The Chinese of the South Ussuri Region According to the V.N. Vislenev Census (1879)

Abstract

The article draws on the examination of the 1879 Census (“Koreans and the Foreign-Born Others in the South Ussuri Region”) to study the Chinese population during the period of the initial exploration and development of the region. It focuses on the population outside the large settlements and inquires into issues such as the family composition, social ties inside households, and marital relationships between Chinese men and Korean or indigenous women. Attention is further paid to the issue of geographical distribution of Chinese settlements. I argue that different ethnic groups in fact used different strategies of adaptation to the new political and geographical conditions. The study conducted brings a new perspective to the discussion of early migrants that settled in the Far East of Russia as well as their particular adaptation techniques.