| Summary/Abstract |
In the late 19th century, tsarist Russia stepped up its foreign policy activity considerably in the Far East, particularly in China. One of the main regions of China within the Russian Empire's sphere of interest was the so-called "Three Eastern Provinces" (Manchuria), where the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) was laid and the Kwantung Oblast (Territory) of the Russian Empire was established. In 1900, Russian armed forces led by Admiral Ye.I. Alexeyev were forced to temporarily occupy all of Manchuria in order to suppress an uprising organized by followers of the anti-foreign Yihetuan movement, also known as the Boxer Rebellion. The occupied area included the city of Mukden, the capital at the time of Fengtian Province, one of the Three Eastern Provinces. The importance of Mukden as an administrative and business center and one of the largest railway stations on the CER made it necessary to have an official representative of the tsarist authorities in the city. As the Boxer Rebellion was suppressed, a growing number of diverse firms and commercial enterprises began to appear in the re-gion, and in this connection, foreign powers sought to expand their presence there.
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