China Far East Railway
Encyclopedia
The Chinese Eastern Railway or (CER; ) (also known as the Chinese Far East Railway) was a railway in northeastern China
(Manchuria
). It connected Chita and the Russian Far East
. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway. Russians know it as , or (Kitaysko-Vostochnaya zheleznaya doroga, KVZhD).
The southern branch of the CER, known in the West as the South Manchuria Railway
, became the locus and partial casus belli
for the Russo-Japanese War
and the Second Sino-Japanese War
(including incidents leading up to the latter from 1927).
The administration of the CER and the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone was based in Harbin
.
The Chinese Eastern Railway, a single-tracked line, provided a shortcut for the world's longest railroad, the Trans-Siberian Railway
from near the Siberia
n city of Chita via Harbin
across northern inner Manchuria
to the Russian port of Vladivostok
. This route drastically reduced the travel distance required along the originally proposed main northern route to Vladivostok (this originally proposed route lies completely on Russian soil, but was completed a decade later than the Manchurian "shortcut").
In 1896 China
granted a construction concession
through northern Inner Manchuria, running from near Chita via Harbin to Vladivostok, and construction was drastically accelerated after Russia concluded a twenty-five year lease
of Liaodong from China.
Construction of the CER started in July 1897 along the line Tarskaya (east of Chita) – Hailar – Harbin
– Nikolsk-Ussuriski. Officially, traffic on the line started in November 1901, but regular passenger traffic from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok
across the Trans-Siberian railway
started in July 1903.
In 1898, a 550-mile (880-km) spur-line, most of which later formed the South Manchuria Railway
, was started from Harbin down through eastern Manchuria, along the Liaodong Peninsula, to the ice-free deep-water port at Lüshun, a town almost at the tip of the peninsula, which Russia was fortifying and overhauling into a first-class strategic naval-base and marine coaling- station for its Far Seas Fleet and Merchant Marine. This town was known in the west as Port Arthur, and the Russo-Japanese War
(1904–1905) was essentially fought over who would possess this region and its excellent harbor, as well as whether it would remain open to traders of all nations (Open Door Policy
).
The Chinese Eastern Railway was essentially completed in 1902, beating the stretch around Lake Baikal
by a few years. Until the Circumbaikal portion was completed (1904–1905; double-tracked, 1914), cargo on the Trans-Siberian Railway had to be trans-shipped by ferry almost a hundred kilometers across the lake (from Port Baikal to Mysovaya).
The Chinese Eastern Railway became important in international relations. After the first Sino-Japanese War
of 1894-1895, Russia gained the right to build the Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchuria. They had a large army and occupied Northern Manchuria, which concerned the Japanese. Russia pressed China for a "monopoly of rights" in Manchuria, but China reacted to this by an alliance with Japan and the United States against Russia.
During the Russo-Japanese War
, Russia lost both Liaodong Peninsula and much of the South Manchurian branch to Japan
. The rail line from Changchun
to Lüshun - transferred to the Japanese control - became the South Manchuria Railway
.
During 1917-1924 (Russian Civil War
) the Russian part of the CER came under the administration of the White Army.
After 1924, the USSR
and China
administered the Northern CER jointly, while Japan maintained control of the southern spur-line.
The Sino-Soviet conflict
of 1929 was fought over the administration of the Northern CER.
In 1935 the USSR
had to sell all its rights in the CER to the Manchukuo
government.
From August 1945, the CER again came under the joint control of the USSR
and China
. Somewhat reversing Russia's stinging losses in 1904-1905, after World War II, the Soviet Government insisted on occupying the Liaodong Peninsula but allowed joint control over the Southern branch with China; all this together received the name of the "Chinese Changchun Railway" (Russian
: Кита́йская Чанчу́ньская желе́зная доро́га).
In 1952, the Soviet Union transferred (free of charge) all of its rights to the Chinese Changchun Railway to the People's Republic of China
.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
). It connected Chita and the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway. Russians know it as , or (Kitaysko-Vostochnaya zheleznaya doroga, KVZhD).
The southern branch of the CER, known in the West as the South Manchuria Railway
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
, became the locus and partial casus belli
Casus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
for the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
and the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
(including incidents leading up to the latter from 1927).
The administration of the CER and the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone was based in Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
.
History of the line
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
from near the Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n city of Chita via Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
across northern inner Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
to the Russian port of Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. This route drastically reduced the travel distance required along the originally proposed main northern route to Vladivostok (this originally proposed route lies completely on Russian soil, but was completed a decade later than the Manchurian "shortcut").
