The Russian community in Harbin was first born out of Tsarist imperialist ambitions in Manchuria during the late-19th century. With the construction of the Russian-run Chinese Eastern Railway, Harbin became a major transport hub, thus hosting its first wave of Russian settlers (the so-called “Yellow Russia” project ). After the Bolshevik Revolution large numbers of White Russian soldiers and aristocrats escaped to Harbin, due to the city’s unique status: a Russian town situated deep within China. The new Soviet Union inherited the CER’s operation in Manchuria, but did not have direct control over the city of Harbin. As a result, during the 1920s Harbin became the largest Russian community outside of Russia. Local Chinese warlords especially welcomed the former White Russian soldiers and officers as they provided valuable military and technical expertise. The Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin famously fielded entire White Russian regiments, armoured trains and air corps.

The decline of the White Russian community in Harbin was gradual. With the Second Zhili-Fengtian War and the subsequent Anti-Fengtian War, many White Russian units in the Fengtian Army were moved to central and southern China. And simply dissipated overtime on the vast Chinese battlefield. In the 1930s, with the coming of the Japanese and the establishment of the Manchukuo regime, some Russian residents in Harbin began to leave. Compared to the Chinese, the Japanese were much more hostile towards Whites, Russians, and especially White Russians. In 1935 the Soviets officially sold the CER to Manchukuo and recalled all its remaining employees in Manchuria, at the same time also encouraging local White Russians to return. With the complete withdrawal of Russian authority presence in Manchuria, and an increasingly hostile Japan, many did. As many as 100,000 Russians returned to the Soviet Union during this time. Tragically, many of them were later prosecuted during the Great Purge, specifically under NKVD Order 00593 “Operation Harbin,” more than 30,000 were killed, and 17,000 exiled. source

The Second World War and subsequent Chinese Civil War undoubtedly devastated the Russian community in Harbin, but the second and final blow came from the People’s Republic of China. Most Russians returned to the Soviet Union after 1945 (or late after 1949). In 1954 and 1955, with the Khrushchev regime needing labour for its massive land cultivation projects, China organized two mass repatriations of Soviet residents within its borders, mostly from Xinjiang but also included those in Manchuria. In total 110,000 Soviets (mostly Russians) where repatriated. This marked the end of significant Russian communities in China. source

Fun Fact: Russian is still one of the 55 officially recognized minority groups in China today. According to the 2010 census there are about 15,000 living in China.