An educational bond

Astatue of Kim Il-sung stands on the campus of Yuwen High School in Jilin city, Northeast China's Jilin province. Nearby, a classroom preserved from his student days serves as a reminder of a little-known chapter in the shared history of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Nearly a century later, the school remains closely connected to its northern neighbor. Since 1960, Yuwen High School has maintained a sister-school relationship with Changdok School in Pyongyang. In 2011, it welcomed 30 students from the DPRK.

For the school, the friendship between China and the DPRK is not merely a matter of diplomacy. It is woven into the school's own history.

The young student

The story begins in 1927.

Amid war and political upheaval, Kim Il-sung (1912-94) moved with his family to northeastern China. Following a recommendation, he enrolled at the newly established Yuwen High School.

"At that time, our school was an important center for the dissemination of Marxist thought and a focal point of anti-feudal activism," explains Xiu Haixia, deputy secretary of the school's Party Committee.

Founded in 1917 under the influence of China's New Culture Movement, the school quickly gained a reputation for its progressive spirit. When Kim studied there, Ma Jun, the first member of the Communist Party of China from Jilin province, was on the faculty and filled the school library with revolutionary literature.

In 1929, Kim met Shang Yue, a Chinese-language teacher who had recently arrived at the school. Together, they read the works of Lu Xun and Maxim Gorky, explored the foundations of Marxist-Leninist theory, and discussed the future of the Chinese and Korean revolutionary movements.

More than two decades later, Kim returned to China in 1953 as the leader of the DPRK (1948-94), becoming one of the earliest foreign leaders to pay an official visit to the newly founded People's Republic of China.

During the visit, he asked then-Premier Zhou Enlai to help locate his former teacher Shang Yue, who was teaching at Renmin University of China. The Chinese government subsequently designated Kim's former classroom at Yuwen as the "Comrade Kim Il-sung Memorial Study Room".

Today, photographs from his student years remain on display there. Many original details have been carefully preserved, and even the desks and chairs have been re-created to reflect the original setting.

In 1960, Yuwen High School and Changdok School in Pyongyang formally became sister schools. Changdok had been founded by Kim's grandfather, and Kim studied there from 1923 to 1925. Exactly how the partnership between the two schools was first established remains unclear.

Yet, the relationship soon deepened. In 1964, when Yuwen restored its original name after a period as Jilin No 22 Middle School, Changdok sent a commemorative banner to mark the occasion. That same year, Yuwen erected a 2.1-meter bronze statue of Kim, which was restored in 1970 and rebuilt in 1986.

Since 1964, Yuwen has hosted more than 100 official and civilian delegations from the DPRK. The school's first visit to the DPRK took place in 1974, and by 2018, it had completed 19 exchange visits.

An exchange of talent

Among those who have participated in these exchanges is Sun Bo, director of Yuwen's foreign affairs office, who has visited the DPRK three times. A graduate of the school, she studied there from 1994 to 2000.

"At that time, delegations from Changdok School visited almost every year," Sun recalls. "We would stand at the school gate holding flowers to welcome them."

Her most memorable experience came later, after she became a teacher.

In 2011, Yuwen welcomed 30 students selected by the DPRK government to pursue their high school education in China.

The initiative followed a 2010 visit to the school by DPRK leader Kim Jong-il (1941-2011), who had succeeded his father. Touring the campus once attended by his father, Kim Jong-il left an inscription expressing hope that Yuwen, as a lasting symbol of China-DPRK friendship, would continue to cultivate outstanding talent.

The group consisted of 21 girls and nine boys.

Months before their arrival, the school began extensive preparations. The students were housed four to a room in dormitories equipped with living rooms, televisions and air conditioners.

"From umbrellas to toothbrushes, every detail was arranged in advance," Xiu recalls.

To help them integrate into campus life, the school distributed them across roughly 10 classes, assigning three or five students to each.

Their teachers still speak of them with admiration.

"Their mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology comprehension were all excellent," says Xiu. "Among more than 700 students in our grade, there was almost always at least one DPRK student ranked among the top five in major examinations."

Yu Fengxian, another Chinese-language teacher, remembers teaching excerpts from Li Sao, a classical poem written more than 2,000 years ago. While many Chinese students struggled with the text, the DPRK students answered her questions with remarkable ease.

Before graduating in 2014, Xiu organized an exchange of farewell messages between the Chinese and DPRK students. Yu gave one student a knitted winter hat and received a painting in return, which she later framed and hung in her home.

At the graduation ceremony, the boys wore suits while the girls appeared in traditional Korean dress. Together, they performed DPRK songs for their classmates and teachers.

"Over those three years, the students grew taller, stronger and more confident," Xiu says. "Their knowledge expanded and, in subtle ways, their mannerisms and outlook were shaped by life at Yuwen."

A balanced relationship

After the students went back to the DPRK, Xiu visited Changdok School for the first time in 2014.

It was early autumn. Ginkgo trees across the campus shimmered gold beneath the sunlight.

"The friendship between our two schools, and between China and the DPRK, felt like those great trees — deep-rooted, flourishing, and full of life," Xiu recalls.

The reception was warm and heartfelt. Teachers from Changdok constantly asked whether their guests were comfortable and eating well. They proudly introduced their classrooms, educational programs and extracurricular activities.

The hosts also took the Yuwen delegation to Mount Myohyang, one of the DPRK's most celebrated scenic destinations. There, the teachers shared food they had prepared themselves, including the country's distinctive grilled beef.

Changdok School has likewise paid many visits to Yuwen. Sun remembers Principal Jeon Jong-ho, who appeared stern at first glance but was in fact exceptionally kind. When traveling to China, he would sometimes bring dried fish from the DPRK to share with his Chinese friends.

According to Xiu, each school possesses its own strengths. Changdok is known for its rich arts and sports programs, while Yuwen places particular emphasis on preserving and promoting traditional culture.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, exchanges between the two schools became less frequent. Yet the bond endures.

In May, the Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, Wang Yajun, visited Changdok School and noted that the sister-school relationship has now entered its 66th year. He expressed hope that educational cooperation would continue to deepen and that future generations would carry forward the friendship between the two countries.

Principal Jeon echoed that sentiment, expressing his wish that the two schools would further strengthen exchanges and contribute together to the China-DPRK friendship.

As for the 30 DPRK students who graduated from Yuwen, they are now approaching their 30s. Their former teachers often wonder how they are doing.

"I always thought they were extraordinary," Yu says. "I imagine they must still be doing exceptionally well in their own country."