Guide to the Photograph Album of the Chinese Eastern Railway MS.M.018
Processed by Cyndi Shein; machine-readable finding aid created by Cyndi
Shein
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2008
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Photograph album of the Chinese Eastern Railway
Identifier/Call Number: MS.M.018
Physical Description:
0.8 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): circa 1920s
Abstract: The collection comprises a photograph
album of over 100 black-and-white photographic prints related to the Chinese Eastern Railway
line of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the 1920s. The photographs depict railway lines,
bridges, train stations, cargo loading, the manufacture of locomotive parts, the interiors
and exteriors of railway cars, and group portraits of railway staff. Photographs also depict
tourists, local people, and landscapes along the route. The album also includes several
photographic postcards of Harbin China, a few photomechanical prints, and a photographic
reproduction of a black-and-white painting of Hingan Railway Loop. Most photographs have
handwritten captions in Russian.
Language of Material:
Russian .
The collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the
creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please
contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Photograph Album of the Chinese Eastern Railway. MS-M018. Special Collections and Archives,
The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. V. I. Sourine, 1972.
Completed in 1901, the Chinese Eastern Railway is the trans-Manchurian line of the
Trans-Siberian Railway that runs from the Transbaikal region to Vladivostok. By 1904 the
line from Vladivostok was linked all the way to Moscow, and by 1916 the Trans-Siberian
Railroad was complete. At the time of its construction the Chinese Eastern Railway was the
shortest route from European Russia to Russia's port (Vladivostok) on the Sea of Japan.
China granted Russia the right to construct the Chinese Eastern line in Manchuria during a
period of secret alliance between the two countries (circa 1896). The Chinese seized control
of the line from the Soviets in 1927, but relinquished control in 1929. In 1935 the Soviet
Union sold the line to Japanese-controlled Manchukuo. Following World War II Chinese ruler
Chiang Kai-shek granted the Soviets a thirty-year partnership in the line. The Soviet Union
returned its share of the Chinese Eastern Railway to the People's Republic of China in
1953.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection comprises a photograph album of over 100 black-and-white photographic prints
related to the Chinese Eastern Railway line of the Trans-Siberian Railway (Velikai a
Sibirskaia magistral) circa 1920s. The photographs depict railway lines, bridges, train
stations, cargo loading, the manufacture of locomotive parts, the interiors and exteriors of
railway cars, and group portraits of railway staff. Photographs also depict tourists, local
people, and landscapes along the route. The album also includes several photographic
postcards of Harbin China, a few photomechanical prints, and a photographic reproduction of
a black-and-white painting of Hingan Railway Loop. Most photographs have handwritten
captions in Russian. The photographs range from 2 x 3 to 9 x 11 inches.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, "Trans Siberian
Railroad," http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9073174 (accessed May 16,
2008).
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online,
"Chinese Eastern Railway," http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9024154 (accessed May 16,
2008).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photography of railroads
Railroads -- China -- Photographs.
Railroads -- Russia -- Photographs.
Photograph albums -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- 20th century.
Trans-Siberian Railway -- Photographs
Chinese Eastern Railway -- Photographs
box 1
Photograph album circa 1920s