Social and Speech Portrait of a Descendant of Russian Immigrants to the Chinese Three Rivers Region in the XX Century

The article is devoted to the study of a language functioning in foreign countries, outside its metropolis. This is a special form of language existence. The study is made in linguistic personology aspect: the factors of preservation of the native language in the speech of several generations of emigrants are identified by the means of analyzing the language competencies and the specifics of the native language of representatives of the foreign diaspora. The purpose of this article is to create the speech portrait of the representative of the East emigration, the descendants of Russian emigrants in China, the Chinese Three Rivers region, to identify the characteristics of preservation of the Russian language in conditions of the Russian-Chinese bilingualism in this area. The object of the speech portraiting was the linguistic personality of a descendant of Russian immigrants to China in the beginning of the 20th century, currently a resident of the city of Labudalin, Argun city district of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region in China. Scientific novelty of the research consists in undertaking for the first time the analysis of a fragment of the Russian linguistic reality in one of the places of the Russian diaspora in the 20th century, in the Chinese Three Rivers region, and in the introduction record of oral speech of the representative of the descendants of Russian in Three Rivers Region, carried out during the scientific expeditions to China in 2017 and 2018, that makes a unique material. The study of the Russian language in foreign countries, namely in the Eastern abroad, in the Three Rivers region, is a contribution to linguistic emigrantology, which determines the relevance of the study. The authors analyze the speech of a representative of the descendants of Russian settlers in the Chinese Three Rivers Region at all levels of the language system, reveal the facts of phonetical, grammatical and lexical interference in Russian speech under the influence of the Chinese language, as well as the dialectal features preserved in it, and come to the conclusion that Russian language is highly preserved even in the third generation of immigrants from Russia to China and the authors name the sociolinguistic factors of this preservation: family, educational, professional, psychological, etc.

The experience of intercultural communication between Russian refugees and Filipinos on Tubabao Island, 1948-1951

The article examines the history of Russian immigrants on the Philippine Island of Tubabao, where they fled from China in 1948 to avoid repatriation to the USSR. The refugees lived on the island for four years, a period the local population remembers as Tiempo Russo. The authors goal was to examine how Filipinos saw the Russians by interviewing older islanders who had had direct contacts with the emigrants. The survey focused on three topics: 1) Fears of the Russians when they arrived on the island; 2) Formal and informal social means of communication between natives and Russians; 3) The level of respondents' trust in Russian refugees. The interviews revealed that the large number of refugees (6,000) who arrived on the island initially aroused apprehension among the local population. However, the Russians good behavior, friendliness and openness eventually dispelled all fears. The Russians and the islanders developed stable links as they bartered products and carried out leisure activities together, among others. At the same time, the islanders were introduced to Russian everyday culture: playing the piano, watching movies, drinking alcohol (coconut wine). In general, the local population saw their temporary positive effects. They made an impression as open, friendly, hospitable people, who loved to drink and treat others very well.

On the Protection of Intangible Heritage of Russian Folk Oral Music in the Context of Intercultural Communication (Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia)

The article discusses the issues of preserving the genre of Russian folk oral musical creativity in the village of the Argun and the city of Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, located in the northern part of China. The issue is viewed in the context of intercultural communication between descendants of Russian immigrants and Chinese locals. The article considers the factors in the formation of the ethnic group of Chinese Russians in Hulunbuir, an area of Russian immigrants’ compact settlement, and the markers of their distinct ethnic identity. Chinese Russians are a specific ethnic group since over several generations they fused with the local ethnicities yet preserved their unique cultural background. One of the peculiar aspects of Russian culture observed within the community of Chinese Russians is chastushka, or ditty, a short witty song expressing an individual’s attitude to any happening. The authors give records of the texts of ditties on various subjects, such as love, daily life, politics, etc. The folk genre of chastushka indicates intercultural communication between China and Russia and the integration of ethnic Russians into Chinese society. The article reveals the problems of protection of the Russian chastushka in the region and possible measures of state provision of its protection as intangible cultural heritage. Both national and local authorities take steps to ensure the continuity of various identities within the national identity of China. Several proposals have been put forward for the protection of the local heritage of this genre of the city of Hulunbuir. Such measures may include further research of cultural materials, enhancing tourism in the region, and incorporating ditties into local festivities Based on the historical and cultural significance, the research points to the real impact of Russian folk oral musical creativity in the processes of Russian-Chinese intercultural communication. The authors underline the significance of the ditty as intangible cultural heritage and the need to include the ditty in the list of the cultural heritage of Chinese Russians. The need to create conditions and state-organizational support for various forms of popularization of this genre, especially for those studying the Russian language, to preserve the oral folk musical creativity of Chinese ethnic Russians is substantiated.

