Who is living well in the Far East: the Russians or the Chinese. The national composition of the population of the Far East of Russia We are two shores with you

The unique wonder of the world is the Ussuri taiga. More than 400 species of trees will grow here, including exotic ones: Mongolian oak, Korean cedar, Manchurian walnut, Amur velvet. In these parts, a unique collection of endemic plants that are not found anywhere else in the world. Among such a variety of plants live no less rare and unique animals of the Russian Far East.

About animals living in the Far East, and will be discussed in this article.

General information

Animals that are typical inhabitants of the jungle have perfectly adapted to life in the harsh climate of the Far East. Air temperature in winter time here it can reach up to -45 ° C, and the thickness of the snow cover is 2 meters. Among these animals are the Amur tiger (“the owner of the Ussuri taiga”), leopard, white-breasted bear, spotted deer, goral and kharza.

Some animals of the Far East of our territory, representing the object of hunting, were settled and acclimatized across the vast expanses of Russia and the world. These include, first of all, the sika deer and the raccoon dog. But some species of animals were also brought here, for example, the muskrat and the hare.

Briefly about nature

Before we present information about what animals live in the Far East, let's consider some features of the nature of the region. The Far East has a unique ecosystem that combines the tundra zone and the forest. The territories of the region are located in different natural zones:

• tundra;
• Arctic deserts;
• coniferous forests (light coniferous, dark coniferous, coniferous-birch);
• forest-steppe;
• coniferous-deciduous forests.

In such natural areas and climatic conditions are different, so the world of fauna and flora is different.

About animals of the Far East

In the most remote region of Russia with a harsh climate, a total of 80 terrestrial mammal species live, of which only 24 species are hunting objects. Very rare species listed in the Red Book of Russia and the IUCN are more than half of the animal species. In the coastal waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan, there are 21 species of marine mammals.

The largest animals of the Far East are tigers (Amur and Ussuri), bears (Himalayan and brown). More detailed information about them below in the article.

The animals of this region are unique and interesting.

Ussurian tiger

This is the largest cat in the world - a powerful and strong beast. An adult male reaches a weight of up to 300 kg, but such a mass does not at all prevent him from moving easily and silently through the reeds, without attracting attention, and being an excellent hunter. A wild cat hunts for wild boars, elks, deer and hares. There are cases of attacks on a bear.

The female gives birth, as a rule, to 2-3 cubs, remaining up to three years next to her, gradually learning the basics of hunting art.

Amur leopard

Speaking about the animals of the Far East, it is impossible not to mention the Amur leopard, which is recognized as the rarest cat in the wild. This species, currently on the verge of extinction, is extraordinarily beautiful. In total, there are only about 30 individuals of the Amur leopard now at large, and there are about a hundred of them in zoos.

In Korea, these amazingly beautiful leopards are completely exterminated, in China they are found in single specimens, perhaps these are individuals coming to them from the territory of Russia. The threat to such animals is forest fires, poachers and lack of food.

Himalayan bear

Among the animals of the Far East there is also a predator - the Himalayan bear. It is much smaller in size than its relative - brown. The Himalayan bear is extraordinarily beautiful - its black hair shimmers in the sun, and there is White spot. He loves to feast on nuts, acorns and roots. In winter, it hibernates inside a large hollow of pine, cedar or oak. Sleep continues for five months. The female usually gives birth to cubs in February, and the cubs stay with her until the next autumn.

What other animals live?

The Far East is very rich in wildlife. Typical Siberian taiga species:

• squirrel;
• sable;
• chipmunk;
• hazel grouse and others.

Animals of Chinese and Indo-Malay origin (other than those listed above):

• Red Wolf;
• forest cat;
• moger moger;
• Manchurian hare.

Unfortunately, the barbaric attitude to the unique nature of the Far East endangered the complete survival of some of its inhabitants. Today, serious work is underway to improve this situation.

The decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the accession of the Trans-Baikal Territory and the Republic of Buryatia to the Far Eastern Federal District (especially since the statement was made on the Day of National Unity) excited the minds of the public in the Irkutsk region as well. It would seem that the decision of the head of state did not affect the Irkutsk region, and the Siberian Federal District would benefit at all, in terms of increasing abstract economic indicators, due to the departure of lagging regions, but, according to experts who shared it with Altair, this step there is no practical meaning. The difficulties relate to the interaction of various federal interregional structures, the development of the Baikal territory and very shaky hopes that Transbaikalia and Buryatia will sharply revive economically.

