Dandong's cultural overview

Home > Culture

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2011-05-31

Dandong enjoys a long history and profound culture.

The primitive culture of the Yalu River civilization – represented by the Qianyang Man and Houwa site, the ethnic culture by ethnic Manchu and ethnic Korean, the border area culture by the ancient city Wugu and Hushan Great Wall, the red culture by the history of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, and the landscape culture by the Yalu River and Pheonix Mountain all constitute a cultural Dandong with regional characteristics.

Dandong has developed a series of local cultural brands. Manchu songs and dances, drama, children’s Peking Opera and other ethnic cultural brands, 60th birthday celebration ritual of ethnic Korean people, Dandong drum music and other folk cultural brands, farmers’ paintings in Donggang and Kuandian and other native cultural brands, the Damaged Yalu River Bridge, the site of the mountainous city in Pheonix Mountain, Hushan Great Wall, Gu Mountain temple fair, Pheonix Mountain temple fair, Spring Greeting series, Ethnic Korean Pageant, Library for Manchu Studies.

Landmark cultural achievements of Dandong in the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) are as follows.

Artistic creation and performance: The large ethnic Manchu group dance, known as the “Side Drum on the Eastern Border” and the drama “Handprint” won golden prizes in the provincial art festival. “Spring Greeting” won an award in the 15th “Galaxy Award” held by the Ministry of Culture. The movie “2131” program received the title of “an advanced collective for rural movie projection in China” from the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The children’s Peking Opera won a golden flower prize at the “Chinese Children’s Drama Plum Blossom Competition.”

Cultural heritage protection: The Damaged Yalu River Bridge is a key heritage under national protection. The 60-year-old birthday celebration ritual of ethnic Korean people and Dandong drum music are in the list of national intangible cultural heritage. The Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is a national first-class museum. Fengcheng city won the title of “an advanced county for cultural relics in China.”

Administration of the cultural market: Dandong Cultural Market Inspection Detachment was cited by the National Copyright Administration and the Ministry of Culture.

Construction of cultural facilities: The project to upgrade and expand the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea has been completed, and so was the project to renovate the Dandong Provincial Museum. In 2009, the construction projects of Dandong Theatre and a new library laid foundation, a historic breakthrough in the construction of cultural facilities.

Development of cultural industry: A great headway was made in the cultural industry of Dandong city. The cultural and entertainment sector, cybercafée sector, book publication sector (sales of books and audio and video products), movie sector and printing sector are flourishing and making contributions to economic development and social stability of Dandong.