The cultural and the social in Chinese-Russian relations

Scholarship on the relationship between China and Russia has largely focused on the political and ideological realms, neglecting cultural and social factors. Beginning with some general points about the role of 'the cultural' in interstate politics, this article assesses the cultural dynamics of Chinese-Russian relations during the first half of the twentieth century, primarily during the republican period and the first decade of the PRC. The final section of the article then reconsiders the legacy of emigration movements, which brought Chinese workers to the Russian Far East and Siberia, and Russian settlers and refugees to Manchuria and Shanghai.