Russian organizations for children and youth in Harbin during the 1920s–1930s in modern Russian historiography

The subject of this research is historiography dedicated to the history of Harbin organizations for children and youth of the Russian immigrants during the 1920s – 1930s, which was published over the last thirty years. The article provides a general overview of the literature and key aspects on the topic. The author analyzes and groups the publications by the types of organizations reviewed therein, which gives a better perspective on the level of knowledge on all movements and compare the available data. This, in turn, reveals the contradictions in different works and helps finding gaps that require further research. The article explores the materials dedicated to the well-known organizations of the immigrants, such as the Scouts (NORS-R and NORR); collective, but solely exclusively Manchurian – musketeers and young fascists; small-numbered and virtually unknown – the 13, Black Ring, Black Hand, etc. The conclusion is made that the main organizations for children and youth in Harbin are well studied. The author notes the need for further analysis of the programs and ideologies underlying these organizations, as well as for the development of universal classification of immigrant movements that allow gaining better understanding of these organizations.

Anton Chekhov Theater in the perception of Harbin Russians

This article examines the criticism and publicistic writing about A. P. Chekhov’s dramaturgy and theatre conducted by the Harbin Russians in the early XX century. Russian immigrants of that time did not break ties with the native culture seeing it as a source of spiritual revival and hopes for returning to Russia. Chekhov was an integral part of their intellectual and cultural life. The ideological and aesthetic views of Harbin Russians resonated with the views of Western immigrants, although indicating certain differences. The publications of Eastern immigrants rarely contain skeptical arguments about Chekhov's role in the hierarchy of classics; for Harbin Russians, Chekhov resembles the pride of the Russian literature. The author analyzes the most characteristic articles, considering the fact that they were published in newspapers “on the occasion”. The conclusion is made that the topic  of “Eastern Immigration and the Chekhov” is poorly studied, which defines its scientific relevance, contributes to more extensive coverage of literary heritage of the white émigré, and enriches the knowledge on personality of the writer, his prose, and theater.

I. Bunin and K. Simonov: Paris Meetings

The article presents a chronicle of personal meetings between I.A. Bunin and K.M. Simonov in Paris in the summer of 1946. K. Simonov was sent by the Soviet government to France in order to influence the decision of some Russian emigrants to return to Russia. The first number in this short list, of course, was I.A. Bunin. The beginning of the return of emigrants was the Decree of the USSR Supreme Council for the restoration of citizenship of the USSR citizens of the former Russian Empire, released in June 1946, Many Russian immigrants want to come back, started to issue a Soviet passport. I.A. Bunin at first hesitated, he really wanted to return to his homeland, but at the same time he perfectly understood the whole situation that had developed there. It was precisely to “push” the first Russian Nobel laureate to return to Russia that K.M. Simonov arrived in Paris. However, his mission, in the end, was not crowned with success, I.A. Bunin remained in exile with a Nansen passport.

Memoirs of D. S. Hessen as a source for reconstruction of scientific biography of S. I. Hessen

This article reviews the memoirs of D. S. Hessen – Polish journalist, translator and lexicographer, son of a prominent pedagogue and philosopher, active participant in the intellectual life of white émigré S. I. Hessen, as the paramount source for reconstruction of scientific-pedagogical biography of the scholar in the context of pedagogical history of emigration. The authors lean on the traditional methods of historical-pedagogical research, namely biographical, resorting to the techniques of hermeneutical and contextual analysis, and “microhistory”. The importance of D. S. Hessen's memoirs for understanding the general patterns and specific details of scientific-pedagogical life of the “Russian Prague” is emphasized. The relevance of this work is defined by the need for creating a documented pedagogical history of Russian immigrants in Europe, development of new approaches towards analyzing the legacy of prominent representatives of pedagogical thought, search and introduction of archival materials into the scientific discourse, particularly memoirs, epistolary, and personal documents. The conducted research demonstrates that the memoirs of D. S. Hessen are an important source for reconstruction of scientific-pedagogical biography of S. I. Hessen, as they clarify such moments as the Prague period of life of the scholar, outline the circle of person he mostly interacted with, and shed light on certain circumstances of his life and work.