Cultural life of Russian Harbin: theater and film industry figures (1898-1931)

Since its founding in 1898, Harbin, thanks to the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) and the influx of the Russian population, received a powerful impetus for development. After the Revolution of 1917 and the end of the Civil War (1922), the Russian population of the city increased even more. With population growth and economic development, Harbin quickly developed into an international center. Along with the growth of the population, the demand for social and entertainment services also increased, until 1931. Cultural and entertainment establishments were opened in the city: theaters, cinemas, circuses, etc. This study was carried out in order to determine the role of film industry and theater figures in the development of Russian Harbin’s entertainment services, as well as to explore and describe the activities of cultural and entertainment enterprises in difficult conditions of isolation from the metropolis. Both published and unpublished materials in Russian and Chinese were used as a source base: data from Russian and foreign archives, scientific publications, as well as materials from periodicals. The research methodology includes historical-descriptive, historical-comparative, system-historical, problem-chronological, statistical, historical-biographical methods. In the course of the study, the significance of the activities of entrepreneurs, film and theater figures in the emergence and development of the theater business and the film industry in Harbin was revealed. The activities of theatrical and cinematographic organizations that functioned in Harbin during the period under study are described. The author has determined that the main feature of the early theaters and cinemas of Harbin was that they were all founded and managed by immigrants from Russia. The heads of institutions, starting with a modest technical and personnel base, gradually improved the technical equipment and material conditions, expanded the repertoire, formed troupes, trying to meet the needs of the growing population of Harbin. The author characterizes the importance of cinema and theater in the everyday life of Harbin residents and establishes the influence of the development of the entertainment industry on the cultural and entertainment life of the local Chinese population. The author notes that the unique historical, economic and cultural environment of Harbin gave rise to the emergence and prosperity of the early theater and cinema services market in northeast China.