Доклады Международного конгресса ИИСАА. Т. 1

III. Far East, South and South-East Asia / Дальний Восток, Южная и Юго-Восточная Азия Доклады Международного конгресса по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки. Т. 1. 2020 459 was busy with numerous issues related to consular work and the construction of the Russian concession.  The head offices of Russian tea factories were located in Hankou, including “Molchanov, Pechatnov and Co” and “Tokmakov, Molotkov and Co” companies. In conditions of high competition in the local market, especially with British merchants, it was extremely important to defend the interests of the Russian merchants. Having stayed in Hankou for several months, A. T. Belchenko arranged consular affairs; at the same time he was making decisions on the construction of the consulate building. He established friendly relations with the Chinese authorities and the diplomatic corps. Among local residents, including well-known tea dealers, he earned great respect and authority. He paid great attention to the study of the tea industry, went to plantations, visited Russian factories. In addition to Hankou, the head of the Consulate A. T. Belchenko visited the neighboring city of Jiujiang, where there were Russian factories for the production of brick and plate tea, as well as the Kulin mountain region, where in the village of Lulin there were tea plantations and summer residences of Russian tea traders. Here was the territory of the Russian Spiritual Mission, the affairs of which he also dealt with. In his memoirs, he described his experience in detail and made recommendations on the development of tea production in Russia. His merits were highly appreciated by the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Diplomatic Mission. In the fall of 1902, he received a new appointment to the post of dragoman of the Mission in Beijing and left his beloved Hankou. The memoirs, extracts fromwhich are given in the article, describe in detail the first steps of their author in diplomacy. This material, which is a unique archival source, is introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. Keywords : Andrey Terentyevich Belchenko; China; Hankou; Fuzhou; Russian Consulate in Hankou; tea trade; Russian tea companies; Russian-Chinese relations. Шаронова В. Г. (ИДВ РАН, Москва, РФ) А. Т. Бельченко в Ханькоу: первые шаги в дипломатии 1 Аннотация: Среди важных источников исторической информации о рус- ско-китайских отношениях можно назвать мемуары, написанные дипломатом Андреем Терентьевичем Бельченко (16.10.1873 — 1.02.1958). Он происходил из многодетной казачьей семьи, проживавшей в Воронежской губернии. Еще обучаясь в средних учебных заведениях, он показал большие способности к изучению наук. Получив прекрасный аттестат зрелости, юный Андрей Бель- ченко в 1893 году поступает на Восточный факультет Санкт-Петербургского университета по китайско-маньчжуро-монгольскому разряду (отделению). 1 Статья подготовлена при финансовой поддержке РФФИ по гранту№17–21–21002 «История русско-китайской чайной торговли в центральных и юго-восточных про- винциях Китая с середины XIX века по начало XX века, по материалам российских и китайских архивов».