Usually I don’t get too specific when I talk about where I have traveled, but fate meant that I ended up partying on Xining Road Yanji. Why did I end up on Xining Road Yanji? Well there was actually a really good reason.
You see, back in the day I was a regular visitor to Yanji, the capital of the Korean Autonomous Prefecture of the region. This was due to me running tours in Rason. The last time I went was in 2018, meaning that by the time I came back in 2024 things had changed somewhat.
Our personal reasoning for being here was for the notorious LiuJing Hotel, where even if we did not stay we would at least enjoy the Korean dancing.
The Old Xining Road Yanji
So, while the main reason for going here was the North Korean hotel, we also enjoyed the area as whole, as it was not only a great place to party, but was also a weird fusion of everything North Korea, South Korean and Chinese.
This meant lots of weird bars, Korean BBQ, dog restaurants (its a thing), as well as many “pink shops” with Korean ethnicity ladies offering massages. Oh and for every weirder reasons Pabst Blue Ribbon was a thing.
Contemporary Xining Road Yanji
Of course the main change I fund here was that the LiuJing Hotel had closed due to what we assumed were Covid reasons. Obviously we had not booked it, but had at least booked close in hopes it was still a fun place.
What we found though was that while things were “still going” it was but a shell of its former self. Although it would be fair to say that this was fairly true for the other parts of China, such as Beijing that we visited.
We did though manage some disappointing North Korean food, some great Korean BBQ and bars that people come to merely to drink the fine Soju. Here I was to not only first try colors free soju, but also get the worst hangover of 2024. Not that impressive I guess, but it is May to be fair.
And while most of the nightlife seems to have changed, we did see a dimly lot room which said “Korean (Joseon) House” outside. Apparently that is the new avuncular for a massage joint. The world truly is a funny place…….