Political aspect

The editor-in-chief of the Baikalskiye Vesti newspaper, political scientist Yuri Pronin, noted that the first thing that catches the eye is not the content of this decision, but its form.

It is unfortunate that all this was approved in some behind-the-scenes way, by a narrow circle of people. Not even experts were involved, let alone the public. We were confronted with a fact, which is sad in itself. If we talk about the decision itself, then its motives are in the sphere of wishes and hopes. I do not yet see a clear scheme of what benefits Buryatia and Transbaikalia will receive from this decision. Even the core regions of the Far East - the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories - showed by the last gubernatorial elections that not all is well with them. I think that this issue has been lobbied very strongly by certain individuals at the federal level, given that new governor Transbaikalia was the deputy head of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East. Lobbyists have achieved success, but I can't say that the decision was balanced, - Yuri Pronin commented.

Andrey Andreev, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk region, called this decision of the federal center both expected and unexpected at the same time.

This is expected in terms of the transfer of Transbaikalia to the Far Eastern Federal District and unexpected, if we talk about Buryatia. In Transbaikalia, a new acting director has recently been appointed. governor. He comes from the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and, at a meeting with the president, he already expected that the region would become part of the Far Eastern Federal District and receive all the preferences prescribed there. As for Buryatia, this decision, in my opinion, is spontaneous and attributed to the knee, - the parliamentarian believes.

Political scientist, candidate of political sciences Alexei Petrov thinks that this is some kind of apparatus intrigue, and Vladimir Putin, who signed this decree, as they say, waved without reading.

As I understand it, there is a serious struggle between Vladivostok and Khabarovsk for the capital. In this regard, hardware games begin, aimed at changing boundaries and so on. There is a feeling that the Kremlin makes decisions without understanding what they are taking. In principle, I don’t see anything reasonable,” said Alexei Petrov.

Historian and philosopher Mikhail Rozhansky does not know why it was necessary to make such a decision. In his opinion, this step speaks of a fundamental misunderstanding of the essence of federalism.

Why this is necessary, I do not know. I can guess, but I'm not ready to speak. This should be asked of the "Kremlinologists", who know what is in the head of the president and his administration staff. I can only say that such decisions come from an understanding of federalism as a system of government. It is clear why the Trans-Baikal Territory is tied to the Far East, but it is not clear why Buryatia has to do with it. Trans-Baikal Territory is traditionally geographical location and other historical reasons has always "sagged" between Siberia and the Far East. And with Buryatia everything is more complicated, - Mikhail Rozhansky said.

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of World History and International Relations of ISU Dmitry Kozlov noted that he treats this decision cautiously and, one might say, with skepticism.

Perhaps this is such a management style, and then there is nothing unexpected in this. I think that the decision may be related to the crisis of previous programs for the development of the Far East. This was expressed in criticism of the programs "at the very top", this was expressed in the form of the results of the gubernatorial elections in Primorye and the Khabarovsk Territory. The Far East is, after all, a favorite brainchild of the authorities - it is regarded as an outpost of modernization and part of the "eastern turn". Many advances have been made to the Far East, but something is still stalling there, and now we are talking about new program for the development of the territory, especially in terms of cooperation with China. If earlier this program also dealt with the Baikal region, now it is not mentioned there. As for the regional elites, there has apparently been some kind of drift between Transbaikalia and Buryatia. True, I don’t know if this drift was in reality and how much it was connected with this decision, Dmitry Kozlov added.

Doctor of Geography, Professor of the Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University Natalya Zubarevich, in a commentary for Radio Liberty, noted that if we take the attitude of the federal government towards the Far East, it can be characterized as follows: there are many words, few deeds.

If we take all investments from the federal budget, there are not many of them - this is somewhere around 7-8% of all investments in the country. The share of the Far East in investments from the federal budget over the past four years has decreased from 10% to 5%. Well, the federal budget does not see its priority in the Far East. But the share of the Southern Federal District, with the advent of the Crimea with Sevastopol, increased from 8 to 29%. Here's a real investment priority for you. For the entire Far East, investments from all sources amount to just over 7%. And what will break off in addition to Transbaikalia if it enters where there is really no investment?! - said Natalya Zubarevich.

Economic aspect

Kuzma Aldarov, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region, said that he would be glad if the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory attract any investment projects in the framework of the development of the Far East, and those preferences that exist for this territory will extend to our neighbors.

So far, the socio-economic situation there is not very simple, as far as you know. And the rise of the economy in Buryatia will have a good effect on our entrepreneurs, in terms of the distribution of products, including agricultural ones. If neighbors increase demand for these products, we will only be happy. Let's hope that the transfer to the Far East will give them a chance to stabilize the situation, - commented Kuzma Aldarov.

