Chinese Labor in Russian Enterprises During World War I: Government and Entrepreneurs (An International Context)

The article examines such under-researched aspects of Chinese temporary labor immigration during World War I as international and diplomatic. The 1915–1917 consular reports deposited in the files of the 4th Political (Far Eastern) Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, along with intra- and inter-departmental correspondence regarding recruitment of unskilled workers from China for Russian enterprises formed the main source of information for this study. The article shows how the main tasks of Russian diplomats have changed at various stages of recruiting coolies, and their role in adapting current legislation. Germany’s constant anti-Russian propaganda campaign, which tried at all costs to disrupt the process of hiring, became its indispensable attribute. On the base of selected statistical data, the share of Chinese labor immigrants in the country’s structure of workforce and certain enterprises was estimated. The author concludes that unskilled labor was most needed by railway construction for using in logging and earthworks. The economic impact of employing Chinese workers was negligible for both the Russian national economy as a whole and specific industries and companies, with the exception of the gold mining industry in the Far East. As a result, the workers recruited in China only helped to reduce the severity of the problem without solving it.