'Beijing-Istan' taking shape

Yabaolu residents expect influx of people from 'New Silk Road' countries

The Soviet Union is reuniting - in a sense - in Beijing. More precisely, the people of the countries of the former Soviet bloc are expanding their presence in what's commonly referred to as "Russiatown" in the Chinese capital.

Few outsiders realize the moniker is something of a misnomer.

There are Russian crowds in the neighborhood, where signs are in Cyrillic and most Chinese speak Russian. But few Russians actually live there.

Most are traders who visit the Yabaolu fur market to buy fur wholesale and resell it back home. Their numbers are declining, though, because of the changing Russian commercial dynamics triggered by sanctions, Customs crackdowns and the global economic slowdown.

That said, many who actually live in the neighborhood hail from other Soviet states. And their numbers are growing, residents say.

So, "Russiatown" is essentially turning into "Beijing-istan".

"I've met fewer Russians than people from the 'stan' countries," says 22-year-old Alyona Kachalova, a Crimean who works as an assistant to the owner of Yabaolu's only two Russian-owned restaurants, Dacha and Chocolate.

Related: Restrictions hurting Yabaolu