Russian-Chinese Trade in First Quater of the 18th Century

During the XVII - XVIII centuries The Qing Empire was one of the richest countries in the world, with numerous products that were in high demand in the international market. Russia achieved serious diplomatic successes and, thanks to the Nerchinsky Treaty of 1689, Russian-Chinese trade became possible. The object of the research is archival and published documents related to the Russian-Chinese trade of the first quarter of the XVIII century. The subject of the study is the Russian-Chinese trade. The purpose of the study is, first of all, the answer to the question: "What was the role of Russian-Chinese trade in the socio-economic development of Russia in the first quarter of the XVIII century?". Published and unpublished archival sources were studied and analyzed. Published materials include “Monuments of Siberian History”, the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, the Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society, “Archival materials in Russian from the former Beijing Imperial Palace”. Archival sources are held in the State Archive of Ancient Acts in five funds: Miller's Portfolios, The Siberian Prikaz, the Senate and its Institutions, The Inland Customs and the lace courtyard and The Camer-Collegium. Diverse sources made it possible to create an extensive overview of the role of Russian-Chinese trade in the first quarter of the 18th century.