Aigun

Aigun is a historic town on the Amur River, located on the Chinese bank opposite the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. It is best known for hosting the Convention of Aigun in 1858, a treaty between the Russian Empire and the Qing Dynasty that established the Amur River as the boundary between the two powers and granted Russia sovereignty over large areas east of the river.

The agreement marked a turning point in Sino-Russian relations and laid the groundwork for later border settlements. In 1860, the subsequent Treaty of Beijing (Beijing Convention) confirmed and expanded Russia's territorial gains in the region, including parts of Outer Manchuria and the Amur and Ussuri basins. These negotiations helped reshape the map of Northeast Asia and influenced the balance of power in the region during that era.

The historic talks and documents associated with Aigun have made the site an object of study for historians and a reference point in discussions of 19th-century imperial diplomacy. Today, Aigun is primarily recognized for its historical significance rather than as a major contemporary urban center. It remains relevant in studies of border dynamics in Northeast Asia and is associated with cross-border exchange and memorials connected to the era of the treaties.