Here is a gallery of photos from my recent trip to China, which took me from Harbin in northern Heilongjiang province to the Russian border and then back along the tip of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Yanji, the capital of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture (延边朝鲜族自治洲). The region, abutting the North Korean border, is home to 30-40,000 refugees from the north, who brave hardship and exploitation in the hope of sending money back to their relatives or finding a safe passage to South Korea.
Stained-glass window in Harbin’s oldest synagogue, built in 1909.
Early morning in Harbin, c. zero degrees Celsius
The Songhua River, still frozen over in late March, with Russian-built rail bridge in the background.
St. Sophia Orthodox Church, the most prominent of Harbin’s Russian vestiges.
Interior of St. Sophia church, Harbin.
Game of Chinese checkers in Daoli, Harbin’s old town.
An alley between unrenovated buildings in Daoli, Harbin.
Japanese-built warehouses in Daoli, Harbin.
Zhongyang Street, formerly Kitaiskaya Street, in the center of Harbin.
Looking into North Korea across the Tumen River, on the highway between Hunchun and Yanji.
Wild mushrooms — a local specialty — for sale in Yanji.
Yanji street at dusk.
Korean restaurants in Yanji. Around half the city’s population is ethnic Korean.
Skewered critters for sale at Beijing’s Wangfujing snack market.
A game of cards near the Forbidden City, Beijing.
Near the Forbidden City, Beijing.
A Beijing hutong at dusk.
