Dandong, city, southeastern Liaoning sheng (province), northeastern China. Dandong is a prefecture-level municipality (shi), and the territory under its administration includes not only the municipal area but also several counties occupying the entire North Korean border zone of Liaoning. It is situated some 22 miles (35 km) from the mouth of the Yalu River.
The city, known as Andong until 1965, took its name from that of the protectorate general set up in the mid-7th century ce in southern Liaoning by the Tang dynasty (618–907). In the late 16th century the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) constructed a fort, Zhenjiangbao, at what is now called Jiuliancheng, some 6 miles (10 km) northeast of the present-day city. During the late Ming period and the early part of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), it held an important strategic position. The surrounding area was only sparsely populated until the mid-19th century, but, after it was opened for Han Chinese colonization in 1862–74, it was quickly settled, largely by immigrants from Shandong province; in 1876 it was constituted a county town with a regular civil administration.
As the town grew, it became the natural outlet for the Changbai Mountains area and a centre of trade between Korea and northeastern China (Manchuria). It became a collecting centre for agricultural produce, especially soybeans from the surrounding district, and was even more important as a timber-exporting port. It developed a large junk fleet engaged in the coastal trade to Tianjin, Shanghai, and Shandong province. It was opened to foreign trade as a treaty port in 1906.
Early in the 20th century its importance was enhanced by the construction of a railway joining it to Shenyang (Mukden). Built by the Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), it passed under Japanese control according to the Treaty of Portsmouth; Andong then became an important outlet for Manchurian goods. It was, however, a poor natural port, situated some distance from the sea on a river that rapidly silted up. During the Japanese occupation (1931–45), construction of a modern deepwater port at Donggou was begun at the mouth of the Yalu, but it was never completed. In 1933 Andong was designated one of the principal centres for industrial development. A large textile industry grew, and lumber-processing and wood-pulp plants were installed.
Since 1949 the city’s industrial growth has continued. Its industry is highly diversified. The textile industry now includes cotton and silk weaving, silk reeling, and the making of synthetic fibres. There is a large paper and wood-pulp sector, as well as a diversified chemical industry producing pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals; also important are rubber and various engineering undertakings. Dandong is the railway crossing point at the border between China and North Korea for the Beijing-P’yŏngyang international rail line. A new seaport has been constructed at Donggang (formerly Donggou) that has greatly facilitated domestic and international trade in the area. Dandong’s airport has regular flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities in China. Pop. (2002 est.) 602,028; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 870,000.