Russians in Hong Kong

Russians in Hong Kong form one of the territory's smaller groups of expatriates and a minor portion of the worldwide Russian diaspora. White Russians in the pre-World War II period were looked down upon by the British; their lifestyles, employment, and poverty were seen to "undermine 'white privilege'", and other Europeans tried to avoid any interaction with them. [Horne 2003: 25] Nevertheless, some were also hired on to Royal Hong Kong Police Force, though they were paid less than other Europeans; at one point, Russians composed 12-15% of all Europeans in the Hong Kong police. [Horne 2003: 73] [Vaid 1972: 39] In the 1950s, the People's Republic of China threatened to deport all the White Russians from its territory to Hong Kong; in the end, they relented, and only deported those who had been able to secure a final destination outside of Hong Kong. A site for a refugee camp had been picked out for them at Chi Ma Wan on Lantau Island, but it was never built. [Bray 2001: 47]

Russians in Hong Kong have also been the subject of works of fiction; "The Back Door", an 1897 war novel, imagined a naval invasion of Hong Kong by the Russians and the French. [Bickley 2001: 1]

See also

* Ethnic Russians in China
* Harbin Russians
* Albazin Cossacks

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

* [http://www.russianclub.hk/english/index.htm The Russian Club in Hong Kong]