Relations between the People's Republic of China and Poland officially began on October 5, 1949.
History Early contact
Contact between the Polish and Chinese people date back several centuries. In the mid-17th century, notable Polish Jesuit missionaries Michał Boym and Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki arrived to China. Michał Boym, a prominent Polish Jesuit, traveler, and one of the pioneers of European Sinology, is known as the "last envoy of the Ming dynasty" because he served as the official ambassador of the Chinese imperial court, sent by the Chinese emperor on a diplomatic mission to Europe to seek support for the declining empire and resist the growing expansion of the Qing dynasty. This remarkable Polish ambassador played a pivotal role in history. He gained immense trust in the Chinese court and was sent on a diplomatic mission to Pope Innocent X and King John II Casimir. Boym significantly expanded the knowledge of China in Europe with his works, among which were the pioneering botany book Flora Sinensis and detailed maps of China. He also introduced Chinese medicine in Europe, including the analysis of the pulse. Smogulecki taught European mathematics and astronomy in China, and introduced logarithms to China. Both Boym and Smogulecki had contacts with the Imperial Court of China.
In the 17th century, there were diplomatic approaches between the courts of John III Sobieski and the Kangxi Emperor. Relations between the Polish King John III Sobieski and the Chinese Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty were the first official diplomatic contacts between Poland and China after the Battle of Vienna (1683). Following the victory over Turkey, John III Sobieski sent his portrait to the Chinese Emperor Kangxi, along with a letter announcing his victory and also commissioned the Polish Jesuits stationed at the Emperor's court to provide the Polish King with all the valuable information about the organization of the Emperor's court and the Chinese Empire. Letters and gifts from the Polish king were sent to the court of the Chinese emperor. This stemmed from the fact that the Polish King was deeply impressed by Chinese power and sought a strong ally. Seeking allies against Turkey, Sobieski sent an embassy to Beijing, to which the Emperor responded by sending gifts, including a valuable porcelain set, elements of which are preserved at the Łańcut Castle Museum. After the victory at Vienna in 1683, John III Sobieski was building an international anti-Turkish coalition. The embassy aimed to establish relations with China, which was engaged in military operations against Russia at the time. The King of Poland was also interested in the prospect of a strategic alliance with the Emperor of China to counteract the Russian expansion. Although the direct correspondence has not survived in its entirety, this gesture is considered the beginning of Polish-Chinese diplomacy. Although the direct correspondence has not survived in its entirety, this gesture is considered the beginning of Polish-Chinese diplomacy.Culture.pl - Piotr Policht - "Osóbki chińskie i smoki. Moda chińska w Rzeczpospolitej"新视角解读波兰国王扬三世·索别斯基写给康熙皇帝的信, 作者：〔波〕约瑟夫·伏沃达尔斯基 崔晓静 The Chinese Emperor Kangxi honored the Polish king by sending him luxurious, high-quality porcelain. Many of these gifts became part of the collection at Łańcut Castle and constitute unique evidence of John III Sobieski's far-reaching diplomacy. Sobieski ran his own collection of Chinese art in his Wilanów palace.Nowiny24 - "Porcelana podarowana królowi Janowi III Sobieskiemu na wystawie w Muzeum - Zamku w Łańcucie" oprac. Beata Terczyńska.
In the 1820s and 1830s, Polish physician Józef Wojciechowski was active in Beijing, and became renown for successfully curing a prince from the imperial court deemed incurably ill by local doctors, for which he was honoured with a memorial in Beijing in 1829.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, when Poland remained partitioned and occupied by neighbouring powers, thousands of Polish emigrants, including engineers, architects, doctors, teachers, many of them political refugees, settled in Manchuria and greatly contributed to the foundation and development of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the city of Harbin. The founder and first mayor of Harbin was Polish engineer Adam Szydłowski. The city's layout was planned by Polish engineer Stanisław Jokisz, and other Polish engineers were also responsible for its construction. Poles established a prosperous and influential community in the city, with Polish press, schools, organizations, churches (including the present-day Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral) and sports teams, and peacefully co-existed with the city's other ethnicities including the Chinese. Many Poles were employed at the Chinese Eastern Railway, which was managed at the time by Polish railway engineer Stanisław Kierbedź. Tadeusz Nowkuński was the head physician of the central hospital of the Chinese Eastern Railway, active in fighting the plague and cholera epidemics in Manchuria.Judycki, p. 81 Poles introduced sugar beet cultivation to China and established the country's first brewery, now known as the Harbin Brewery. Poles also established the first steam mills, metallurgical plants, and furniture and cigarette factories in Manchuria. Several Polish writers, including Teodor Parnicki, Edward Kajdański and Kazimierz Grochowski, were either born or spent part of their childhood or adulthood in Harbin, before eventually moving to Poland, where they popularized knowledge about China and East Asia.
