The given article, based on archival newspaper publications (first and foremost the newspaper “Zarya”), examines the market for occult services in Harbin at the beginning of the 20th century. The authors turn to the historical and cultural context of the issue, studying the origins of Harbin residents' fascination with occultism and mysticism. Thus, the authors believe that interest in occult practices in Harbin was a legacy of the “silver” age of Russian culture, and the socio-cultural upheavals following the October Revolution and Civil War increased Harbin residents' need for spiritual support. Having examined a number of publications from the newspapers “Zarya” and “Rupor”, the authors conclude that, for many Harbin residents, resorting to the help of magicians, fortune tellers, and palmists, was the norm of everyday life – as evidenced by, firstly, numerous advertisements of these “specialists’ services”, and secondly – essays by reporters from these printed publications. The article also puts forward the thesis that studying processes associated with religiosity among Russian inhabitants of northern Manchuria during the first half of the 20th century – when there was a large, close-knit emigrant community – can help form a comprehensive understanding of the religious landscape on the Far Eastern frontier during this period.
Key words: Far Eastern frontier, Manchuria, Harbin, religious landscape, occultism, spiritualism, palmistry, periodicals
DOI: 10.22250/20728662-2025-2-122-131
About the authors
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Vasilisa A. Zabiyako – Postgraduate student at the Department of Literature and World Artistic Culture, Amur State University; bld. 7, 21 Ignatievskoe highway, Blagoveshchensk, 675000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Olga E. Tsmykal – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Assistant Professor at the Department of Literature and World Artistic Culture, Amur State University; bld. 7, 21 Ignatievskoe highway, Blagoveshchensk, 675000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |