Hsinking West Park and (inset) Chengzhong Monument, Hsinking. “Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935. The capital of Manchukuo was established in 1932 at Hsinking [‘new capital’], now known as Changchun, and turned into a grandiose ‘model city’ of urban development. There had been a Japanese presence in the city going back to 1907, after receiving control by treaty of the railway between Changchun and Port Arthur and establishing the South Manchuria Railway. (Colorized)

See also:
Yamato Hotel, Hoshigaura (Star Beach), Dairen, Manchuria, c. 1920.
Great Manchurian Exhibition, Dairen, Manchukuo, 1933.
The “Asia Express”, Shougaku Sannensei Manga advertising postcard, Manchukuo, c. 1935.

During the 1930s, Harbin, Hsinking (Changchun), and Dalian (Dairen) were significant cities in Manchuria, each with its own distinct characteristics and roles within the broader context of Japanese colonization and occupation.

Hsinking, later renamed Changchun following the Chinese Civil War, served as the administrative capital of Manchukuo, the puppet state established by Japan in 1932. As such, it was the political center of Japanese rule in Manchuria.

Hsinking was meticulously planned and developed by the Japanese authorities to showcase the supposed prosperity and modernity of Manchukuo under Japanese guidance. The city’s infrastructure, including its wide boulevards, government buildings, and residential areas, reflected Japanese architectural and urban planning principles.

Map: Manchukuo, 1940.

Harbin, the largest city in Manchuria at the time, was a vibrant cultural melting pot, shaped by its diverse population of Chinese, Russians, Japanese, Jews, and other ethnic groups. It was known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, with various architectural styles and cultural influences visible throughout the city.

Harbin served as a major economic hub in Manchuria, thanks to its strategic location along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The city was a center for trade, commerce, and industry, with bustling markets and thriving businesses catering to both local and international clientele.

With the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, Harbin experienced a significant influx of Japanese settlers and businesses. Japanese cultural institutions, schools, and businesses proliferated in the city, further shaping its cultural landscape.

Despite its status as an administrative capital, Hsinking also emerged as a cultural and educational center in Manchukuo, with the establishment of universities, museums, and cultural institutions intended to promote Japanese culture and ideology among the local population.

Lishun Tower, Port Arthur, “Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935. Erection of the chūreitō [loyal spirit pagoda] was completed in 1909. By the 1920s it was drawing 100,000 visitors annually to commemorate Japan’s great victory over Russia in 1905 at Port Arthur (Ryojun in Japanese) near Dalian/Dairen.

Dalian (Dairen), located on the Liaodong Peninsula, was a crucial port city and naval base for the Japanese military. Its strategic location made it a vital hub for maritime trade and military operations in the region.

Dalian was a center of heavy industry and manufacturing, with shipyards, steel mills, and other industrial facilities driving economic growth and development in the city. Japanese corporations heavily invested in Dalian’s industrial infrastructure to exploit its resources and support Japan’s wartime efforts.

Under Japanese occupation, Dalian underwent significant urban redevelopment and modernization, with Japanese-style buildings, parks, and infrastructure projects transforming the cityscape. However, this development came at the expense of displacing and marginalizing the city’s Chinese population.

Overall, Harbin, Hsinking, and Dalian played pivotal roles in the economic, political, and cultural landscape of Manchuria during the 1930s, each reflecting the complex dynamics of Japanese colonization and occupation in the region.

Panoramic view of the Taitian countryside. Photo inset: War reminders. “Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935.

Tourist Attractions in Manchuria

 

“The main gateway to Manchuria is Dairen, modern metropolis and most up-to-date port in Northern Asia. It is the Dairen authorities, though organs of specially created offices in the S.M.R. (South Manchurian Railway) and the Municipality cooperating with the Japan Tourist Bureau, who are now paying special attention to the building-up of an ever-increasing tourist trade throughout the expanse of Manchuria, and by organizing all sorts of attractive excursions which are tempting the public to travel to inland points of this extensive and rich territory.”

“… Harbin is undoubtedly a relic of Old Russia and still saturated with a Russian atmosphere, which cannot disappear in a year or two notwithstanding the new penetration that is gong on apace.

“One feels this immediately when one arrives at the station, where surging throngs of Russians seem to meet all trains, and where Russian porters quickly transfer one’s belongings to a taxi, with Russian chauffeur, and one is swiftly borne through sprawling streets where Russian shop-signs greet the eye wherever one glances, and where on sees endless streams of Slavic faces.

“One feels it even more when one arrives at the Russian-managed hotel and you have a choice of a number and are received by a Russian desk-clerk, and after booking your room find a Russian chambermaid in attendance and proceeding to the dining-room have Russian food served to you by Russian waiters.

“Harbin has been given plenty of publicity during its short life – for 40 years ago it was an arid plain with a single samshu distillery – but this publicity was mostly of an erotic kind, dating back from the Tsarist Russian regime.”

– “Tourist Attractions in Manchuria”, The Manchurian Month, May 1, 1936

“Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, Harbin, c. 1935.

“Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935.

“Scenic views of Manchuria” postcard series, c. 1935. Top photo: Dalian Hospital was, when completed in 1907 by the South Manchuria Railways Co., one of the largest hospitals in Asia and was affiliated with the Dalian University medical school. Both institutions remain today as the Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University.