Border highway unlocks new growth along frontier

CHANGCHUN — In early autumn, Chen Mo, a self-driving tourist from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, pulled into a themed rest stop along National Highway G331 in Northeast China's Jilin province.

Setting off from Dandong in neighboring Liaoning province, he planned a seven-day journey along the border road to Hunchun in Jilin, hoping to experience Korean ethnic customs, pick local mountain produce and take in the riverside scenery along the way.

"I used to think border areas were just places to pass through," Chen said. "Now, they are worth staying for."

Stretching 1,240 kilometers across Jilin, G331 runs along the province's border, skirting the Changbai Mountains and tracing the Yalu and Tumen rivers. The route passes through 10 county-level areas and links 216 border villages, 12 border ports and 45 scenic attractions rated AAA level or above. Parts of the route were once narrow, winding and difficult to navigate, making many border villages and attractions hard to reach.

After years of upgrades, the Jilin section fully opened to traffic in September 2025 and has since drawn a growing stream of travelers to the region. During the combined 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday — the first major holiday since the road opened — traffic volume along the route topped 307,000, up 410.82 percent year-on-year, with a daily peak of 50,100.

Ji'an, the first stop in Jilin for travelers arriving from Liaoning along the route, was once a key departure point for the Chinese People's Volunteers as they crossed the Yalu River to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). The city boasts a wealth of revolutionary sites, many of which once lay off the beaten track.

Now, the G331 is bringing these areas within easier reach for tourists. The city has renovated historic sites, upgraded study trails and improved visitor services, linking them with border landmarks to create routes that combine revolutionary history, border sightseeing and self-driving travel.

"I brought my child here by car to experience history firsthand," said visitor Wang Junjun. "Seeing the border landscape and the Yalu River up close made the trip both meaningful and memorable."

At the eastern end of G331's Jilin section, Hunchun is seeing another type of longer stay. The city, Jilin's only land-port city open to Russia, has attracted more Russian visitors as travel between the two countries has become easier under visa-free policies. Passenger traffic through Hunchun Port reached a record high of 754,000 in 2025.

Traditional Chinese medicine and wellness services are becoming a particular draw for Russian visitors. Acupuncture, moxibustion and massage are among the treatments gaining popularity, with some visitors shifting from brief trips to longer wellness stays and opting for short-term therapy lasting seven to 10 days.

"I was worried about the language barrier, but everything went smoothly," said a visitor from St Petersburg after an acupuncture session in Hunchun. "The doctor also showed me some simple stretches I could do at home."

The growing flow of visitors is also creating opportunities for local residents. An Guangri, a retired soldier in Fangchuan village in Hunchun, converted an idle farmhouse into a border-themed homestay.

"Since the highway opened, we've seen more self-driving tourists, as well as visitors from Russia and the Republic of Korea," he said. "During the peak season, rooms are often booked two weeks in advance."

For Wu Meihong, the changes along G331 offered her a reason to come home. She returned to Qushui Village in Tumen in 2023 and, with her sister, renovated an unused old house into a rustic countryside cafe. Her social media videos of daily village life drew viewers, some of whom later came to visit.

"Once the road opened, more tourists came, and I realized there are just as many opportunities back home as in the city," she said.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY