Almost singlehandedly, his reclusiveness turned it into one of China’s most alluring destinations for viewing the cloistered kingdom.

During warmer months, it’s said that tourists come here to “pet” North Koreans who swim out to meet the Chinese sightseeing boats. The curious also come to Broken Bridge, which still juts out, unrepaired, part way toward North Korea almost 60 years after it was bombed by the Americans. Mangled bullet and shrapnel holes in the bridge’s thick metal frame have been highlighted with circles of red spray paint, giving them a masochistic feeling.

At night, the difference between the two shores could not be more explicit. The Chinese shore is an explosion of colored lights suggesting the hustle of restaurants, hotels and karaoke bars. The North Korean side, however, is as dark as a winter forest, lit only by a few weak glows. Passing the numerous vendors peddling Korean mementos, we couldn’t help but imagine the lack of equivalent Chinese mementos across the river.

As I swiveled the telescope with the Chinese man in search of North Koreans, it occurred to me what he had said was right. Whether we’ve come from down the street or across the world, we’re all fascinated by what’s “over there.”

Thomas Talhelm