A closer look

Tourism thrives on the bizarre, and buying dubious souvenirs on the edge of the world's most isolated regime is peak geopolitical curiosity. Dandong is the primary trading hub between China and North Korea. The riverfront promenade is packed with vendors capitalizing on the intense mystery of the hermit kingdom. It provides a profoundly surreal, voyeuristic window where you can peer through binoculars at North Korean guards while casually eating street meat.