| The Russian Ethnic Minority |
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Population: 13,500
Major area of distribution: Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia
Language: Russian
Religion: Orthodox Eastern Church
The ethnic Russians in China living in Ili, Tacheng, Altay and
Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and in the Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region.
They first began moving to China from Tsarist Russia after the
18th century. More entered various parts of Xinjiang after the
19th century, and even after the October Revolution in 1917.
They speak Russian, their customs and clothing are almost identical
to those of the Russians in Russia, and most of them believe in
the Orthodox Eastern Church.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China
in 1949, the Russians living in towns were mostly employed in
various repairing businesses, transport, handicrafts, horticulture,
animal husbandry and bee-keeping. In rural areas, groups of about
10 Russian families lived together in small villages. They reclaimed
and cultivated the wasteland on the banks of the Ili and Tekes
rivers.
They had achieved a fairly high level of development in production
and culture. But under reactionary rule, they were exploited and
oppressed.
The Russians living in urban areas now work mainly in industry,
transport, finance, trade and medicine.
Although the Russian ethnic group in China has a small population,
it has deputies to the National People's Congress and the regional
People's Congress. They take an active part in running state and
regional affairs.
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