The paper deals with the image of Russian emigrants, who settled in China after the October Revolution, as depicted in Shanghai illustrated magazine, Shidai Manhua. The magazine was published in Chinese language throughout 1934-1937, the contents of the issues reflected all the key problems of the Republic of China at the time. Since the magazine was of entertaining and satirical nature, the publications show these problems from the unofficial point of view, with consideration of mass readership. The magazine's colourful, albeit not numerous, references to Russian émigré life in China show which roles were allocated to Russians by Chinese and how successfully Russians coped with these roles in the eyes of Shidai Manhua's authors. Analysing the magazine's reports can help to fill some of the gaps in the history of Russian post-revolution emigration and in the understanding of how foreigners coexisted with Chinese populace in Republican China, as well as to add new facets to the 20th-century image of Russians in China.