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.

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.

0.8 linear feet (1 box)

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.

The collection is open for research.