Fascination with history takes Chinese travelers to site of Chernobyl disaster

(LI MIN / CHINA DAILY)

After Li Yimeng took a one-day trip to Chernobyl in Ukraine, she washed her shoes five times, cleaning away any radiation that may have been on the soles.

She also washed her clothes, backpack and even the magnets she bought in the area, scene of the Chernobyl disaster — the world’s biggest nuclear power plant accident — which occurred on April 26, 1986. 

Since the abandoned area was opened to tourists in 2011, there has been an increasing number of visitors, but risks from radiation remain.

“The sudden fear I experienced after the trip was purely psychological, but I didn’t feel ill,” said Li, a photographer from Beijing, who traveled to Ukraine in October. 

When the disaster happened, parts of the then Soviet Union, including Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, were exposed to substantial amounts of radiation, with the aftereffects in the following years including increased cases of thyroid cancer. The Soviet Union broke up in 1991, five years after the accident.

Tourists can book a guided one-day tour of the area through travel agencies in Kiev, capital of Ukraine. 

Local travel agencies claim that as radioactivity levels fall over time, and with clean-up operations being staged at Chernobyl, short visits with designated routes are safe, but tourists must follow radiation safety regulations. 

Some travel agencies state on their websites that the total amount of radiation a person is exposed to during a 10-hour trip to the area is several times lower than the level experienced during a transatlantic flight.

However, the potential risk is still there, as the dangerous nuclear waste is sealed in a “tomb”. 

Immediately after the meltdown in 1986, a massive steel and concrete structure, known as “the sarcophagus”, was hastily constructed to cover the damaged nuclear reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The installation was completed at the end of November that year.

By the end of 2016, Ukraine and other countries worked together to establish a giant shield to replace the sarcophagus to prevent further leaks of radioactivity. The shield is designed to secure the site for the next 100 years, and tourists can take photos of the area from a distance.

Chernobyl is one of the most popular areas for “dark tourism”, which refers to traveling to places associated with death and tragedy.

After the hit TV miniseries Chernobyl aired on HBO in May, increasing numbers of tourists have been keen to visit the disaster area.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Ukrainian government reported that nearly 72,000 visitors traveled to Chernobyl last year, up from 50,000 in 2017.

In July, the Ukrainian government said it would make Chernobyl an official tourist site, with plans to improve infrastructure, checkpoints, routes, waterways and radiation monitoring.

Although many visitors to Chernobyl are from Western countries, some Chinese tourists interested in history or photography have traveled to the area.

Visitors view a radar system set up by the former Soviet Union at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (VALENTYN OGIRENKO / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Li booked her one-day trip, which cost US$84, in advance online through a local travel agency. She also paid US$10 for a Geiger counter in order to detect radioactive emissions.

Her destination was the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an area within a 30-kilometer radius of nuclear reactor number 4.

Once the journey started, she became so immersed in the experience that she had no time to worry about the potential risks.

“I had a bird’s-eye view from the top of a Soviet-style building. The autumn landscape was beautiful, tranquil and desolate, with derelict buildings surrounded by yellow-leafed trees. But this sudden exposure to the reality of Chernobyl made me want to know more about the area’s history,” Li said.

“As the world undergoes great changes, this place remains unchanged, as if time is at a standstill. The scene is imprinted in my memory.”

Tourists to Chernobyl must wear long-sleeved clothing, full-length pants, and shoes that cover the whole foot. They are warned not to touch any objects or sit on the ground.

On the minibus that took the tour group Li joined to the site, two of the 10-strong party were Chinese, and others came from European countries.

To enter the zone, visitors must show their passports and pass through a security check. They can have lunch in a canteen, with food transported from Kiev. When they are about to leave, they have to pass a body-scan test to check for high levels of radiation.

Pripyat was built as a model Soviet city to house workers at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and their families.

The most-photographed area of the city is the amusement park, which was scheduled to open on May 1, 1986, but all 50,000 citizens were evacuated just days before.

When the tour guide placed his Geiger counter close to a yellow Ferris wheel, the device indicated high levels of radiation.

Li said the radiation levels in the soil, fallen leaves and other items in the area were much higher than those found in the air.

The guide handed out old photos of different sites in the area so that the visitors could compare them with how they look now.

Li also visited abandoned classrooms with scattered books and fallen desks, a room with numerous gas masks and a coffeehouse frequented by workers.

As she concentrated on taking photos, she suddenly found she had been left on her own. As fear set in, she ran as fast as possible and was able to catch up with the rest of the group.

“It was an unforgettable moment during the visit. I was afraid of being lost and having to spend the night there on my own. After that, I followed the tour guide closely,” she said. 

Li believes that as trips to Chernobyl become more popular, a limit may be placed on visitor numbers.

“It’s not a place to seek novelty. Tourists should realize the potential risks before they make their plans,” she said.

Yang Xiao, chief experience officer for the Chinese tourism website Qyer, has traveled to popular dark tourism and urban exploration sites worldwide to take photos, including the abandoned Zeljava Air Base on the border between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone can be categorized as both dark tourism and urban exploration. In 2016, Yang booked a two-day tour to Chernobyl and stayed overnight near the zone in a basic hotel. As she took a stroll at night, she had to remain in a restricted area.

“In the world’s most contaminated area, I had the most gorgeous view of the Milky Way. It was amazing,” she said. 

Yang visited the hospital in Pripyat, where firefighters responding to the disaster were treated. “I felt very sad at the site,” she said.

“Tourism in Chernobyl has developed over the years, and the guides are professional. Visitors should obey all the rules, such as not touching objects in the zone.” 

Zhang Ye, 30, who works at the Bro Adventures travel agency in Beijing, was impressed by the book Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by the 2015 Nobel literature laureate Svetlana Alexievich. 

The Belarusian author interviewed hundreds of people affected by the nuclear accident, ranging from members of the public to doctors.

“I was greatly moved by the survivors’ personal stories, including how their lives have been changed. When they were ordered to leave in a hurry, they thought that one day they would return home. But that day never came,” Zhang said.

“These stories made me want to visit the place and see everything for myself.”

Zhang, driven by his interest in the culture of the former Soviet Union, has visited 14 of the 15 countries that were once part of it. 

In Pripyat, he found traces of the hasty evacuation of residents, such as scattered personal items.

He was saddened by the sight of dirty children’s beds and abandoned plastic dolls at a kindergarten.

“I was not afraid of the radiation risk, but I was heavy-hearted during the trip. The nuclear meltdown caused by human error led to a great number of casualties, and it could have been prevented,” he said.

xulin@chinadaily.com.cn