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If you look closely at the world map, the names of many Russian Far Eastern cities are added with a parenthesis, the official place names are obviously Russian translations, and the place names in parentheses make Chinese feel more familiar and familiar.
For example, Vladivostok is also called Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk is also called Hylanbu, Nikolaevsk is also called Temple Street, Khabarovsk is also called Boli.
At that time, when Tsarist Russia marched into Siberia, although the dynasty in the Central Plains exercised nominal sovereignty over the northern territory reaching as far as the Arctic Ocean, ancient China, which was known for agriculture, was not interested in cold and barbaric lands, and in this way, China's territory and sphere of influence in the Far East were gradually encroached.
This was especially true in the weak middle and late Qing dynasties, when the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing ceded the territory east of the Ussuri River, including Vladivostok, to the Russian Empire in 1860, after which the Russian Empire unceremoniously changed Chinese place names to Russian place names.
Vladivostok Chinese originally means "a depression rich in sea cucumbers", and the corresponding Vladivostok means "rule the East" in Russian, which can be said to be extremely unfriendly. Perhaps obsessed with it, or perhaps avoiding embarrassment, China has always retained Chinese place names on the map.
▲Vladivostok street view
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The cession of Vladivostok was heart-wrenching, and in addition to the wound of national feelings and the loss of strategic fortresses, China lost not only a few cities, but the northeastern region's access to the sea facing the Sea of Japan.
Vladivostok is located at the southern tip of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula on the Pacific coast, bordering the Sea of Japan, and the Gulf of Ussuri to the east, the Gulf of Great Peter to the east and the Gulf of Amur to the east, south and west. The bay's deep waters, rugged terrain, and surrounding islands serve as a defensive line, making it one of the few natural harbors in the world.
In modern times, due to the superior location conditions, Vladivostok, as the frontier of Tsarist Russia's expansion, has developed rapidly, and is now the largest city on the Pacific coast of Russia and the economic center, cultural center and scientific research center of the Far East.
The annual throughput of Vladivostok port is about 10 million tons, of which about 4 million tons are transported domestically and about 3 million tons are transported abroad. The fly in the ointment is that there is a freezing period of more than 100 days in winter, and icebreakers are required to navigate.
▲Port of Vladivostok
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Vladivostok is also the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, a major communication line built in 1891 and opened in 1905, bearing witness to the Tsar's ambitions to conquer the Far East, paving the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
However, for a long time, Vladivostok, which was ceded to Russia, was not very peaceful, and its striking strategic location made it weathered. It suffered raids during the Russo-Japanese War and was incorporated into the "Far Eastern Republic" in 1920, which sought independence.
During the Soviet era, Vladivostok became a place of exile. Later, Khrushchev visited here and proposed to benchmark San Francisco, USA, and Vladivostok was once again entrusted with the mission of focusing on development.
Today's Vladivostok is home to Russia's Pacific Fleet, but overall it is quiet and peaceful.
The temperate continental humid climate, or cold temperate continental monsoon climate, gives Vladivostok the characteristics of relatively four distinct seasons, and also brings the advantages of cool and comfortable summer. Coupled with the beautiful mountain scenery and the high quality of the beach, Vladivostok has naturally become a health resort.
▲Vladivostok railway station is the end of the Trans-Siberian Railway
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It is said that thanks to the decline and stalemate of the Russian-Ukrainian war, China has tasted some sweetness, which has some truth, and the contradictions accumulated between the United States and Russia have given China the possibility of profit.
In 2015, Russia established the Vladivostok Free Port to provide policy support and preferential treatment for settled enterprises in taxation, customs and quarantine. From June 1, 2023, Jilin Province will add the Russian port of Vladivostok as a transit port for cross-border transportation of domestic trade goods.
The recovery of the homeland is far away, but at least there is an opportunity to borrow the homeland, and to some extent, the northeast has restored access to the sea at the economic level, but it is still far from the political level, especially the military level.
Rumor has it that China intends to lease the port of Vladivostok as a whole, and if Sino-Russian relations continue to improve, it may be possible in the future, and there is nothing more deterrent than a fleet stationed in the Sea of Japan.
Partly occupying Russia's strategic Palembang, why is it not the long-cherished wish of this lost homeland and China behind it to revive its glory?
(The picture in the article comes from the Internet)