Authorities of Zabaikalye Oblast and Chinese Immigrants: Early XX Century

The paper examines interrelations developed between various authorities of Zabaikalye Oblast and Chinese immigrants who arrived here in early XX century. The author analyses the causes that had motivated the subjects of the Heavenly Empire to appear on the territory of the Russian Empire. The paper shows that the Chinese arrived here due to the simplest reason — in order to provide for their families, that had stayed at home, and with any luck, to open their businesses in Zabaikalye, like their compatriots who had settled down in Russia. The article underlines that the Chinese absolutely took up any job, being not above the most unskilled labor, what’s more, for the same payment the Russians would refuse. In the author's opinion, they made great strides in market gardening as they constantly surprised the Zabaikalye people with their coming out with fresh vegetables to be bought up quickly. Many subjects of the Heavenly Empire labored at the Zabaikalye gold workings, construction sites, including the Zabaikalye railway road, engaged in trade, marketing the products carried out from the motherland. They leased patches of land from local population, doing market gardening. One may believe that such industriousness could win respect of the Zabaikalye people. The truth was that interrelations of the authorizes with part of the Chinese evidently did not develop. Their major mass arrived to Zabaikalye and lived here with their national passports or residence permits, issued by Russian consulates in China or on the place of their stay and living. The Chinese were supposed to have similar documents constantly with them. But not all Chinese arrived legally: part of them penetrated without permitting documents, which caused headaches to civil servant of the Russia’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the military and civil authorities of Siberia, Zabaikalye, Primorye, who saw «yellow danger» in it. Those having no passports or residence permits were not allowed to pass through the border or sent back to China, they were forbidden (since 1910) to be hired for state-owned jobs.