Russian Guard of the Celestial Empire
Liturgy for Albazinians at the Russian Spiritual Mission in Beijing
The recruitment of prisoners of war into service is not uncommon in stories. Most often these were especially valuable specialists, commanders. However, sometimes entire military units were formed from ordinary soldiers. Of course, at home the attitude towards such “collaborators” was not the best. Therefore, it is not surprising that we know very little about our compatriots who went into captivity to serve the enemy. The history of Russian prisoners of war who served the Chinese emperors is one of those little-known pages of the past to a wide audience.
The first Russians appeared in China in the 13th century. These were prisoners captured by the Mongol-Tatars. Kublai Khan, the founder of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, which ruled China for almost a hundred years, significantly increased the imperial guard by including foreigners. Apparently, this is explained by the fact that slaves, stolen thousands of kilometers from home and completely dependent on the emperor khan, were more reliable than the local residents - the Chinese, who hated the invaders.
At the beginning of the 1332th century, north of Beijing, the Russians were allocated land on which they founded their settlement. Over time, as a result of mixed marriages, they began to assimilate with the local population. Nevertheless, the influx of “fresh blood” continued. Russian slaves were often sent to Beijing as gifts. For example, in 170, Prince Dzhangi presented Bogdykhan with XNUMX Russian captives.
The Yuan Dynasty fell in 1368 as a result of the Red Turban Rebellion. We don’t know what happened to the guards after the Mongols were expelled from China. Those who survived apparently disappeared completely among the indigenous Han population.
Albazinians
Once again, our compatriots found themselves in military service in the Middle Kingdom in the second half of the 1685th century. In 1685 and 40, the Chinese army besieged the fort of Albazin, the first Russian settlement on the Amur. During the siege of the fortress and in neighboring villages, from 150 to 1689 peasants and Cossacks were captured. Despite the Treaty of Nerchinsk concluded in XNUMX, which established the border between Russia and China, the captives did not return home. Over time, the name “Albazins” stuck to them.
The Manchus, who conquered China, like the Mongols once, did not trust the local population, so they also attracted foreigners to military service. The Kangxi Emperor showed respect for the "red-bearded barbarians" who fought steadfastly against the vastly superior Manchu troops. Russian prisoners of war were enlisted in the 17th company of the 4th detachment of the “yellow banner with a red border.” Albazinians received government housing, arable land, cash and rice allowances. The descendants of the Albazians, unlike the Manchus and Mongols, were not allowed to enter the civil service; they served only in the guard.
The Russians lived in the northeastern part of Beijing in the Berezov tract. There they were given a former Buddhist shrine for the church. In a vacant lot, outside the city walls, there was a Russian cemetery. The ranks of the Albazians were replenished over time by deserters and fugitive criminals from Russia, such as the four exiled Cossacks who fled from the Nerchinsk factories.
After the creation of a Russian language school in 1708 by order of Emperor Kangxi, Albazians participated in the training of Chinese translators. It must be said that some students treated the Russians with arrogance, finding European appearance funny, so the “students” were looked after by Mongolian officers who maintained discipline in the classroom.
Over time, the shortage of Russian women inevitably led to mixed marriages. After several generations, the Albazinians were no different in appearance from the locals, only their violent disposition set them apart from the rest of the subjects of the Qing emperors. Albazinians had a bad reputation among the indigenous Chinese: drunkenness, gambling, and fights.
Orthodoxy
The decline in the moral character of the Albazinians served as a good reason for Russian diplomats to seek permission to open an Orthodox mission in Beijing in 1716. Priests were sent from the Russian Empire to China to work with the “lost sheep.” But that was just an excuse.
In fact, the Orthodox mission in Beijing performed an intelligence function: the priests studied the Chinese language, culture, and collected information about the political and economic situation.
The Manchu authorities agreed to the creation of the mission because they were interested in maintaining Orthodoxy among the guards in order to protect them from assimilation and maintain the isolation of the “Albazins” from the local Han population.
It must be said that the efforts of the Orthodox missionaries were crowned with success: the Albazinians retained their Russian identity and remained faithful to Orthodoxy until the beginning of the 1899th century. During the Yihetuan Rebellion (Boxer Rebellion) in 1901–XNUMX. Many Albazians accepted death, but did not change their faith. Together with the Orthodox Chinese, the Albazinians who died at the hands of the rebels are revered as “Chinese new martyrs.”
The Russian company existed until the fall of the Chinese monarchy in 1911. True, out of almost a thousand Albazians living in China, according to data for 1908, only 39 people, led by commander Mikhail He, were in the service.
In the 20–30s of the XNUMXth century, Albazians again found themselves in demand, but in the civilian field. At that time, China (primarily Manchuria) became one of the centers of Russian emigration. Albazinians, who speak Russian, became a kind of intermediaries between the Chinese authorities and the White emigrants.
After the communists came to power in China in 1949, the assimilation of Albazinians intensified. This was facilitated by the policy of Mao Zedong, who eradicated foreign influence.
To this day, only three families have survived in China, descended from Russian prisoners of war in the 300th century: Du (Dubinins), Yao (Yakovlevs), Lo (Romanovs). About XNUMX Albazians now live in Beijing; individual families are also found in other cities: Tianjin, Hailar, Wuhan, Changchun.
Albazinians do not have their own official organization, but they maintain family ties. Despite the fact that outwardly Albazians are no different from the Chinese, and most of them do not know the Russian language, they still consider themselves Russians.
Apparently, religion prevents people from completely dissolving among the indigenous population: Albazians profess Orthodoxy, which determines their self-identification.
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