Why did Russia immigrate to the Qing Dynasty?

Northeast China was a terrible and cold place in ancient times without modern heating equipment because of its high latitude and extremely low temperature in winter. However, due to less human activities and this high-latitude natural environment, Northeast China has also become a cornucopia rich in luxury goods.

China Northeast Linhai Xueyuan

Fur is the biggest luxury in Northeast China. For people living in the northeast, fur is just a need to keep out the cold. But for people who don't live in other areas here, it costs a lot of money to buy a fur dress.

Due to the cold environment in northeast China, many local animals have grown thick fur to keep out the cold. Among them, mink and sea otter skin are the most sought after and the most expensive. Besides minks and sea otters, the fur of foxes and lynxes is also very popular. In addition to the fur of these animals, the locals in Northeast China also caught squirrels at that time. Their fur, like the animals mentioned above, can also be made into some warm clothes, but the price and texture are not as good as the former.

In addition to fur, pearls, ginseng and mushrooms were also specialties of Northeast China at that time. During the reign of Nurhachi, these northeast specialties sold well in Daming and even crossed the ocean to Japan. Even some northeast specialties were resold by many people and appeared in Spain-ruled America. The export of these specialties provided a lot of wealth for Nurhachi regime and financial support for Manchuria's wars with Mongolia and Daming.

After Manchuria entered the customs, due to the changes in climate, environment, production and lifestyle, Manchu people have generally accepted the customs of the Han people, but they have not completely given up some of their customs in Northeast China. The love for fur, mushrooms and pearls is one of the customs preserved by Manchu after entering the customs.

Moreover, after defeating the remnants of the Ming Dynasty and unifying the whole country, the demand for specialty products in Northeast China increased instead of decreasing. Because these northeast specialties were not only given to the Eight Banners nobles, but also given to bureaucrats at all levels by the Manchu royal family as a link between the royal family and the bureaucratic nobles. Moreover, bureaucrats at all levels need a lot of pearls and furs in their robes and winter clothes.

In addition to the increase in demand, the Qing royal family itself knew that these resources in the northeast meant a lot of wealth, and only by holding these wealth in their own hands could the royal family feel safe. So after entering the customs, Qing paid more attention to the production of specialty products in Northeast China.