Travel Notes

The loss of contact began when the green leather train crossed the Yalu River. Sinuiju, which is separated from Dandong by a river, was the first stop to Pyongyang. The K27 train staggered into the waiting station, and the cell phone signal changed from two frames to no service. The picture of the two leaders approaching reminds you: Welcome to the most mysterious and hardcore theme park in 2 1 century.

The first shot of driving across the Yalu River was stopped by the tour guide the next second.

The train stopped at Sinuiju, and border inspectors began to collect passports and visas on the train for security check.

The soldiers at the station all carry guns.

The train stops at the station for about 2 hours, waiting for border inspection and security check. On the platform, there was hardly any figure except the soldiers on guard. China and North Korea got off and smoked a cigarette. Uncle North Korea, wearing a shoulder pad suit and shiny shoes, stood at the door of the carriage and took a sip of his cigarette. The leader badge on his chest hangs seamlessly with the reflection of the leader on the window. A Korean woman with small curly hair in the next compartment sits at the window and eats melon seeds. It's normal to see us foreigners. After all, Koreans who can take international trains have seen the world.

Soldiers with guns watched us leave the platform. The K27 train leaves for Pyongyang, 200 kilometers away, at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. The environment outside the window goes backwards with the progress of time, retreating to the 1970s one by one, and then stopping.

The 50-year-old uncle sitting opposite me said to his wife, "Look, that was when we were young." In the next six hours, I entered an era that I had never experienced before. Today, 40 years after the reform and opening up, I fabricated this scene on the land of North Korea.

People volunteers rest by the roadside.

There are basically no roads in the rural areas of North Korea, and most of them are dirt roads. As long as the car passes by, it will pick up dust half a meter high.

In spring, the train jumps over a piece of yellow land, and eight or nine farmers sit on the edge of the ridge to rest or bend over to work in the farmland. In the socialist countryside, they called it "cooperative farm", "collective labor", "recording work points" and "distributing food" and other words in middle school history books, which reappeared in the yellow land of rural North Korea.

In March, a strong wind blew in the rural areas of North Korea. The cyclist on the road is thin, and the cat bends forward against the wind. Children on the roadside often wave to people on passing trains.

After watching the yellow land for five or six hours, I was finally a little excited about the cement roads and road signs that gradually appeared. Pyongyang is coming. The train is still traveling through the streets of Pyongyang at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. For this most isolated and mysterious country in 2 1 century, the people in the carriage put their faces on the window with a voyeuristic curiosity, and the people in the tram opposite are also watching us. We are intruders in their lives, and we are also being watched.

Pyongyang Railway Station was built at 1956.

The slogan of the railway station reads: Long live the great Kim Il Sung-Kim Jong Il Doctrine!

After a few days, I began to get used to leaders hanging pictures and slogans everywhere. "Long live the comrades" is still faintly visible in the dark.

North Korea lacks electricity. Even in Pyongyang, most areas are dark after eight o'clock, and the shops on the street are basically closed at eight or nine o'clock. Xiao Zhao, a tour guide, said, "We Koreans all go to bed at eleven o'clock at night." Judging from the enviable number of young people in North Korea, I believe it.

Turn on the hotel TV, and you can receive CCTV 6, CCTV 2, CCTV ... and Mango Taiwan. Even if you set foot on the land of North Korea, you may still know nothing about the truth of North Korea except the news reports you want to know.

The "Liangjiang Hotel" where we stayed is a first-class hotel in North Korea. The telephone number in the hotel is 3 dollars/minute.

And PPT is the signal that Korean people can receive. Just like their mobile phone network, they can only connect to networks that are allowed to connect. Of the 24 million people in North Korea, 4 million have mobile phones, and these people are still out of touch with the world. In North Korea, there is no internet, no passport (taken away by the tour guide and given when leaving the country) and no Korean currency. It has become a part of my nightlife in North Korea to go downstairs and spend 7 yuan on a bottle of "Datong River" beer in the hotel bar. The other part: no.

There is a supermarket under the super hotel "Yangjiao Island Hotel".

Every time something is sold, the salesman will write it down.

In North Korea, learning to go to bed early and get up early is a compulsory course. At 7: 30 Pyongyang time and 6: 30 Beijing time, North Korean tour guide Zhao was waiting for us downstairs in the hotel wearing woolen clothes and black silk high heels. I couldn't wait to put on all my clothes, wiped my nose and asked her, "Xiao Zhao, are you cold?" Xiao Zhao said, "Why not cold? Our country requires to wear skirts, black stockings and leather shoes when receiving foreign guests. " I glanced at Xiao Zhao's "PRADA" and recalled the LV belt under Yan Daolan's shirt (another Korean tour guide, one or two), expressing my belief.

It was still quite cold in North Korea in early April. Girls and students are still barefoot or wearing flesh-colored stockings, and black middle heel shoes have become a must for city girl.

