August M
Summer visitors travel north expecting a taste of Russia without leaving China. What they encounter instead is a village where the symbols remain, but the culture behind them has largely dissolved.
Enhe, a small settlement near the Russian border, shows how identity can fade even while being officially preserved.
Everyday numbers
According to Digi24.ro, Enhe has just 2,895 residents. More than 40 percent are officially classified as ethnic Russians, yet very few speak Russian.
Chinese dominates everyday life, from schools and public offices to family homes. Even residents registered as Russian typically use only Chinese.
Despite lying only a few kilometers from the Argun River, which marks the border with Russia, linguistic and cultural ties have steadily weakened.
Tourism on display
Russian culture in Enhe now exists mainly as a performance for tourists. Birch trees, log cabins and Cyrillic lettering create a visual impression aimed at visitors rather than locals.
A small museum presents everyday objects and music described as Russian heritage. The New York Times reported that some exhibits include misidentified Western pop culture presented as Russian, underscoring how authenticity has given way to symbolism.
In winter, when temperatures plunge to minus 30 degrees Celsius, Enhe is nearly empty. In summer, tens of thousands of Chinese tourists arrive, attracted by a foreign aesthetic without the need for visas.
Managed identity
Mayor Li Peng told the New York Times that the disappearance of Russian identity is not accidental. “In a few years, we will be like other places,” he said.
Li, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, portrayed assimilation as a success of state ethnic policy, which emphasizes unity and loyalty to President Xi Jinping.
During the New York Times visit, regional officials closely monitored reporters and halted interviews they deemed inappropriate.
Language and faith
Russian is not taught in Enhe’s primary school. Orthodox Christianity has also vanished from public view.
A cross once visible atop a domed building in the village center has been removed. Local officials deny it was ever there, although older photographs suggest otherwise.
Li said he observes Orthodox Easter “just as a cultural holiday” that “has nothing to do with religion.”
A brief past
Russians first settled in the region in the 19th century after gold was discovered, with more arriving after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Over generations, intermarriage gradually diluted language, customs and religious practice.
Writer Zou Yu, a local cultural expert, told the New York Times: “Maybe some things happened then, but now everything is excellent.”
A quiet contrast
Enhe’s story contrasts with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that Moscow must protect ethnic Russians abroad.
On China’s border with Russia, a Russian identity has not been lost to war, but absorbed through slow, state-managed assimilation.
Sources: Digi24.ro, The New York Times