Deputy State Duma Alexander Yakubovsky, the current situation is rather frustrating. He speaks about the loss of the Irkutsk region's prospects for becoming the flagship of the economy of the Baikal region.

I considered the history of the Angara region, Buryatia and Transbaikalia as a single, Baikal one. In any case, we are connected historically, ecologically and economically. Our export potential mostly goes through Transbaikalia. Of course, it would be correct to consider all three regions as a single economic territory with a single potential. Given that the Irkutsk region is in a more advantageous situation both in terms of natural resources and industrial potential, which could be extended to Buryatia and Transbaikalia. But we have not been able to achieve a breakthrough for last years, and my phrase about the locomotive of the economy of the Baikal region concerns precisely this perspective. We have not been able to economically unite all three territories. As for the accession of our neighbors to the Far Eastern Federal District, this is the merit of Alexei Tsydenov and Alexander Osipov. They need tools for the development of territories. And these tools are available in the Far East - tax incentives, air travel subsidies, regulation of electricity tariffs, federal investment in the development of the economy and the social sphere. In order not to introduce new programs, this decision was made. In this situation, the Irkutsk region does not lose or gain anything, but simply goes on its own way, - Alexander Yakubovsky added.

Dmitry Kozlov urged to look at how this territorial experiment will end, and then draw conclusions.

Now there is what is. Both regions go to the Far East, and we have some new territorial, rather unexpected entity. If you recall the history, then everything was always unexpected with the federal districts. For example, Tyumen, which historically was the starting point for the development of Siberia, moved to the Urals Federal District, thanks to the Ural elites. The same thing is happening now. This leads us to a variety of geographical discoveries - the entire territory beyond the Urals received different names - both "Asian Russia" and "Siberia", which included the Far East. However, thanks to the Soviet past, Siberia and the Far East are perceived separately. We see that in Transbaikalia new head. The region is very difficult, and I do not know how this region, even with the Far East engine, will be able to earn. In Buryatia, a young, ambitious leader with connections and carte blanche from the Kremlin is a slightly different situation. On the one hand, we can talk about voluntarism in making such fateful decisions, and on the other hand, we need to see how the next experiment in the development of Siberia and the Far East will end. Another important point - if we consider the Far East from the point of view of the development of the "eastern turn", then there is a problem with the position of the Baikal region and Eastern Siberia, their positioning. Will we be left with nothing? A big task lies with the Irkutsk regional authorities - to find a new positioning for the Irkutsk region, - summed up Dmitry Kozlov.

Yuri Pronin thought about the alignment of forces in the Siberian Federal District, after the departure of two lagging regions.

In the statement of the former head of Buryatia, Nagovitsyn, there were words that now everyone in Buryatia will receive a regional maternal capital for a third child, but excuse me, in the Irkutsk region, for example, and so it already exists. This suggests that the Irkutsk region has a very strong position in terms of socio-economic development. I do not agree with the opinion that the transition of Buryatia and Transbaikalia to the Far Eastern Federal District speaks of the dysfunction of our region. However, considering that we are geographically close to the two above-mentioned regions, and historically and economically constitute the Baikal macroregion with them, the decision may also affect us. In addition, thanks to the departure of these two regions, the economic performance of the SFD will improve, because they were far from successful. And the Far East Federal District, on the contrary, will grow with two regions that need to be “pulled out”. As for the Irkutsk region, we were not even supposed to be taken there. Firstly, because it would be even greater geographical absurdity, and secondly, because our economic situation is better than that of our neighbors, Yuri Pronin commented.

Alexei Petrov is convinced that Buryatia and Transbaikalia will gain nothing from the change of the federal district.

It's funny for me to read the comments of the heads of Buryatia and Transbaikalia, arguments about the "Far Eastern hectare". There is so much land in the Far East that has not yet been distributed, where nothing is being done. There are no enterprises, factories and elite lands where something can be developed. Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory in almost all indicators occupied the last places in the Siberian Federal District. The Far East will definitely not gain anything from them. I don't think there is any political or economic sense here. just one more headache. Perhaps the authorities should now think about the abolition of the federal districts in general, - the political scientist believes.

Andrei Andreev is of the same opinion, and calls not to believe the fairy tales about the prosperous Far East.

