Go into the countryside of North Korea and see the daily life of local people

North Korea’s Sinuiju is adjacent to my country’s Dandong. Every autumn, many people travel to Sinuiju through Dandong. But in winter, there are very few people traveling to Sinuiju. Sinuiju and Dandong face each other across the river. In fact, if you want to understand the lives of the people of Sinuiju, you can get a glimpse of it by standing on the Yalu River and taking a peek. Sinuiju is a big city in North Korea, but this city does not have the bustling atmosphere of a big city and looks like a small county town.

Sinuiju seems to have no suburbs. Beyond the urban area, there are vast rural areas. Walking downstream along the Yalu River, you can see the rural scenery of Sinuiju. The Yalu River does not freeze in winter, but the weather is very cold. Most people living in Dandong use heaters at home. But people living in Sinuiju generally don’t have heating at home.

In rural areas of Sinuiju, people mainly rely on coal and firewood for heating. You can generally cut firewood yourself, but coal needs to be purchased. However, there are also some rural people in Sinuiju who collect cinders near the coal mines and go home to keep warm. Generally speaking, rural people in Sinuiju mainly rely on burning firewood for heating. They burn wood for cooking and keeping warm at the same time.

In rural areas of Sinuiju, women do laundry. Sinuiju women wash their clothes mainly in the Yalu River. The Yalu River is very cold in winter and sometimes freezes. Although the river water is biting, it cannot stop the enthusiasm of Sinuiju women to wash clothes. North Korean people love cleanliness very much and they don't like to wear dirty clothes. Therefore, I also wash clothes very frequently. In rural areas of Sinuiju, people mainly go out on foot or by bicycle.

Because of the cold weather, many farmers in Sinuiju wear turbans or scarves and leather gloves. They like to wear khaki or gray-green cotton clothing. The way we dress is very similar to what we used to have. In Sinuiju in winter, there are not many recreational activities for people. People in Sinuiju usually don’t know how to play mahjong. Although it is winter, the crops in the fields have been harvested. But farmers in Sinuiju still have a lot to do.

For example, they will prepare fuel and food for the winter...