GREETINGS FROM......IMPERIAL RUSSIA
GREETINGS FROM.... MANCHURIA
This card gives a view of Manchuria. The Chinese Eastern Railway is a branch of the Trans-Siberian railway and was a shorter connection from Chita via Harbin to the Russian harbour Vladiwostok. In the desciption on the card: СТАНЦ I Я = (STANTSIYA), Station, МАНЬЧЖУРIЯ [MANCHZHURIYA], Manchuria. Manchuria is the present Manzhouli, after the Russian border the first station on the Chinese territory on this railway line.
In the desription further: ОБЩИЙ=general and ВИД= view
This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg.
Part of a map from: Russia with Teheran, Port Arthur, and Peking : handbook for travellers / by Kark Baedeker. - 1914, - p. 496b.
In 1898 began the construction of a branch from Harbin to the south, to Port Arthur (Dalian). After the Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904-5 September 1905) the main part of this line came under control of Japan: after then the line was named the South Manchuria Railway.
On this map : detail of the area around Manchuria.
on this map>>Mandschurija, the first station after the border on the line to Harbin (Charbin)
The address side of the card above with the oval railway-postoffice postmark of Manchuria. The postmark has the indication МАНЬЧЖУРIЯ [MANCHZHURIYA] ВОКЗАЛЪ [VOKZAL], station.
There are two types of this oval postmark: with the indication МАНЬЧЖУРIЯ or the indication МАНЬЧЖУРiЯ.
Also are used on this postoffice two earlier postmarks: cross-dat type, two different.
Baedeker (1914) describes also the travel from Moscow to Vladiwostok via Tchelyabinsk and Charbin. About Manchuria (p. 535-536) : “Mandshúriya (Manchuria, Маньчжурiя ; 2135 ft.; Rail. Restaurant), with 10,000 inhab., founded since 1900, is the frontier-station between Russia and Manchuria, and the starting-point of the Chinese Eastern Railway (...........). Passengers' luggage is examined here. As far as the Great Khingán Mountains the train runs through a flat steppe-district. Among the prominent features of interest are the fortified station-buildings (sometimes adorned with apes, dragons, and other Chinese ornaments), the lofty loopholed water-towers, the rude Chinese carts with their two high wheels, and the camels at pasture.”
The historical background and postal history of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the railway stations on this line is desribed in a series of nice articles in Rossica, written by V.G. Levandovskiy:
The stations of the Chinese Eastern Railway on Postal and Telegraph Correspondence of the Russian Empire / V.G. Levandovskiy. - Part 1 in Rossica 2012 ; no. 158. - p. 54-72. -
In this part also information about the first station on the line: Manchuria.
Part 2: 2012 ; no. 159. - p. 49-79 ….en Part 3: 2013 ; no. 160. - p. 50-73.
Postcard, sent from Manchuria. In the double-ring postmark isindicated МАНЬЧЖУРIЯ [MANCHZHURIYA], Manchuria. This is not a railway post mark: the card is sent from the Russian Post Office of Manchuria to London by V. Dachnovitsch, 'war censor, Russian Post Office'.
The censorship-postmark, resized 50 %.
In the censor-postmark is also indicated МАНЬЧЖУРIЯ [MANCHZHURIYA]. The words ВОЕННАЯ [VOENNAYA] ЦЕНЗУРА [TSENZURA], Military Censorship. There are four types postmarks used by the censorship in Manchuria. This type postmark is used between Oktober 1914 and April 1915.
The message is something philatelic: the censor has sent stamps to London for exchange, but has received no reply.
The presenr name of Manchuria is Manzhouli. The present Trans Manchurian Railway (Moscow-Manzhouli-Harbin-Being) reached after 6626 km Zabaikalsk, the Russian city before the Chinese border. Here the wheels are changed: the Russian and Chinese gauge. This takes two to six hours. In Manzhouli: customs and pasport control. Manzhouli is an important place for the trade between Russia and China. There is a free trade area on both sides of the border and inhabitants of Manzhouli and Zabaikalsk can without visa cross the border. The total population is 400.000, of which 250.000 on the Chinese side of the border. Also Russians live often on the Chinese side of the border: the houses are better and cheaper.