Modern relations
China and Poland share similar historical experiences and a long struggle for independence. Most of the same great powers that recognized China's colonization also recognized Poland's partitions at the same time. Both Józef Piłsudski and Sun Yat-sen held similar roles in the histories of their nations, operating at a similar time (the turn of the 19 and 20th century), though in completely different geographic areas. Both were political leaders who sought independence for their countries using revolutionary methods. In 1913, Józef Piłsudski, the leader of the later reborn Poland, received a response from Shanghai that Sun Yat-sen is readiness for Polish-Chinese cooperation against Tsarist Russia. Józef Piłsudski's brother, Bronisław Piłsudski, wrote in a letter to American journalist George Kenan that he had not only met repeatedly Sun Yat-sen but also maintained friendly relations with him.Tygodnik Powszechny - "Chińska Republika Niedoszła" - autor: Dawid JuraszekChińscy Socjaliści - Muzeum Józefa Piłsudskiego - Bronisław Piłsudski In 1918 Poland regained independence after the partitions period, and diplomatic relations between China and Poland began in 1919. A friendship, trade and navigation treaty between China and Poland was signed in Nanjing in 1929 to strengthen and evolve the relations. Ludwik Rajchman, a Polish physician and bacteriologist, was an advisor to Chiang Kai-shek and T. V. Soong. Rajchman came from Poland to China to assist the Chinese government in preparing for defense against Japan. Among other things, he assisted in the purchase of aircraft for China from the United States. He also served as a medical advisor. From 1931 to 1939, he served as an expert on the National Economic Council for the Reconstruction of China, and from 1940 to 1943, he served as China's special representative to the United States.Judycki, p. 90
The Polish community in Harbin remained strong, until many Poles gradually left for Poland in the 1930s, and the remaining Poles were mostly repatriated by the Polish government in 1949. However, special bonds connected the city's Polish and Chinese residents. Poles were characterized by an open attitude and a willingness to integrate into Chinese society. They often formed friendships with Chinese citizens from an early age, and even Polish-Chinese marriages occurred. This often gave them the opportunity to become intimately familiar with Chinese culture, including the language and traditions, even as young children. These bonds were also strengthened by shared participation in religious ceremonies. The mutual provision of services and the lively trade between members of the Polish community in Harbin and the Chinese were also significant. After the Japanese invasion, the situation of Poles in Manchuria deteriorated rapidly. The authorities of Manchukuo, controlled by the Japanese, did not respect the extraterritorial rights previously granted by the Chinese to the Poles. The Polish consulate was deprived of the right to intervene to protect the lives and property of Poles who were subject to arbitrary decisions by the Japanese."The Spokesman Review” z 1 VII 1936 r Japanese-controlled local authorities confiscated property and concessions belonging to Poles. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was powerless in this matter, and negotiations regarding the return of concessions or compensation were ignored, and Poles' property rights were questioned.“In Mr. Grochowski’s opinion, the real reason for the expropriation of his property by the Japanese authorities is the Japanese claim that Poland fails to appreciate the significance of Manchukuo” – Warsaw, February 19, 1937 – AAN, MSZ, 6238 Łucja Drabczak, author of the book "My China. Childhood Memories", recalls that Poles living in Harbin maintained from the very beginning that Japan was illegally occupying Chinese territory and forbade their family members from forming close relationships with the Japanese.Łucja Drabczak, Moje Chiny Wspomnienia z dzieciństwa, Gdańsk 2005, s. 26–27.
The Poles from Harbin also played a significant role in the creation of the Lytton Report, a document that stated that Manchukuo was not a sovereign state, as Japan claimed. On May 9, 1932, at the "Polish Inn," membersspecial commission of the League of Nations met with representatives of the Polish diaspora. The Poles informed the diplomats that the Japanese actions were inconsistent with international law, and their testimony proved to be crucial in the matter and influenced the decision not to recognize Manchukuo and condemnation of Japanese aggression.E. Kajdański, Wspomnienia z mojej Atlantydy, Warszawa 2013, s. 195 - 196 Meanwhile, three of the four Poles defending Hong Kong were from Harbin. There were never any acts of collaboration by members of the Polish community in Harbin, and the attitude of Poles toward the Japanese occupiers was decidedly unfavorable. Poles living in Harbin openly referred to the situation as an occupation. The activities of the Polish post in Harbin ended tragically, as its members were killed by the Japanese in 1941. Among the Polish diaspora in Harbin there were also Poles who, under the cover of their workshops and ateliers, conducted intelligence activities for the Chinese resistance movement. Journalist Wen Youren and his wife Shan Xi, who have studied this subject, highlight, among others, the heroic conduct of a Pole named Henryk Kaczan and his father. Both men—members of the Polish community in Harbin—organized resistance activities and engaged in intelligence and information-gathering operations.Wspomnienia Polskich Harbińczyków z czasów wojny antyjapońskiej, Chińskie Radio Międzynarodowe, 22.03.2018 Japanese repression and arrests also affected Poles who aided their Chinese neighbors during these difficult times.Joe Monster - Kiedyś mówiono o nim "polskie miasto w Chinach" - historia Harbina i rodaków je zamieszkujących - Artykuł z 16 listopada 2019 In 1945, Poles and Chinese launched a joint local uprising and fighting side by side, drove disorganized Japanese troops out of Harbin, seizing key positions and holding them until the arrival of Allied forces.PCh24.pl - Marcin Więckowski - "Zapomniana wojna Polaków" 07.12.2020