The Yalu River (Yalujiang) forms the border between China and North Korea along the southern edge of Baishan municipality, and boat cruises on this stretch of the river offer an experience found nowhere else in China. The river here is not the broad, intimidating barrier you might imagine — in places it narrows considerably, and the North Korean bank is close enough for the details of daily life to be visible.
Operators run cruise boats from several points along the Chinese bank, with the journey lasting one to two hours. What you see on the far bank depends on the day and the season: sometimes just forest and abandoned-looking structures, sometimes active villages and the occasional North Korean boat. The Chinese side is farmland and small towns with modest crossing infrastructure that serves the limited authorized trade between the two countries.
The cruise is unusual rather than spectacular — it won't leave you with dramatic photography, but the experience of floating along a border that is among the most closed in the world has its own weight. Arrange boats through guesthouses or local operators in the towns along the river south of Baishan city.