Now any citizen can come to Listvyanka and look at the Far East through Baikal. Here we can say that the Far East crept up unnoticed. The funny thing is that the "Far Eastern hectare" can be obtained almost on the shore of Lake Baikal, from the Buryat side. Paradoxical as it may seem, it is true. Whether the residents will benefit from this - time will tell. What we declare from the screens of central television about successes in the Far East, unfortunately, is not confirmed when you arrive there. Time will tell how the related federal ministries and departments will work, how the Baikal Environmental Prosecutor's Office will work, how federal programs will work and be coordinated. It is still difficult for me to imagine it, - Andrey Andreev said.

Natalya Zubarevich, in a commentary to the same Radio Liberty, delivered a disappointing verdict at all - investment programs in the Far Eastern Federal District are working very poorly.

First, the strategic priority of the Far East was declared back in the 2000s. By the way, this program is called the “Program for Support of the Far East and the Baikal Region”, it includes Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory and even the Irkutsk Region. If we talk about current support, yes: the Far East receives 12% of all transfers that go to the subjects of the federation from the federal level with a population of just over 4% of the total population of Russia. Everything is very expensive there, budgetary expenses are high, so the feds support them. But, sorry, they support the republics of the North Caucasus in exactly the same way: the same 12% of all transfers. I don’t think that the “attachment” to the Far East will somehow improve the federal center’s assistance to the two Trans-Baikal territories, because even now they are already quite highly subsidized,” said Natalya Zubarevich.

Baikal question

Who is now to develop Baikal, which suddenly found itself between two federal districts? Mikhail Rozhansky is most concerned about this issue.

With Buryatia, another unresolved issue is exacerbated: in our area there is such an integrating factor as Lake Baikal, which determines the economic and social development. Baikal must have a "master", and it must not represent only one region. And the ease with which Buryatia was transferred to another federal district shows that the distribution by federal districts never mattered to solve real problems, for example, connected with Baikal. Again, the question arises of the Baikal development model, and who will deal with it. The transfer of Buryatia to another federal district will not bring us closer to such a decision, - Mikhail Rozhansky noted.

Yuri Pronin also notes that the interaction around Baikal is almost the central issue that the president's decision puts before us.

Of course, at the center of all our interaction with Buryatia and Transbaikalia lie the problems of Lake Baikal, which has now become semi-Siberian and semi-Far Eastern. We need to take care of this, because there are programs that require joint participation in the field of tourism and ecology. A series of inconveniences exists due to the fact that there are a number of interregional structures that will need to coordinate their work in a new way. The East Siberian Railway is becoming unique - it passes through two federal districts at once. The list of emerging problematic issues is very long. And on the other side we see rather vague promises, - said Yuri Pronin.

State Duma deputy Mikhail Shchapov believes that the decision to transfer the two Baikal regions to the Far East Federal District is a reason to return to the issue of a single federal governing body that will control all programs for the protection of Baikal, development, study, coordinate actions and concentrate funds on them, and become a conductor unified lake policy.

The root of the problems in the Baikal natural territory is the dispersion of powers and funds allocated for the protection of the lake among various federal ministries and departments. Hence all the contradictions in the legal field, the inconsistency of actions, the isolation of decisions from reality, like the same order of the Ministry of Natural Resources “on distilled water”, which in fact hinders the construction of treatment plants, and does not stimulate purification. And at this stage, it is necessary to understand how the issues of Baikal protection will be solved. On the one hand, the implementation of the Federal Target Program "Protection of Lake Baikal", and the national project "Ecology", the approval of the list of objects and activities, as well as the funds for them, takes place vertically - the federal center-subject. Yes, the neighbors will now have to make more efforts to convince the plenipotentiary of the Far East Federal District to support some of their initiatives in this area, because the topic of Baikal is fundamentally new for the Far East. But these are more nuances than dramatic changes. On the other hand, several interregional supervisory and control bodies are now working on Baikal: the Baikal Basin Administration of the Federal Agency for Fishery, the Baikal Environmental Prosecutor's Office, and the Baikal Administration of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources. We must prevent the fragmentation of these structures, - said Mikhail Shchapov.

Dmitry Kozlov drew attention to the fact that in addition to Lake Baikal, there are other risks.

If we talk about risks, they are obvious - the interaction between the Irkutsk region and Buryatia is called into question, we are talking about the Buryat people who live in three regions. This is associated with a variety of legal problems and complexities. Economic risk - restructuring of interregional ties, redirection of economic flows. There are also pluses - the regions are noticed by the authorities and the future is in this breakthrough, but let's not forget that not everything went smoothly with the first breakthrough. Will these two regions be left with minuses, without the promised pluses - big question- summed up Dmitry Kozlov.

