Russian Economic Education in China (1920–1945)

The article provides details of Russian economic education in China in 1920–1945. Its necessity was conditioned by the expansion of international trade and the need to solve the CER economic problems, on the one hand, and by arriving in China a large number of refugees including economists from Russia, on the other hand. Their experience in teaching economic courses at Russian universities ensured the continuity of both the content of economic training and the overall policy of broad-based professional raining when the graduates were capable to solve economic problems in various fields of activity. Economic specialization was mainly implemented at the Law Faculty (Higher Economic and Legal Courses in 1920–1922) and the Institute of Oriental and Commercial Sciences (1925–1934) in Harbin, existing also at other higher schools. The article highlights regional features of Russian economic education, primarily the bias towards oriental studies, common for all Russian educational institutions in China at that time: compulsory oriental languages classes as well as courses on regional topics (history, geography, politics, economics, law of the Far Eastern countries). The authors provide information on the scientific interests and biographies of those who taught economic courses. The article is based on the publications of Russian press in China and archival documents. It is concluded that the organization of Russian economic education in China provides many positive examples that could be useful today in training specialists in economics at Russian universities, primarily the oriental component of the curricula and close educational contacts with neighbouring countries.