Ep. 181 | The Early Years of Sino-Russian Relations
After more than 40 days of wandering in the desert, Laszlo is back with a topic that languished on the list for more than six years. At last, the early years of Russia-China relations can see the light of day (here at the CHP that is).
As you can see, this is another one of those hour-plus episodes that were not long enough for two episodes and a bit overly long for one. Basically, this covers the beginnings back in the late Ming when they first met and mostly in the Qing where all the history happened.
This isn’t a particularly deep dive on the subject. I first give you a 走马看花 view of the history of Russia’s expansion east and how they ended up on the doorstep of Manchuria. Hope you don’t mind.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aìhún | 瑷珲 | Now called Heihe, formerly called Aigun, site of the signing of the Treaty of Aigun |
| Chuānbí Cǎoyuē | 穿鼻草约 | Convention of Chuenbi, signed 1841, never ratified |
| Guǎngdōng | 广东 | Southern province in China |
| Hóng Xiùquán | 洪秀全 | Rebel leader responsible for the Taiping Rebellion |
| Hēihé | 黑河 | City in northeast Manchuria (Heilongjiang) formerly known as Aigun |
| Hēilóng Jiāng | 黑龙江 | The Black Dragon River (The Amur, and name of Heilongjiang Province) |
| Hǔmén | 虎门 | Located on “The Bogue” in Guangdong, site where Lin Zexu burned the opium |
| Ili (Yīlí) | 伊犁 | Town, valley and river name at the northwest border of Xinjiang – Kazakhstan |
| Jiāyùguān | 嘉峪关 | The western terminus of the Great Wall of China |
| Jīntián, Guangxi | 广西金田 | Place where the Taiping Rebellion was launched |
| Kāngxī | 康熙 | Long reigning Qing Emperor, 1661-1722 |
| Li-Lobanov Treaty | 中俄密约 | (known as the Zhōng É Mìyuē ), signed 1896 |
| Liáodōng Bàndǎo | 辽东半岛 | Liaotung Peninsula, the tip of peninsular Liaoning Province |
| Lín Zéxú | 林则徐 | Chinese hero who stood up to the foreign traders and torched their opium |
| Lóngqìng | 隆庆 | Ming Dynasty Emperor (1567-1572) |
| Lüshunkou | 旅顺口 | Also known as Port Arthur, located at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula |
| Lǐ Hóngzhāng | 里鸿章 | Co-signer of the Li-Lobanov Treaty), Chinese diplomat and statesman |
| Lǚ Dà Zūdì Tiáoyuē | 旅大租地条约 | Convention for the Lease of the Liaotung Peninsula at Dalian (大连) |
| Míng Dynasty | 明朝 | Second to last dynasty in Chinese Imperial history 1368-1644 |
| Northern Sòng | 北宋 | The first half of the Song Dynasty, lasted from 960-1126 |
| Pǔyí | 溥仪 | The Last Emperor, a.k.a. The Xuantong Emperor, reigned 1908-1912 |
| Qing Dynasty | 清朝 | Last imperial dynasty in China 1644-1912 |
| Qiánlóng | 乾隆 | Another long reigning Qing emperor, 1735-1796 |
| Qíshàn | 琦善 | Manchu diplomat also forced to sign unequal treaties |
| Qīngdǎo | 青岛 | Scenic city in Shandong, once a German concession |
| Shùn Zhì | 顺治 | First emperor of the Qing Dynasty, 1643-1661 |
| Songgotu (Suǒ’étú) | 索额图 | Manchu diplomat during the reign of Kangxi |
| Treaty of Nanjing | 南京条约 | The marquee “Unequal Treaty” signed in 1842 |
| Tàipíng Rebellion | 太平天国运动 | A bloody Rebellion and Civil War all in one, 1850-1864 |
| Wànlì | 万里 | Son of Longqing Emperor, reigned a long time 1572-1620 |
| Wēihǎiwèi | 威海卫 | Another scenic city in Shandong, once a British concession, today known simply as Weihai 威海 |
| Xīnjiāng | 新疆 | Autonomous Region in the northwest of China, formerly referred to as Chinese Turkestan |
| Yìshān | 奕山 | Manchu diplomat who was forced into signing the Treaty of Aigun |
| Zuǒ Zōngtáng | 左宗棠 | (1812-1885) Military leader and statesman from Hunan |
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