РУССКИЙ ХАРБИН (Harbin Russians...To remember)

Ситников Виктор Трофимович

is my Great Grandfather Ситников Трофим Андрианович in this photo please? if so, where

annushkasempire

Thanks
very interesting pictures




annushkasempire написал:

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is my Great Grandfather Ситников Трофим Андрианович in this photo please? if so, where

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I don't know whether it's Harbin...
I don't know this building

Сould you briefly tell us about your family in China?

yes this is cousin Sofia

Great Grandfather Trofim Andrianovich born 1887and his wife Sofia Lukinishna (Potekhina) born 1886, lived in Harbin from 1923 as far as I know, originally from Achinsk. Trofim was a teacher, although my Father says Trofim had been an Imperial Army Artillery captain, his wife a seamstress. They had 4 children all born in Achinsk area and lived in China : Viktor Trofimovich was a Harbin Railway Guard and died in China possibly drowned according to my Father's recollection, Klaudia Trofimovna was an opera singer, Alexandra Trofimovna was married to Savrasova then Pokrovsky, she was also an opera singer, Konstantin ( my Grandfather) was a dancer in films in China, possibly a policeman for a time and worked in Japanese department store as his Japanese language was very good. Dad says Kon may have been an interpreter at the Japanese War Crimes Tribunals His wife Anna ( my Grandmother) was an orphan raised by Catholic Nuns then apparently taken in by Nakamura, rescued from him by Trofim Adrianovich and then Anna married my Grandfather. They had my Father in 1938. Trofim died in Harbin of causes unknown to me. I wish I knew where he was buried. Klaudia and her daughter cousin Sofia lived in Shanghai for a while where Klaudia sang Opera at the Shanghai Lyceum and her daughter was a ballerina and Gosha played piano at Shanghai Lyceum. Sofia Leonidovna married Anatoliy Taranovsky and had a male child perhaps named Sergei. They returned to Russia in 1940's with Gosha Rott. 1949 my Grandfather Kon and my Fahter Adrian left Shanghai for Phillipines U.N. Camp then to Australia. Later my Great Aunt Alexandra Trofimovna and Great Grandmother Sofia Lukinishna came to Australia in 1951. Dad says they had a property and house in Hangchow, then lived in Shanghai for a while. Dad went to serveral schools, was kicked out of Russian Communist school for drawing a Church He remembers collecting shells in the streets during WWII and Chinese servants and learning to cook Chinese food from them He says he grew up in the orchestra pit of the opera house where his Aunt Klaudia sang and Gosha played and Sofia danced. He lived with Klaudia for a while and says she was a fur and champagne diva of great beauty. Dad said Trofim ran or produced a Russian radio program in Harbin, which is what the photo is from with his daughter near the piano. My father was only about 11 years old when they left China but he had so many colourful memories of a turbulent time.
Oh I forgot: My Father said my Grandfather Konstantin married several times after his wife Anna left them. There may well have been another male child born in Shanghai to Konstantin, probably 1940's, no idea of the name of the male child. So I may have an Uncle in China or maybe America! Grandfather brought one wife to Australia with him by the name of Alexandra and her son Sergei