On the History of Russian Catering Industry in China in the First Half of the XX Century

Abstract

The article is devoted to the features and traditions of the Russian catering industry in China, which started with the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway. Harbin quickly developed into a major industrial city in northeastern China (now Heilongjiang Province, China). The restaurant opened at Railway Assembly of the Chinese Eastern Railway (1905) was really big, then came “Eden” (1906), and “Modern” (1913) which still works today. After the end of the Civil War in Russia (1922), the number of restaurants significantly increased: the Chinese as well as Russian emigrants could choose establishments according to their means. Almost all major Russian restaurants in China had their own music and dance orchestras or staged ballet and opera performances. Those at the “Modern”, a hotel, theatre and restaurant complex, were especially popular. The authors analyze the creation of the Russian school of cooking in China, whose Chinese followers still work in Harbin, keeping the recipes of their teachers. After the Japanese occupation (1931), a large number of Russians moved to Shanghai, Tianjin or other large cities in China, and Russian catering industry began to develop there. The authors pay special attention to menus and ingredients in this publication, and emphasize that the dishes were adapted to Chinese tastes. The article uses rare Chinese sources and studies in which the authors describe the culture of Russian public catering and cuisine characteristics from the point of view of the Chinese consumer. It also contains information from the expatriate media, including advertisements, as well as the results of field research conducted by the authors in China in 2021.