202507 Dandong: Night walk in Andong Old Street: Find the comfort of a bowl of beef soup rice between history and lights

The night in Andong Old Street has a strange texture between memory and reality. In the evening, walking along the block, the first thing that comes into view is the reliefs and old font signs preserved on the exterior walls of the old buildings, which look like street scenes directly extracted from the Republic of China pictorials or photos during the Japanese occupation period. At the corner of the street, you can also see the display of the prosperous city's business in those days. That was the pulse of Dandong a hundred years ago - not only a border town of China, but also a bridgehead where many countries once intersected. It happened to be Saturday, and there was a not-so-big stage in the square, and the sound of singing opera came. The voice was sometimes gentle and sometimes sonorous. I couldn't tell which kind of opera it was, but many locals gathered around, sitting or standing, listening quietly. It was a kind of immersion that could be felt without words. The shops on the first floor mixed flavors from all over the country: there were southern snacks, Yanbian barbecue, Northeast fried skewers, and the familiar "Old Beijing Candied Haws" that Taiwanese people would definitely smile and nod. I finally chose a bowl of beef soup rice from Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture - the taste was almost exactly the same as what I had eaten in a street shop in Sinchon, Seoul. The aroma was rich, the soup was clear, and it was served with pickled yellow radish and chili powder. It was simple but down-to-earth. After the meal, I couldn't help but walk into Wallace, a local fast food brand nicknamed "McDonald's of second- and third-tier cities." I ordered fried chicken and Coke, nothing special, but it was this unspecialness that reminded me: "You are really living in a border city in China." There was no neon-lit tourist packaging, only the city breathing normally. #Dandong #Dandong Old Street #Beef Soup Rice #Yanbian #Wallace