Travel Notes——Changbai

Speaking of Changbai County, its full name is Changbai Korean Autonomous County. Because I thought the name was too long, I called it "Changbai". Maybe many friends saw the title and thought I was writing about Changbai Mountain, but that is not the case. This article mainly writes about a travel experience in Changbai County, Yalu River Highway, Shiwudaogou and the Changbai Mountain Ring Road.

After getting up early and setting off from Linjiang, the family drove on the Linjiang-Changbai Highway, the legendary most beautiful Yalu River landscape avenue. This road is more than 210 kilometers long, passing through National Highway 331 and Provincial Highway 303, with a speed limit of 70. The highway is built along the mountain, and the entire journey is on the Yalu River and the border between the two countries. Along the way, you can have a panoramic view of the cities, villages, and fertile fields on both sides of the river. There are many parking lots and viewing platforms along the way, where tourists can rest and play at the same time.

I remember that we have driven on Chaihe Moon Town Mo'a Highway, Aershan Forest Highway, Hulunbuir Grassland Highway and Liaoning Benhuan Highway. These landscape avenues have long become the most beautiful scenery in my heart. But it wasn’t until I walked on the Changbai Highway that I discovered that it was the only one that could truly perfectly combine mountains, forests, river views and exotic scenery. Every mountain here is so charming, every river bay is so graceful, and it is indeed worthy of the title of "the most beautiful".

Because the scenery on this road is so beautiful, we simply slowed down and moved forward slowly. Along the mountains and around the water, I counted the bends of the river and the ravines; I walked through ravines after ravines, around bends after bends, stopping and going, stopping and going, I don’t know how many I passed. Road bends, how many ditches... In this way, at around 1 p.m., we arrived near the famous scenic spot "Fifteen Daogou (Watching Swans)" in Changbai.

Wudaogou, also known as Wangswan, the scenic spot is 51 kilometers away from Changbai County and is located in Wandaogou Wangswan Canyon in the south of Changbai Mountain. The main peak, Wangswan Mountain, is the second highest peak in the Northeast, with an altitude of 2,051.4 meters. The scenic area has rich geological types and numerous stone walls, most of which are dominated by columnar stones. These columnar stones are self-contained, neither sparse nor dense, and come in various shapes and styles, each with its own spirituality. They are not artificially carved, but have the beauty of nature. They are like stone walls built by craftsmen and freehand scrolls by painters.

Walking in the scenic area, the mountain road is gentle and long, and the wind blowing in the face makes people feel a bit cold. Looking at the mountain canyons, the sunshine comes and goes, and I feel that this should be a summer resort in midsummer. There are many streams, waterfalls and stone scenery in the canyon, and the colorful forests are also beautiful. Unfortunately, the road is too long and is suitable for those who like to hike. Our family had been exhausted for a long time, so we walked back to the original route not far from the "peacock in full bloom" stone wall.

In fact, I have seen a lot of beautiful scenery along the way from Linjiang, so apart from the stone walls in Wangswan Scenic Area, I think it is quite unique, and the rest is not as interesting to tourists of all shapes and sizes. There are many tourists in the scenic spot, and there are many things to do along the way. There are those who take pictures, those who push carts, those who dance, those who play in the water... The book says: "The losers sing on the road, the walkers rest in the trees. The former calls, the latter responds, hunched over to support, and those who go back and forth without stopping, are 'lucky' people Travel."

It was already evening when we left Wangswan Scenic Area. Driving to Changbai County, the first thing I felt when entering the city was that it was similar to Linjiang. They were both cities surrounded by mountains and built along the river. Secondly, the city is very clean, the streets are tidy, vehicles are parked in an orderly manner, and there are many people selling mountain goods. Finally, all signs in the city have the words "Han and Chao" in both characters. The county seat is not far from Changbai Mountain, and across the river is Hyesan City, the Yanggang Province Government of North Korea.

The small town is surrounded by mountains and rivers and is known as a "beautiful border town". After checking in at the hotel, I wanted to take a taxi with my wife to visit the "Tashan Park" in the city, but we couldn't go because it was too late. Tashan Park is located in the northwest of the county. Take a ride to the top of the mountain at an altitude of 894 meters, and you will have a panoramic view of the scenery of the two countries. At the same time, there is also a polygonal five-story brick tower built during the Bohai Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty - Lingguang Pagoda - on the mountain. It is one of the few ancient Tang Dynasty pagodas left in the Northeast.

The Chao people have always been famous for their food. Cold noodles, kimchi, cold water fish, and barbecue are all our family’s favorites. It was just a holiday, so the delicious restaurants in the city would be crowded, so I had a bit of a sloppy dinner. I remember before going to the restaurant, I saw a lot of pine nuts and hazelnuts selling in the alley, and I planned to buy some to take home. By the time we had dinner, it was getting dark, everyone had cleared out their stalls, and nothing had been bought. On the way back to the hotel, the lights were on, the night view of the city was beautiful, and there were very few pedestrians on the street.

Get up early the next day and prepare to continue on your way to Yanji. It is 370 kilometers from Changbai County to Yanji. It is all a mountain road and surrounds most of Changbai Mountain.

Taking advantage of some time, I wandered around the county town for a while, and stopped by the Yalu River to see the customs and customs on the other side. It wasn't until the number of tourists gradually increased that we set out from the city. The mountains along the way are still colorful and the beautiful scenery is intoxicating. Compared with yesterday's road, the road in Changbai is much wider. There are several parking spots on the way where the flowers are in full bloom, allowing people to see the scene of fiery red maple leaves and romantic mountain flowers complementing each other at the same time.

"The first county at the foot of Changbai Mountain and the first city at the source of the Yalu River". Looking back from a distance, among the green mountains and green waters, the small town is sunny and leisurely. I think I will definitely come here again when I have time in the future, not only for the scenery and food, but also for climbing the southern slope of Changbai Mountain. Continuing to walk along the mountain road, around 10 a.m., just after passing through a long tunnel, the scenery in front of me suddenly changed dramatically.

Before entering the tunnel, the sun was still shining brightly and the autumn colors were all over the mountains; after exiting the tunnel, it was already cloudy and it was windy and rainy.

Drive carefully and slowly, as the rain gradually turns to light snow, and then from light snow to heavy snow. Goose feathers were flying in the wind, and the road surface gradually became unclear. In less than two hours, the climate has changed so elusively. At this time, in the mountains, the red leaves reflect the snow, making them even more crystal clear. It's just that driving has become more difficult. Some turns can already clearly feel sideslip, and "ABS" and "ESP" are activated in turn, which makes people a little nervous. Looking at the oncoming motorcade, I couldn't help but curse in my heart.

Having said that, I can't understand some people who drive fast. They speed on highways because there are few cars, or they speed on mountain roads because they are in a hurry. But why drive fast when there is snow and wind and the road conditions are unclear? Isn't your family in the car? Can you ignore life and death? Has the safety of others become so insignificant? It's just infuriating.

After returning home for the past few days, I have been thinking about this travel experience in my mind, and I have begun to blame myself. After living in the same province for decades, I actually put such a beautiful place at the back of the journey. It’s really A huge mistake was made.

Changbai is intoxicatingly beautiful, with beautiful cities, mountains, waters and autumn colors. Beautiful borders, exotic customs, pristine scenery, unique food... all of these made up for the deficiencies in the previous journey, making this trip almost perfect.