Shanghai, Murmansk’s Chinatown Badlands

Talking about Vladivostok’s old Chinatown badlands, Millionka, yesterday I thought I’d post briefly on another interesting old Chinatown in Russia, Murmansk’s “Shanghai” district. Murmansk only dates back really to around the time of WW1 (access to supplies from the allies and a train line to St. Petersburg) and some Chinese went there as labourers during the Great War. The town was important obviously as a port on the arctic circle and provided access for men, food and materiel during the war. Like Millionka, Shanghai was a rough area where Chinese bar owners sold a home-brewed drink known as “hanzha” and organized card games as well as, of course, sold a bit of opium. Apparently many a drunk ended up “Shanghai-ed” the next day on a boat. Sorry, don’t know much else about Shanghai, Murmansk….and I’ve got no photos of the district either I’m afraid…

Murmansk…today