Tourism on the Russian-Chinese Border in the 1990s as the Beginning of Chinese Entrepreneurship in the Amur Region

The article investigates the emergence of tourism on the Russian-Chinese border in the 1990s as a form of entrepreneurial activity, primarily by Chinese citizens. Special attention is given to the role of the visa-free regime, which facilitated mass border crossings. The article presents statistical data that confirm the scale of this phenomenon. The author highlights specific features of Russian-Chinese tourism in the Amur Region, such as “people’s” trade, the involvement of Russian citizens as intermediaries, and the active participation of Chinese entrepreneurs in the regional economy. The article concludes that tourism on the Russian-Chinese border in the 1990s evolved into a unique form of cross- border entrepreneurship in Blagoveshchensk and the Amur Region as a whole.