Victoria Gennadievna Sharonova,
Candidate of History Sciences, Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Establishment and Development of Trade and Economic Activities of Russian Merchants in Harbin at the Beginning of 20th Century
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2023-3-1
The article details the history of Russian trade in Manchuria. The main event that served as its successful start was the conclusion of the Union Treaty between Russia and China in 1896. Starting from 1898, the first Russian products intended for Russian settlers began to arrive in Harbin. Russian merchants had two big tasks: providing Russian residents with the necessary products and building relationships with Chinese consumers. With the growth of Harbin and the Chinese Eastern Railway, the number of imported Russian goods also increased. After Russia’s defeat in the Russian-Japanese War, its exports to China were cut down. However, since 1907 there has been new growth in the trade and economic activities of Russian merchants. Moscow trading houses played a particular role, supplying Manchuria with their manufactory. Gradually, the number of Russian trading enterprises increased, chain stores appeared, such as trading house “Churin and K°”, “I.F. Chistyakov” etc. Commercial and industrial entrepreneurship began to develop, and new forms of trade cooperation appeared. The article describes the specifics of trading activities peculiar to the merchants depending on their nationality and the traditions they adopted at home. The documents from Russian and Chinese archives, some of which were introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, were the primary sources for this article. In memory of Russian merchants and their role in the development of the trade and economic potential of Manchuria, modern Chinese businessmen give Russian names to their stores.
Publishing: 28/06/2023
The article has been received by the editor on 21/03/2023
How to cite: Sharonova V.G. Establishment and Development of Trade and Economic Activities of Russian Merchants in Harbin at the Beginning of 20th Century // Historical Courier. 2023, No. 3 (29), pp. 13–29, [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-3-01.pdf]
Links: Issue 3 2023
Keywords: Russia; China; Harbin; Chinese Eastern Railway; Sino-Russian trade; merchants; shops; goods; export; import