Most men on the streets of Pyongyang wear formal suits or suits. Jackets and leather shoes are the basic styles for middle-aged uncles to go out on the street. Narrow-framed sunglasses have become a trend that we can't copy. The retro resurgence of fashion week and the street fashion in North Korea are simply long-lost brothers.

Under the trend of planned economic system, a high degree of unification is the fashion law of North Korea. When we drove to the "Future Scientist Street", we finally got a close look at the daily life of Pyongyang people through the window. The streets of Pyongyang after 7 am are a bit like 9 am in Beijing. Bicycles are their main means of transportation. People who can't get on trams and trolleybuses tell us that "morning rush hour" is an international term. But it is clear that Pyongyang wants peace and beauty very much.

Traffic in the city does not depend on traffic lights, and the traffic police in empty bird blue uniforms are the most eye-catching "signals".

I heard that every morning in the community, there will be aunts cheering for young people who go to work. I wonder if the team behind the window is the source of confidence today. In North Korea, only scientists and athletes will be assigned private cars, while others don't have private cars. Similarly, the high-end houses on both sides of "Future Scientist Street" are also allocated to scientists and athletes.

Although the houses of ordinary people are not so good, they are all allocated by the state. In North Korea, houses and land are owned by the state, and the state builds houses and distributes them uniformly, thus achieving a unified "golden aesthetics". The collision of various almond cake colors, the perfect axisymmetric complex and the portraits of leaders everywhere are all announcing the unique aesthetics of this mysterious country. The rise of large-scale high-rise buildings and public works in line with international standards has made the "Pyongyang Pingxing Pass" appear.

Liu Jing Hotel, a landmark building in Pyongyang, started construction in 1987, with five floors underground and 100 floors above ground. If completed on schedule, it will be the tallest hotel in the world. Now, more than 30 years have passed, because there is no power supply in North Korea, the interior decoration has not been completed, and the hotel has not yet started operation.

This design style was actually designed by Kim Jong Il himself. 199 1 A 160-page paper "On Architecture" specifies the principles of architectural design in detail. He thinks this is a style that "conforms to the public aesthetics", and more importantly, it is so "practical, warm, beautiful and lasting". It perfectly confirms a patriotic slogan "Let the whole country become a socialist wonderland" promoted by the official DPRK on 20 15.

The "eternal leader" is brought into urban construction, and the image of the leader is everywhere, whether in offices, schools or billboards in streets and alleys. Bright color matching and poster-style logo have constructed the supreme dominance of this power and leader and become the "KPI" of architecture in Kim Jong Il's era.

Korea's omnipresent symmetry and reunification

Colorful posters and slogans, with "love", "long live" and "unity" as key words, constitute an honest and frank aesthetic, and everything is orderly and unified.

The North Korean Arc de Triomphe, which is 10 meters higher than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, stands in the center of Pyongyang.

The Wanjingtai amusement park, known as "Korean Disney", is empty. There is also a mysterious and magical large-scale national treasure building-International Friendship Exhibition Hall. When the tour guide told me that the museum would not accept any shooting, all electronic products must be delivered when entering the door, and all hats must be taken off, a mysterious atmosphere came.

Soldiers with live ammunition stood at the closed door, which was about as thick as a fist. The museum can be said to be solemn and magnificent. Animals (portraits) from various countries, from wolves to tropical fish, are displayed on both sides of a long corridor, which combines the polar customs of zoos and aquariums. The commentator took us to a closed door: "The exhibits here are the national treasures of our country; Our national treasure is not open to the public, please don't take pictures; Please keep quiet and respect the national treasure when watching. " Tourists will visit different treasures according to their nationality. However, with more than 65,438+00 exhibition halls, China tourists are the most profitable, because we give the most gifts here. But soon, I was attracted by several familiar babies. Golden swallows, bronze seismographs, various blue and white porcelain, jade handicrafts, strolled back to Beijing Panjiayuan. Friends in the northeast will also have a sense of intimacy in returning to their hometown. Praise and greetings from a middle school principal, travel agency owner and entrepreneur will send greetings to you from a distance.

On the back wall of the main thought tower, there are marble and jade with the words "Long live the main thought" donated by political circles, social circles, main thought research organizations and friendly groups in more than 80 countries in the world to commemorate the establishment of the main thought tower, which is similar to the international friendship exhibition hall. Under the mixture of this utopian "socialist wonderland" and strict order, the vision of "our life is rich and colorful" has become particularly straightforward in this soil.

Pyongyang first department store

The sales counter in the shop.

Xiao Zhao has told us many times: "The three mountains that press on you are our proud capital." When my mind was still wandering about which three mountains were, she knocked on the floor and said calmly, "Our housing is free, medical care is all-inclusive, education is 12 years compulsory education, and only North Korea in the world implements the policy of three exemptions."

