Manchuria, 1900–1949

An interactive map of who controlled Manchuria, and who ran its railways, from the Russian concessions to the People’s Republic.

Status: Beta Version: 0.1 Language: English / 日本語 place names Updated: September 2026

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What it does

The map follows Manchuria through nine moments between 1900 and 1949, from the Russian railway concessions to the founding of the People’s Republic. For each year it shows which power controlled the territory and who operated each section of the railway network: the Russian-run Chinese Eastern Railway, the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu), Chinese state lines and, in 1945, lines seized by the Soviet Union.

Place names change with the period, so Changchun becomes Hsinking (新京) under Manchukuo, Dalny becomes Dairen (大連), and Mukden (奉天) becomes Shenyang (瀋陽). Each year also has a short caption, the key figures involved, and a note of context.

Try it here

How to use it

1. Drag the Year slider to move between 1900, 1903, 1905, 1912, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1945 and 1949.
2. Territory shading and railway colours update for that year. The legend above the map explains the colours.
3. Read the caption, key figures and context note above the legend for what changed.

Sources and data

Boundaries are stylised and simplified, and railway colours show which power operated each line, not only that it existed.

How to cite

Perkins, Chris. 2026. Manchuria, 1900–1949, version 0.1. https://whitecresta.github.io/tools/manchuria-1900-1949/