ABSTRACT
Manzhouli (Russian: Man’chzhuriya) had a complex 20th century history as a railway town, smuggler’s paradise, and military stronghold, but recently it has been specially designated as a border trade centre with Russia. Now China’s busiest land port of entry, its population has shot up to well over 300,000 and its crowded, brightly lit shopping streets contrast sharply with the sleepy dullness of Zabaikal’sk, the Russian town just over the border. Manzhouli has tried to encourage trust by creating special areas and services (linguistic, logistical) oriented toward Russian traders, but at the same time the city undermines trust through what Russians consider dubious trade practices. The chapter provides a historical explanation of the Russians’ entrenched suspiciousness. It concludes with a description of how both Chinese and Russians attempt to overcome these problems: by creating new images (‘the good Chinese’), by using the Internet, and by using people from other ethnicities (Shinehen Buryats, Mongols) as mediators – but so far largely in vain.
