Across the River

The Chinese city of Dandong is visual evidence of perhaps the strangest hegemony in human history. Situated on the Yalu River, it is where North Koreans and Chinese meet for commerce. Connected by a "Friendship Bridge" (which is only lighted on the Chinese side), it's an interesting contrast between the capitalized neo-communism of modern China and the hardline turnip-squeezing of the insane Kim regime.

North Korean agents send waitresses over to Dandong for months or years at a time, monitoring their movements and collecting their pay-packets, most of which go to the government.

One of our waitresses told us she had only recently arrived and, as if she was still in a job interview, proudly listed the subjects she had learnt [sic] at school - mathematics, chemistry, biology, and "our leader's revolution". Her English lessons also seemed to be a highlight - mainly, perhaps, because they seem to have consisted of singing English-language songs.

"I will show you," she said. And, standing stiffly behind my chair, proceeded to sing When A Child Is Born.

"A silent wish sails the seven seas, the winds of change whisper in the trees..." Strange lyrics for an insular dictatorship to teach its children.

When she had finished, I asked her whether there was any difference between North Korea and China. "The people's minds are different," she said. "North Koreans function together, Chinese are individuals."

Succinct definition of the DPRK: A place from whence Red China looks like a bastion of individualism and human rights.