Abstract

The period of Russian emigrants’ presence in Harbin in the 1920s–1940s is divided into three stages. The first stage is the time from the October Revolution to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Soviet Union. The second stage encompasses the period from the mutual recognition of each other by the Republic of China and the USSR until the Mukden incident on 18 September 1931. The third stage lasted from the beginning of the Japanese occupation of North-Eastern China until the end of World War II. The number of Russian emigrants in Harbin was signifi cant. Despite the fact that, in the period between the two world wars, China did not easily build its relations with other countries, Russian emigrants, brought up in the traditions of Western secular education and traditional Orthodoxy equally alien to the Chinese, managed not only to maintain their cultural identity, but also to develop steadfastly in its context. This development took diff erent directions. The business of the “Russian Harbin” remained buzzing. The entrepreneurs resident there tried not only to maintain, but also to increase their presence in the Chinese and, more broadly, in the world economy. The cultural life of emigrants was also at a high level, and the traditions of the Russian Silver Age were continued. New literary works were created and societies appeared that united representatives of creative professions. Harbin became the centre of musical education, not only for Russian emigrants, but also for the local population. Many well-known Chinese performers and musicians were educated in the music education institutions of the “Russian Harbin”. The city was embellished with civil and religious buildings erected by Russian architects. The sphere of education was represented by educational institutions of all levels. Publishing activity did not stop — Russian periodicals were printed in Harbin, books were published, including memoirs of participants in the White movement, and there was an extensive network of libraries. The well-organized cultural life of the “Russian Harbin” contributed to the fact that Russian emigrants preserved their national identity.