Kuzma Aldarov does not think that it is worth looking so gloomily at the prospects for interregional cooperation - the country is still alone.

As far as I understand, projects related to the development of the Baikal territory do not disappear anywhere and continue to work. Moreover, this may allow to intensify work around Baikal. If you look at the current socio-economic situation in the Irkutsk region, it is much better than in Buryatia and Transbaikalia. We see this in budget changes - in October we increased it by 13 billion rubles - almost a third of the budget of Buryatia (the republic's budget at the beginning of 2018 was 47.7 billion rubles, after the last adjustment 54.8 billion rubles). As for the Far East, in our country Yakutia belongs to the Far Eastern Federal District, and nothing! As we cooperate, we cooperate. We still live in one country, and joining another district - cards in hand, God forbid it will get better, - Kuzma Aldarov said hopefully.

As Altair wrote, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the transfer of the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory from the Siberian to the Far Eastern Federal District. The document was published on the official portal of regulatory legal acts. Thus, ten regions remained in the Siberian Federal District - the republics of Altai, Tyva, Khakassia, Altai and Krasnoyarsk Territories, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk Regions. In addition to Buryatia and Transbaikalia, the Far Eastern Federal District includes nine regions - the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Kamchatka, Primorsky, Khabarovsk Territories, Amur, Magadan and Sakhalin Regions, as well as the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The government was instructed to bring its acts in line with these changes within three months. The decree came into force from the date of signing, that is, November 3.

If, going to Crete, you plan to live in the vicinity of Chania, Rethymnon, Maleme, Paleochora, Hora Sfakion or anywhere to the West from Heraklion, then a detailed article about a guide for individual excursions from Chania - Catherine - I (highly recommend). But if your hotel is in the East - in the area of ​​Heraklion, Kokkini Hani, Gouves, Hersonissos, Stalida, Malia, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, Ierapetra, etc., then it is much more appropriate to turn to Victoria. And I will now explain why.

Why a guide in the East when there is a good guide in Chania?

When I wrote to a woman living in Chania a few months ago, I decided that for some time I could not return to the topic of excursions on Grekoblog. After all, that's what a professional guide is for. However, a couple of weeks ago, during a conversation with Katya, one detail came to light that once again returned the topic of a guide in Crete to the category of topical ones.

Important

Of course, you can contact Vika regardless of your intended place of residence in Crete, but it can be especially beneficial (taking into account the distances between cities) when relaxing in the East, namely in the following places: Hersonissos, Malia, Elounda, Sitia, Ierapetra , Analipsi, Anissaras, Gournes, Gouves, Karteros, Kokkini Hani, Sissi, Stalida, Amoudara, Petras, Vai, Koutsouras, Istro, Pahia Ammos, Makryialos, Koutsounari, etc.

On February 1, hectares of land began to be distributed in the Far East. Is free. I went to another part of the country to see if it was worth moving there. And why neighboring China is getting richer every year, while our Far East is getting empty and poorer.

Alone, but fiery speech

Chairman of the village council from Primorye Vsevolod Iyu blazed with a bright and somewhere even scandalous 10-minute speech at the Moscow Economic Forum almost a year ago - in March 2016.

The provincial official honestly said that the situation in the region is simply awful and we have less and less opportunities to compete with the Chinese. And their loans are several times cheaper, and free electricity - that's what captured the entire agricultural market. For local residents even for mushrooms and berries there is nowhere to go - all the land is leased from the Chinese.

It takes about four hours to drive from Vladivostok to the Chkalovsky rural settlement (it includes several villages at once), from where Vsevolod Iyu came to Moscow. The road turned out to be surprisingly quite decent - although I was assured that there "there are only directions."

Vsevolod after his gypsies with the exit, of course, was a little bit of a nightmare. The prosecutor's office even wanted to initiate a case for libel, but did not find anything to complain about.

And now I'm butting heads with local power engineers, - says Vsevolod. - Our club in Chkalovsky was disconnected from heating, because it is unprofitable to maintain heating networks. Now you need more electricity to heat it with air guns. But the power company stubbornly refuses to increase capacity!

Rural settlements have almost no opportunity to somehow influence their lives. We only hear about self-government on TV. Key decisions, including budget allocation, are made at the level above. If they decide to close the House of Culture or the club, and demolish the building, they will close it and demolish it. Everything is going to this, as social spending is also being reduced.

Two years ago, Vsevolod was listed as a large farmer in the area. He grew rice and soybeans on his 800 hectares. Plus cows, pigs...

But the business was slow and eventually fell into disrepair.

