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PYONGYANG, June 19-- Nearly 70 years ago, in October 1950, hundreds of thousands of Chinese young men and women in uniform crossed the northeastern border to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), fighting in the Korean War alongside with their Korean comrades. Nowadays, hundreds of Chinese people cross the Yalu River from northeast China's city of Dandong -- by train or by bus -- to the DPRK to sightsee. Others seek to uncover wartime stories. Panmunjeom, located in DPRK-South Korea's border town of Kaesong, receives international tourists every year. The village, which witnessed the signing of the armistice agreement that halted the 1950-1953 Korean War, or more recently the historic summit of the heads of DPRK and South Korea, is now crowded with curious visitors interested in gazing over parts of South Korean soil from inside the DPRK. "I grew up watching Heroic Sons and Daughters, Shangganling among others. I can still recite many pieces lauding the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, so I hold special emotions and have curiosity towards the DPRK," said Mr. Li, a retired engineer from Beijing, who did not give his full name to Xinhua. Shangganling was a battlefield where many heroic sons and daughters fought for 43 days starting from Oct. 14, 1952 to crush enemies from the south. Some call the place the "Verdun of Korea," and the battle was written in movies and history. "The trip fulfills a long-cherished wish of mine," Li added. | 
