Wender·Vista
Yalu River
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China
along the border between North Korea and northeast China

Yalu River

— — the long water two countries share without speaking.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The river rises high on Paektu Mountain and runs roughly 800 kilometres to the Yellow Sea, separating Dandong from Sinuiju across a single span of steel. The Chinese bank carries neon and tour boats. The Korean bank carries quiet. Fishermen on each side work the same current and watch each other work it. — from the studio

from the studio
Yalu River
— bring it home

Yalu River, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Yalu River

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Yalu (Amnok in Korean) runs roughly 795 kilometres from the caldera lake on Paektu Mountain in the Changbai range to its mouth on Korea Bay, draining a basin of about 63,000 square kilometres. It forms most of the border between Liaoning province and North Korea. The largest crossing point is at Dandong, where the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge meets the broken stubs of the Yalu River Bridge bombed in 1950.

— informed by Wikipedia — Yalu River
— the water

Source water comes from Heaven Lake, the volcanic crater on Paektu at 2,189 metres, and from snowmelt and summer rain across the Changbai forest. The river is fed by the Hun, Tokro and Changjin tributaries before it widens at Dandong. Mean discharge near the mouth runs about 850 cubic metres per second, with summer monsoon peaks far higher. Surface ice closes the upper river from December into March.

— the visit

Most visitors meet the river at Dandong, opposite Sinuiju. Tour boats run from the Chinese promenade out to the iron piers of the broken bridge, a war memorial that ends mid-river. The newer Friendship Bridge, built in 1943, still carries rail traffic into North Korea. Access to the Korean bank is closed to ordinary travellers. Best light is winter afternoon, when the ice sheet catches low sun.

— where
People's Republic of China · Dandong, Liaoning
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Dandong
border city
350 km E
Paektu Mountain
volcanic source
1 km S
Sinuiju
Korean border city
N
Yalu River
Dandong
Paektu Mountain
Sinuiju
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Yalu River — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It rises from Heaven Lake on Paektu Mountain at 2,189 metres and runs about 795 kilometres southwest to the Yellow Sea at Korea Bay, draining roughly 63,000 square kilometres.

It forms most of the border between China and North Korea and was the front line of the Korean War in 1950, when United Nations forces approached its banks and the bridges at Dandong were bombed.

The Yalu River Bridge, completed in 1911, was severed by United States bombing in 1950. The Chinese-side stub still stands as a war memorial. Boats run out to its final pier.

The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge carries limited rail and road traffic between Dandong and Sinuiju, but ordinary tourists from most countries cannot use it. The Korean bank is closed to casual visitors.

The upper Yalu freezes from December into March most years. The wider lower river near Dandong develops drift ice and partial sheets but rarely closes completely to boat traffic.

Koreans call it the Amnok River. The Chinese name Yalu derives from the Manchu word for the border-marker. Both names appear on maps of the region.

— about the piece in your home

It has been for many of our customers. The Amnok is a quiet, weighted place in Korean memory. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as careful rather than political.

The cool blues and iron-grey tones suit Minimalist, Industrial-modern, and study-room interiors with darker woods. It also holds its own against deep-green or oxblood walls.

A single Large above a console reads as one painting. Above a long sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the horizontal sweep of the river better than any single piece.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and shrug off humidity. The Glossy finish is best kept to drier rooms and framed wall installations.

A microfibre cloth, dry or barely damp with water. Skip ammonia, vinegar, and abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in our distinctive stained-glass and alcohol-ink language, hand-finished in Knoxville. We do not licence the artwork.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.