I needed a loan. I went to Rosselkhozbank. To secure a loan, they demanded property from me, which actually cost one and a half times more than the debt itself. In addition, I was given the condition that I should refuel and repair equipment only at those companies that the bank will indicate to me. Taking into account all the "buts" and "ifs", it turned out that the loan would cost 30% per annum. And this is ruin.

It ended up that Vsevolod had to sell the rice fields. Now the Chinese are working on them.

Village under siege

In general, many Far Eastern villages fell into a real Chinese land siege. Including the local Vasilkovka.

This village is a typical example of how the authorities successfully destroyed and plundered everything in the 90s. Once a millionaire collective farm worked here, there was new equipment, large herds of cows. Then all the tractor-combines were mysteriously sold, the livestock was slaughtered. And the fields with forests were leased from the Chinese. Local residents from the section of the pie, of course, did not break off anything. Officials, instead of supporting the farmers, left them to the mercy of fate for their own benefit.

When the collective farm collapsed, we were all given a piece of common land, - Lyudmila Babenko, a resident of Vasilkovka, told me. - We ourselves could not process the plots without equipment and money. So they sold them for cheap.

Now the population of the village owns only houses and gardens. And all the lands around were in private ownership.

The farmer subleased the fields to the Chinese to grow soybeans, says farmer Valery Popenko. - Now the cows have to graze right in the village. It is no longer possible to drive them out of the outskirts. Even to the nearest pond, where the cattle used to be able to drink, the path is closed. I'm afraid that in five years we'll be here in the desert. The Chinese pour so much fertilizer on the fields that even weeds quickly stop growing there. The authorities leased the forests for 50 years for cutting down. Now all the trees will be cut down and there will be nothing at all.

Now the fields are covered with a half-meter layer of snow. In the spring, the sowers from the Middle Kingdom will return. This happens every year. However, as well as various forums where they talk about supporting farmers.

China. Two settlements that appeared in the late 80s are separated by only 20 km. But if one turned into almost a metropolis...

Rice Paradise Failed

In the village of Zelenodolskoye, people used to live well - this is immediately evident. Behind the outskirts is a high brick chimney of a boiler room. There is a brand new water tower on the hill. And yes, it's a big village. But his best years are clearly over.

We live in the newest village of the region, people were brought in in the late 80s - they wanted to make a large center for growing rice here, - the head of the local club said without pride Nikolai Sinitsyn. - Previously, we had heating, running water with hot water and sewerage. The Soviet authorities did everything to the highest standard. In the hungry 90s, they still somehow held on. And in the last 10 years, when there seemed to be a lot of money in the budget, local officials ruined everything.

First, the power engineers dismantled the boiler house - it turned out to be unprofitable to heat the village. Residents had to build brick ovens in their houses.

Then the head of the district considered that sewerage is also expensive. Now we don’t even have normal toilets - everyone has put houses in the yards, - Sinitsyn complains.

And that is not all. underground water it is not suitable for drinking, it has too much salt and iron. The locals depend on the ancient ZiL truck, which brings water twice a week. When the car breaks down, people stop showering and washing dishes - they save money.

Only the village club has been preserved in Zelenodolsk. A strange warning hangs on the wall of the club: "Caution, the floors have been washed - 2nd floor." It turned out that only a few rooms on the ground floor were heated inside. And on the second, the water froze, and it became slippery at the top.

Meanwhile, the locals began to pull up to the club.

They say in Moscow that we must compete with the Celestial Empire, - I start a conversation with the residents of Zelenodolsk.

They look at me in amazement. I continue:

Do you think you have a chance to somehow compete with Chinese farmers and industrialists?

And then they all spoke at once:

What kind of competition?

Everything grows and develops with them, but with us it dies!

They built a water tower for us, but it has not been working for many years. According to papers, the problem with water is solved, but in reality - no!

And we still want to compete with the Chinese?!

And they advised me to go to China. Right now. Luckily he's close.

That second one remained a village. Primorsky Krai.

You and I are two shores

The border with China is 20 kilometers away. And behind the hillock - 300 thousandth Suifenhe (by Chinese standards - a small town). The settlement is young, back in the late 80s it was considered a village. In general, the same age as Zelenodolsky.

Broken primers lead to the border crossing from our side. Hundreds of trucks carry logs from Russia to China along them. In the opposite direction, our shuttles pull on buses, dragging huge bags of clothes.

An excellent concrete autobahn begins from the Chinese side. All travelers pass under a giant arch as high as a 10-story building, admiring the turrets, stylized as oriental pagodas. And the border post in the Middle Kingdom can compete with the size of the terminal of an average airport.

