Get to know Yuanbao District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Dandong
- Chinese name
- 元宝区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 90.94 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 202,325
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The ground falls from low hills of the Qianshan range (千山) in the northwest to flat Yalu alluvium in the southeast. Yuanbao Hill, which gives the district its name, reaches 181.8 metres and is described as the highest peak inside urban Dandong; Laofang Dading (老方大顶), at 519 metres, is the district's highest point. The Yalu forms the border with North Korea for 2.4 kilometres here, and the Dasha River (大沙河) marks the boundary with Zhen'an District (振安区).
History
After the Later Jin (后金) took Liaodong (辽东) in 1621, the area was sealed off and left empty; the Qing reopened the eastern frontier in 1874 and set up Andong County (安东县) in 1876, with its yamen at what is now 40 Jintang Street (金汤街). Andong grew into a trading centre for timber, grain, soybean oil and tussah silk, with river and sea wharves, and a port open to foreign trade. The name Yuanbao District dates from 1937, when Andong city was split into seven districts; it was called Hongwei District (红卫区) from 1968 until the old name returned in 1978.
What to see
The Tang Yulin Mansion (汤玉麟公馆), also called the Tang Erhu building (汤二虎楼), was built from 1922 to 1924 with a red-brick front building and a grey-brick rear one around a courtyard; local merchants' and boatmen's guilds paid for it. A municipal protected site since 1988, it became a museum in 2019 that includes items donated by veterans of the Korean War.
In Jinshan, the Zongyu hot spring resort (宗裕温泉度假区) is a hot spring theme park that has been named a provincial hot spring resort, and the Jinshan Lake resort (金山湖旅游度假区) is built around the Heigou Reservoir (黑沟水库). Liaodong University (辽东学院) is also in the district.
Highlights
- Yuanbao Hill 元宝山: 181.8 metres; described as the highest peak in urban Dandong and the source of the district's name.
- Tang Yulin Mansion 汤玉麟公馆: Built 1922-1924; municipal protected site since 1988; museum since 2019.
- Zongyu hot spring resort 宗裕温泉度假区: Hot spring theme park in Jinshan, named a provincial hot spring resort.
- Jinshan Lake resort 金山湖旅游度假区: Built around the Heigou Reservoir.
Sources for this guide
元宝概况-总体概况-元宝区人民政府 · Yuanbao District People's Government, Dandong (district party history office)
金山镇-金山镇人民政府-元宝区人民政府 · Jinshan Town People's Government, Yuanbao District
汤玉麟公馆-印象元宝-元宝区人民政府 · Yuanbao District People's Government, Dandong
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-26.
Explore Yuanbao District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Yuanbao District 元宝区
Plan your visit
Getting there
Yuanbao District is about 4 km in a straight line from central Dandong. Search for 元宝区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Dandong
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.