The conference “Beloved Harbin: The City of Friendship between Russia and China.” Photo: Evgeny Okhrimenko
From September 16 to 18, 2026, the fifth international scientific and practical conference «Beloved Harbin: The City of Friendship between Russia and China» was held in Harbin. Fifty-two researchers from six countries took part in it.
The conference is regularly held by the Primorye Regional Branch of the RGS — the Society for the Study of the Amur Region (PRB RGS — SSAR) and the Russian Club in Harbin, with the support of the Consulate General of Russia.
The scientific forum provides an opportunity to meet and interact with experts on the history of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), Harbin, and the eastern branch of Russian emigration. The PRB RGS — SSAR delegation included 15 members of the Society, who presented 10 reports.
The representatives of the following countries participated in the conference:
— Russia: Vladivostok, Artem, Khabarovsk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Perm, Saratov, Chelyabinsk, and Yakutsk;
— China: Harbin and Guangzhou;
— The Republic of Belarus: Grodno;
— The Republic of Poland: Szczecin;
— The Commonwealth of Australia: Melbourne;
— Japan: Tokyo.
The high scientific level of the conference was ensured by eight doctors and 11 candidates of sciences. Among the participants were three doctors of historical sciences.
The first two days were devoted to presenting the research results. The sessions were held at the Consulate General of Russia in Harbin. Forty-three reports and presentations were delivered on the history of the Russian presence in northeastern China, the joint construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway, the architectural heritage, the life of the Russian diaspora, as well as the monuments and burial sites that have been preserved on Chinese soil. Many topics and subjects were presented for the first time, and discussions continued outside the meeting hall.
Several participants introduced their colleagues to their new publications. An international team of authors led by Alina Steblyanskaya had prepared three books about the work of Soviet specialists in post-war China. Doctor of Historical Sciences Elena Nazemtseva presented a monograph on the political and legal situation of Russian emigrants in China and handed it over to the library of the Russian Club. Sergei Eremin, head of the Far Eastern information and cultural center «Russian Diaspora» of the PRB RGS — SSAR, introduced the participants to the collection of materials from the 2024 and 2025 conferences.
The third day was devoted to getting acquainted with Harbin, its monuments and museums. The researchers saw churches, streets, and houses in the old city, visited the Heilongjiang Province Museum, the Museum of War Crime Evidence by Japanese Army Unit 731, the Harbin Polytechnic University Museum, and the Harbin Beer Museum.
Over the course of three days, the participants exchanged scientific knowledge and ideas, discussed research results, and explored Harbin’s historical heritage.