City of fabulous freebies

Suifenhe forgot about his rural past. While the "effective" managers in Russia were breaking down sewers and selling collective farm equipment, the Chinese were building up.

The city resembles our average regional capital. Houses below 6 - 7 floors are not built here in principle. All streets are rolled up in asphalt and concrete. Suifenhe lives by trading with us! All Chinese sellers, taxi drivers, police officers speak excellent Russian. Rubles are freely accepted in shops. Price tags and signs - in Russian.

I go to the first eatery I can find. And I can't believe my eyes. For 200 rubles they offer me a buffet - a sea of ​​​​food and an unlimited (!) amount of alcohol. A 15-liter eggplant with vodka stands proudly in the center of the establishment (see photo). Drink as much as you like.

Despite the devaluation of the ruble, food and alcohol prices in China are still several times lower. That is, the economy is developing faster there, and life is cheaper.

If we take the measure of success appearance(houses, cars on the streets) and food prices, China is far ahead of Russia. Well, if not forever. For this I drank.

instead of output.Maybe the distribution of free hectares will help?

Of course, I asked all the inhabitants of Primorye with whom I had a chance to talk about the Far Eastern hectare. Whether they need it or not, will it help the locals get out of the financial hole?

There is no benefit to us from hectares, - the inhabitants of Vasilkovka told me. - We have only pensioners left. There will not be enough forces to cultivate the land without equipment. All the youth have left.

I traveled around several real Far Eastern hectares, which already have owners. A regular lot is just a piece of a field with nothing on it yet. Roads are still laid in some places, which cannot be said about other infrastructure. Apparently, they will let her down when more residents appear in a particular place.

Yes, the distribution of Far Eastern hectares is, first of all, an incentive for the development of the region. And, judging by the number of applicants, the people (including even those from Moscow and St. Petersburg) are ready to go to the Far East (for more details, see "By the Way"). But will it help us catch up with China? The same celestial Suifenhe, powered by purchased Russian electricity, glows at night no worse than a Christmas tree. And our power engineers cannot provide extra power for heating the House of Culture. And I even understand perfectly our effective owners. Here Vsevolod Iyu tried to do it himself agriculture. Almost went bankrupt and sold the land. Therefore, it is not in vain that other landlords lease their hectares to the Chinese and do not believe the promises of support for farmers that are heard from distant Moscow for a long time.

It is quite possible that now, because of the free hectare program, the federal authorities will monitor what is happening in the Far East more closely. And it will turn out, as the government has been wanting for a long time, to make it a territory of priority development. So that the Chinese are already surprised at the rapid growth of skyscrapers on the other side of the border, and not vice versa.

Unofficially.Features of the national fight against corruption

Head of the Spassky District (which includes the Chkalovsky Settlement) of the Primorsky Territory Alexey Salutenkov refused to communicate. All inquiries and requests for a meeting went unanswered. On the other hand, colleagues from the district administration agreed to speak unofficially about the situation in the region.

Our district is poor and lives on subsidies from the regional budget,” they said. - It used to be better - on our territory there is a large cement plant that belonged to the ex-mayor of Vladivostok Igor Pushkarev. The company was flooded with orders. Then a criminal case was brought against the owner. And the plant was left without orders - now everyone is buying cheap cement from China.

Even the fight against corruption in our country leads to strange results...

Question-edge. Chem we are worse than neighbors?

Two reasons why Chinese businesses always have a head start.

In Primorsky Krai, a lot of fields have been subleased to the Chinese. Farmers from the Middle Kingdom successfully grow rice, soybeans and vegetables in our country. But why do they succeed on the same land, but the Russian peasant does not? It's the same with industry. On the other side of the border there is a string of factories, and on ours there are bare fields and houses without windows and doors.

1. Cheap loans

Everything depends on money, - explains the Far Eastern farmer Vladimir Tychina. - The bank sets such conditions that in case of any difficulties, I will simply lose everything. The farm will go as collateral for the loan.

Why do you think you'll lose?

The loan must be paid every month. And I really get big incomes once a year when I let cattle for meat.

And the Chinese are somehow getting out ...

Of course they get out! Firstly, their loans are many times cheaper than ours. Secondly, they use some kind of strong chemistry. Their piglets grow so fast that in nature this is simply impossible. As a result, Asian farmers have flooded the markets, and I cannot find a market for my products.

