Vladimir Grigor’evich Datsyshen,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, St. Petersburg State University of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
On the Eve of the Silver Anniversary of the Chinese Eastern Railway and Harbin
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2023-3-8
Abstract. The article is devoted to the events around the 25th anniversary of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) and the city of Harbin in 1923, when the situation of uncertainty of the status of the CER dictated its conditions. It was decided to celebrate the anniversary of the railway widely, but the Board of the CER Society faced a number of problems: determining the date of the celebration and the founding day of Harbin, compiling a historical review of the CER and finding sources for it, placing emphasis on the celebration program in a difficult political situation. It was necessary to maintain a balance between the desire to recall Russia’s role in the development of Manchuria and to show respect for the interests of the Chinese side. To prepare for the anniversary, several commissions were created, the materials of which have been preserved in the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA) and formed the basis for this article: protocols of meetings, letters and proposals sent to the Anniversary Commission, the forming of the program and the guest list, financial and other issues. Based on documents and materials of the Harbin press, the article examines the contribution of individual employees of the CER, public, educational and commercial organizations, both Russian and Chinese, to the preparation of the anniversary celebration. In connection with the 125th anniversary of the CER and Harbin in 2023, it seems important to clarify some details of the establishment of the anniversary date, the creation of a Historical review of the CER, the work of the commissions for the preparation of celebrations. It can be concluded that the CER anniversary had a symbolic meaning for the Russian colony in Manchuria and became an important unifying moment in the life of the Russian and Chinese population of Harbin.
Publishing: 28/06/2023
The article has been received by the editor on 15/01/2023
How to cite: Krotova M.V. On the Eve of the Silver Anniversary of the Chinese Eastern Railway and Harbin // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 3 (29), pp. 103–114. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-3-08.pdf]
Links: Issue 3 2023
Keywords: Chinese Eastern Railway; CER; Harbin; Manchuria; anniversary; Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA)