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????The ethnic Russians
in China living in Ili, Tacheng, Altay and Urumqi in the Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region and in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
They first began moving to China from
Tsarist Russia after the 18th century. More entered various parts
of Xinjiang after the 19th century, and even after the October Revolution
in 1917.
They speak Russian, their customs and
clothing are almost identical to those of the Russians in Russia,
and most of them believe in the Orthodox Eastern Church.
Before the founding of the People??s
Republic of China in 1949, the Russians living in towns were mostly
employed in various repairing businesses, transport, handicrafts,
horticulture, animal husbandry and bee-keeping. In rural areas,
groups of about 10 Russian families lived together in small villages.
They reclaimed and cultivated the wasteland on the banks of the
Ili and Tekes rivers.
They had achieved a fairly high level
of development in production and culture. But under reactionary
rule, they were exploited and oppressed.
The Russians living in urban areas
now work mainly in industry, transport, finance, trade and medicine.
Although the Russian ethnic group in
China has a small population, it has deputies to the National People's
Congress and the regional People's Congress. They take an active
part in running state and regional affairs.
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