A bird's-eye view of the tri-border area at Fangchuan

A bird's-eye view of the tri-border area at Fangchuan

Fangchuan, located 75 kilometers south of Hunchun city, is a border region where China, North Korea, and Russia meet. Covering an area of 20 square kilometers, it lies by the river and sea, nestled against mountains and water. Since ancient times, it has been known as a place “where the crowing of a rooster can be heard across three countries, and the barking of a dog can startle all three borders.”

To the east of Fangchuan is Russia’s small border railway station of Baudogornaya, and to the southwest across the Tumen River lies North Korea’s Tumangang... The two cities, Russian and North Korean, are connected by a railway bridge over the Tumen River, serving as the only land trade link between Russia and North Korea. From Fangchuan, traveling 15 kilometers down the Tumen River leads to the Sea of Japan, which could become a “Maritime Silk Road” for trade between China, Russia, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and even other countries and regions in Northeast Asia. From Fangchuan, it is only 16 kilometers to Russia’s Posyet Port via the Tumen River, and 180 kilometers to Vladivostok.

Jingxin Fangchuan Village is located at the foot of Zhanggufeng. A few kilometers further ahead lies the "T" boundary marker, jointly erected in 1886 by the Qing Dynasty’s imperial envoy Wu Dashan and the Russian representative Baron Pavel Nikolaevich Baranov. From here, it is just 15 kilometers to the mouth of the Tumen River, from where the Sea of Japan can be seen in the distance. Climbing up the watchtower on a nearby hill, you can gaze into the misty horizon of the Sea of Japan; nearby, the landscapes of China, North Korea, and Russia unfold before your eyes — to the left is the Russian border town of Baudogornaya, and to the right, across the river, is North Korea’s Tumangang. The soldiers and residents of Fangchuan proudly say that this is a place where “you can see the mountain and river views of three borders, and hear the crowing and barking of three countries.”

Fangchuan Village: Located about 70 kilometers south of Hunchun city in Jingxin Town, Fangchuan Village sits at the foot of Zhanggufeng and is the lowest point in Jilin Province. A few kilometers ahead lies the "T" boundary marker, jointly erected in 1886 by the Qing Dynasty’s imperial envoy Wu Dashan and the Russian representative Baron Pavel Nikolaevich Baranov. From here, it is just 15 kilometers to the mouth of the Tumen River, from where the Sea of Japan can be seen in the distance. Climbing up the watchtower on a nearby hill, you can gaze into the misty horizon of the Sea of Japan; nearby, the landscapes of China, North Korea, and Russia unfold before your eyes — to the left is the Russian border town of Baudogornaya, and to the right, across the river, is North Korea’s Tumangang. The soldiers and residents of Fangchuan... More details about Fangchuan Village++