“The Harbin Diary” (1923–1924) – a Periodical of the Polish Colony in Harbin (China)

Abstract

The article is a presentation of the periodical “Pamiętnik Harbiński” [“The Harbin Diary”], which was published in the town of Harbin in China, in the years 1923–1924. There was quite a big Polish colony, connected with eastern Chinese railway built by Russia. Its administrative center was located in the place that soon developed into an economically thriving town called Harbin, established in 1898. Fair working conditions attracted many engineers, white collar and blue collar workers, including great numbers of Poles. Their growing educational and cultural needs brought fruit in the formation of Polish organizations and associations, as well as in the development of publishing market. One of the 25 identified Polish periodical titles that were published in Harbin from the beginnings of press publishing movement in 1917 to the eradication of Polish Diaspora in 1949 was “Pamiętnik Harbiński” which, due to its characteristic profile, deserves to be analyzed in a much greater detail.