Loans in Russia are given at 15 - 20%, in China - at 6 - 7%. It's just that consumer inflation in China is about 3%, - Andrei Ostrovsky, deputy director of the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained to KP. - In addition, the discount rate is lower than in Russia, and this affects the interest. The authorities of the Celestial Empire also support their entrepreneurs - they are given preferential loans in state banks. That is, the country at the expense of the budget provides the population with affordable loans.

2. Cheap electricity

Moreover, if the Chinese come to us to engage in agriculture, then it is more convenient and profitable for them to arrange industrial production in their homeland.

With electricity prices turned out funny story, - continues Ostrovsky. - In the Far East, the cost of a kilowatt ranges from 3.34 to 9.2 rubles. We sell electricity to China for 2.4 rubles per kW. So it turns out that electricity is more expensive for residents of Primorsky Krai than for neighbors.

By the way, the light in the Far East is the most expensive in the country. According to Senator Anatoly Shirokov, this happened due to the fact that people - that is, consumers of energy - are few, there are many capacities, but they are expensive to maintain and service.

Now the federal government has adopted a plan according to which, in 2 years, the cost of electricity in the Far East will drop to the average Russian level.

By the way.Free Hectare Statistics: "Every Second Wants to Build a House or Dacha in the Far East"

The new landowners want to move to the Far East in large companies.

The Far Eastern Hectare Program receives an average of 2,000 applications daily, according to the Ministry for Development of the Far East. Every second potential landowner wants to build a house on the site.

According to the data of the All-Russian population census of 2002, as of October 9, 2002, 6 million 692 thousand 865 people lived in the Far Eastern Federal District, which is 4.61% of the population of Russia. National composition:

Russians in 5 million 470 thousand 759 people. (81.74%)

Yakuts in 435 thousand 610 people. (6.51%)

Ukrainians in 283 thousand people. (4.23%)

Koreans in 61 thousand 946 people. (0.93%)

Tatars in 55 thousand 361 people. (0.83%)

Belarusians in 45 thousand 342 people. (0.68%)

Persons who did not indicate their nationality in 43 thousand 747 people. (0.65%)

Evenks in 24 thousand 761 people. (0.37%)

Evens in 18 thousand 737 people. (0.28%)

Azerbaijanis in 18 thousand 094 people. (0.27%)

Indigenous peoples of the North

At the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries, there was an increase in the ethnic self-consciousness of the small peoples of the North. Community associations emerged training centers, associations and trade unions (reindeer breeders, sea hunters, etc.) of the small peoples of the North, whose activities are supported by the state. In many places of residence of the small peoples of the North, communities have been recreated as traditional forms of organizing joint activities, distributing products and mutual assistance. In a number of places of traditional residence and traditional economic activity“ancestral lands” have been created, territories of traditional nature management of regional and local significance, assigned to representatives of the small peoples of the North and their communities.

Approximately 65 percent of citizens from among the indigenous peoples of the North live in countryside. In many national villages and settlements, the communities of these peoples have become the only economic entities that perform a number of social functions. In accordance with the law Russian Federation communities as non-profit organizations enjoy a number of benefits and use simplified system taxation.

The following indigenous peoples live in the Far East:

Aleuts (Kamchatka region, Koryak Autonomous District),

Alyutortsy (Koryak Autonomous District),

Dolgany (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),

Itelmeny (Koryak Autonomous Okrug, districts of the Kamchatka region, Magadan region),

Kamchadali (Districts of the Kamchatka region, Koryak Autonomous District),

Kereki (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug),

Koryaks (Koryak Autonomous Region, districts of the Kamchatka Region, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Region),

Nanais ( Khabarovsk region, Primorsky Territory, Sakhalin Region),

Negidals (Khabarovsk Territory),

Nivkhi (Khabarovsk Territory, Sakhalin Region),

Oroki (Ultra) (Sakhalin Region),

Orochi (Khabarovsk Territory),

Udygeians (Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk Territory),

Ulchi (Khabarovsk Territory),

Chuvans (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Region),

Chukchi (Chukotka AO, Koryak AO),

Evenki (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Khabarovsk Territory, Amur Region, Sakhalin Region),

Evens (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region, Chukotka Autonomous District, Koryak Autonomous District, districts of Kamchatka Oblast),

Eskimos (Chukotka AO, Koryak AO),

Yukagirs (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Magadan region).

The situation of the small peoples of the North in recent decades has been complicated by the inability of their traditional way of life to modern economic conditions. The low competitiveness of traditional types of economic activity is due to small volumes of production, high transport costs, lack of modern enterprises and technologies for the complex processing of raw materials and biological resources.