Harbin’s Religious Life: Evangelical Christians
The present research examines the history of the Evangelical Christian Church in Harbin among Russian emigrants from the date of community foundation in 1911 till the mid-1940s, when the activity of the parish practically ceased. Religious diversity was formed in the Russian enclave of the right-of-way of Chinese Eastern Railway from the very beginning of its construction. Protestantism represented during these years by Lutheranism, Baptism, Adventism and Evangelicalism was a part of such diversity. In many respects, the religious picture was determined by the multinational and multiconfessional composition of the Russian Empire. After the Civil War and the loss of extraterritoriality Evangelical Christians remained in Harbin, the most populated city of Chinese Eastern Railway, as emigrants. The community had several rented prayer houses in the city. During the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1940s, former Russian nationals began to leave the country. By the mid-1940s the parish actually ceased to exist. It is concluded that owing to the continuous work of church ministers and the absence of pressure from the authorities of Manchukuo and the Russian Fascist Party, the community was able to survive until the departure of Russian emigrants from the country.