North Korea is willing to show the education window to the outside world. North Korean students attend classes every morning and develop interest groups in the afternoon, attaching great importance to the talent learning of female students and the sports development of male students.

"What is your mate selection criteria? A car or a house! The standard of our' brand pants' is to be a soldier, party member, and graduate from college. "

Xiao Zhao, our tour guide, became my most familiar Pyongyang person, because he repeatedly reminded me to keep up with the team and delete photos. 1995, Xiao Zhao just graduated from Korea Tourism University this year. When she joked with me, she asked, "Sister, do you have any pants?" "Sister, you don't have pants!" "I hope my sister can find a pair of brand-name pants soon." Xiao Zhao told me that "pants" is the most fashionable word among young people in North Korea now, so it should be understood as our "online buzzword". Pants refer to boyfriends, skirts refer to girlfriends, unmarried men are New Pants, super-beautiful girlfriends are miniskirts, and so on, including New Pants, old pants, long skirts and short skirts.

Young people in military uniforms on the roadside of Kaesong

The little girl sells fruit at the rest stop.

In order to get close to young North Koreans, I also asked Xiao Zhao, "So does Xiao Zhao have pants?" Xiao Zhao was a little embarrassed and interrupted me. "We are all free to fall in love now. I used to organize introductions from relatives and friends, but now we young people are looking for it ourselves. " I thought young people in North Korea would get married earlier, but Xiao Zhao told me that girls are generally 25-30 years old and boys are 27-33 years old, which is actually about the same age as us. Nowadays, "late marriage" is a common trend among young people in North Korea, because we must work harder for the development of the country!

Of the 24 million people in North Korea, 4 million have mobile phones. Xiao Zhao, the tour guide, has a "Pyongyang" mobile phone. North Korea has three brands of mobile phones, one is "Arirang", and the other is not clear. Five years ago, Xiao Zhao's father spent $300 to buy her this mobile phone as a gift.

Hard-working young North Koreans work six days a week and only have one day off on Sunday. However, Labor Day, Women's Day, Mother's Day, Children's Day, Youth Day, Soldier's Day, Workers' Party Day, the anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the birthdays of two presidents, and the socialist Constitution Festival all end with "Day", which is directly equivalent to "holiday".

Koreans during lunch break at noon

The normal taxi fare on the streets of Pyongyang is $2, which is basically for foreigners and local rich people. This 7-seat medium-sized van taxi can squeeze 15 people in one car. In the process of practicing the socialist ideal life in North Korea, the Korean people think that their life is happy and hope to share this happiness with the Korean people. In the early days of North Korea's building construction, half was distributed to the Korean people and the other half to the Korean people. Vehicles drove into the unarmed military zone of Panmunjom, 2 kilometers away, and the barbed wire was winding. Xiao Yan, a North Korean tour guide, said: "Tourists from many countries in the world can come to North Korea, but South Korea doesn't, and I haven't seen them. If they come, they will go to jail. "

"independence and unification"

The cement platform with a height of 10 cm is the dividing line between North and South Korea.

The soldiers explained by Panmunjom can not only take photos, but also take photos with you.

When I drove back to Pyongyang from Panmunjom, the expressway built in the 1990s increased the number of WeChat steps to more than 4w. On the way, a peeled apple in the service area of 2 yuan became my only fruit supply in North Korea.

The little girl's hand cuts the fruit like a top.

Back in downtown Pyongyang, the tour guide Xiao Zhao took us to the "Fuxing Station" of the Pyongyang subway, the deepest subway station in the world. The average depth of Pyongyang subway station is 100 meters, and the deepest point is 120 meters. It takes 3 minutes by elevator.

Posters are posted at the entrance of the subway station.

At the end of the steps is a portrait of Kim Jong Il.

The subway tunnel was an air-raid shelter dug during the Korean War.

No matter how many stops and how long, the fare is 5 won, about 3 cents.

There are no advertisements at the station, only newspapers.

Every car is hung with a leader.

"Fuxing Station" came in and "Glory Station" came out. I took a subway stop. When I left the subway station, it was the time for Pyongyang people to get off work. The afterglow of the sunset falls on the red and white trackless train, and the evening breeze blows my cheek. I stood in the crowd and watched the people walking home slowly in the street. I think every corner of the earth should be beautiful at this moment. Those 28 bicycles and Chinese tunic suits crunched in front of me, shoulder to shoulder and waist to shoulder.

The next morning, Xiao Yan, a tour guide, took us to the railway station. In the car, Xiao Yan said, "In two or three years, there will be great changes in North Korea. Then come back. " The spring breeze of "reform" blows again and again. Will this be the last time I see "outside Korea"? 13 the day after I came back from north Korea, north Korea announced its reform and opening up on April 20, 20 19.