"White Russians" in HK

[Centrals]

If you are interested in this little known history.

Russian Hong Kong - Why Do Hong Kong Restaurants Serve Borscht?

How White Russian refugee crisis unfolded in China a century ago

 

[JMBL]

The last film by Charles Chaplin (and only one in colour btw) "A countess from Hong Kong" (1967 with Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren as main characters) is based on those events. Don't expect to the signature tramp character or to see Chaplin himself though.

 

[dmaziuk]

There was a big "white" Russian colony in Harbin and another one in Shanghai. The Harbin colony was contacted by the Japanese Embassy sometime on the 1930s and told to "better leave soon". Many made it to Australia, I met the last of Harbin Russians there in the 90's and heard that story.

Whoever didn't leave didn't fare too well apparently: after WWII Harbin was occupied by the USSR for a while, being a white Russian there and then wouldn't be good for you. Shanghai housed the Soviet Shanghai Air Defense Corps for a while; I wouldn't be surprised if their komissars had a little side project related to any anti-Soviet tsarists hiding there.

 

[Centrals]

There were even two Russian race horse trainers in HK for many yrs.
Nick Metrevelli and George Sofronoff. Unfortunately not much achieves could be found.

Horse trainer Nick Metrevelli. 20JUN67 News Photo - Getty Images