At the beginning of the establishment of Beiyang**, many foreigners came to China to settle and do business, including people from the United States, Britain and other countries. However, there was also a group of White Russians who fled to China to seek refuge.
According to statistics, more than 200,000 Belarusians fled to the Chinese border during the revolution, and it was difficult for border guards to stop them.
When these White Russians entered China, they dispersed and settled all over the country. So, what was the fate of these White Russian refugees?
In 1914, World War I broke out, and the war with Germany was particularly fierce. Tsarist Russia was defeated in the war, the domestic economy collapsed, and the lives of the common people were in trouble.
In 1917, the October Revolution broke out, the tsarist regime was overthrown, and the Soviet Union was formed. This series of changes caused the Belarusians to flee and seek a way to survive.
Among them, some of the White Russians formed the White Army, which tried to restore the power of Tsarist Russia and fight a civil war with the Soviet Red Army. However, the White Army did not have an advantage in the civil war, and many were forced to flee Russia.
At that time, Germany, Austria and other countries were hostile to **, and it was difficult for the White Russians to survive in these countries, so they set their sights on a large country in the East - China.
The influx of Belarusians into China created a wave of refugees. However, these "refugees" were not refugees in the true sense of the word, and most of them were the wealthy families of Tsarist Russia, the opposition, and the rout of the White Army.
They fled the Soviet Union in search of new opportunities in life. Beiyang ** did not interfere much in this, because they did not consider these White Russians to be a threat.
Life in China was not easy for the White Russians, who were engaged in hard labor and struggled to make ends meet. Some of the skilled Belarusians went to schools to teach or do business.
Over time, these White Russians gradually integrated into China, and their next generation learned Chinese from an early age and established deep friendships with the Chinese.
Today, there is still a White Russian village in China, and the inhabitants are mostly descendants of White Russians, who are actively integrated into Chinese society with gratitude. These descendants of the White Russians always considered themselves Chinese and full of love for the motherland.
The story of the White Russians tells us that many people have fled their homeland in order to survive and be free during the vicissitudes of history. In China, these Belarusians found a new home, and their experiences became a unique history of cultural exchange between China and foreign countries.