In 1896 China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
granted a construction concession
Concession (territory)
In international law, a concession is a territory within a country that is administered by an entity other than the state which holds sovereignty over it. This is usually a colonizing power, or at least mandated by one, as in the case of colonial chartered companies.Usually, it is conceded, that...
through northern Inner Manchuria, running from near Chita via Harbin to Vladivostok, and construction was drastically accelerated after Russia concluded a twenty-five year lease
Kwantung Leased Territory
The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...
of Liaodong from China.
Construction of the CER started in July 1897 along the line Tarskaya (east of Chita) – Hailar – Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
– Nikolsk-Ussuriski. Officially, traffic on the line started in November 1901, but regular passenger traffic from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
across the Trans-Siberian railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
started in July 1903.
In 1898, a 550-mile (880-km) spur-line, most of which later formed the South Manchuria Railway
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
, was started from Harbin down through eastern Manchuria, along the Liaodong Peninsula, to the ice-free deep-water port at Lüshun, a town almost at the tip of the peninsula, which Russia was fortifying and overhauling into a first-class strategic naval-base and marine coaling- station for its Far Seas Fleet and Merchant Marine. This town was known in the west as Port Arthur, and the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
(1904–1905) was essentially fought over who would possess this region and its excellent harbor, as well as whether it would remain open to traders of all nations (Open Door Policy
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy is a concept in foreign affairs, which usually refers to the policy in 1899 allowing multiple Imperial powers access to China, with none of them in control of that country. As a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as was reflected in...
).
The Chinese Eastern Railway was essentially completed in 1902, beating the stretch around Lake Baikal
Circum-Baikal Railway
The Circum-Baikal Railway is a historical railway in Irkutsk region of Russia. It runs along the Northern shore of the Southern extremity of the lake from the town of Slyudyanka to the Baikal settlement. Until the middle of the 20th century Circum-Baikal railway was part of the main line of...
by a few years. Until the Circumbaikal portion was completed (1904–1905; double-tracked, 1914), cargo on the Trans-Siberian Railway had to be trans-shipped by ferry almost a hundred kilometers across the lake (from Port Baikal to Mysovaya).
The Chinese Eastern Railway became important in international relations. After the first Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
of 1894-1895, Russia gained the right to build the Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchuria. They had a large army and occupied Northern Manchuria, which concerned the Japanese. Russia pressed China for a "monopoly of rights" in Manchuria, but China reacted to this by an alliance with Japan and the United States against Russia.
During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, Russia lost both Liaodong Peninsula and much of the South Manchurian branch to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The rail line from Changchun
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and...
to Lüshun - transferred to the Japanese control - became the South Manchuria Railway
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
.
During 1917-1924 (Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
) the Russian part of the CER came under the administration of the White Army.
After 1924, the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
administered the Northern CER jointly, while Japan maintained control of the southern spur-line.
The Sino-Soviet conflict
Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)
The Sino–Soviet conflict of 1929 was a minor armed conflict between the Soviet Union and Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang of the Republic of China over the Manchurian Chinese Eastern Railway....
of 1929 was fought over the administration of the Northern CER.
In 1935 the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
had to sell all its rights in the CER to the Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
government.
From August 1945, the CER again came under the joint control of the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Somewhat reversing Russia's stinging losses in 1904-1905, after World War II, the Soviet Government insisted on occupying the Liaodong Peninsula but allowed joint control over the Southern branch with China; all this together received the name of the "Chinese Changchun Railway" (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Кита́йская Чанчу́ньская желе́зная доро́га).
In 1952, the Soviet Union transferred (free of charge) all of its rights to the Chinese Changchun Railway to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
See also
- Chinese Eastern Railway Zone
- Harbin RussiansHarbin RussiansThe term Harbin Russians or Russian Harbinites refers to several generations of Russians who lived in the city of Harbin, a major junction city on the Chinese Eastern Railway , from approximately 1898 to the mid-1960s....
- Russian gaugeRussian gaugeIn railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
- Harbin-Manzhouli RailwayHarbin-Manzhouli Railwaythumb|right|250px|The Binzhou Railway Bridge across the Songhua River in Harbin.Harbin-Manzhouli Railway or Binzhou Railway , is a double-track electrified arterial railroad in Northeast China between Harbin and Manzhouli on the Russian border. The line was originally built by Russia as the...
External links
- Chinese Eastern Railroad Zone
- History of the line
- “The Chinese Eastern Railway – A Glimpse of History” by Peter Crush. Hong Kong Railway Society web pages: under “English, Members Corner, Feature Articles”. Retrieved January 2009