The article tells about the formation of the image of China in Russia in the second half of the XIX century. It was from the 90s of the XIX century that China became a regular “guest” on the pages of popular Russian newspapers and magazines, which was due to the geopolitical interests of the Russian Empire in the Far East, as well as the development of printing and the emergence of telegraph. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 there was a noticeable increase in the attention paid to the eastern neighbor by Russian politicians and public figures. The highest authorities and military circles of the Russian Empire actively discussed which side to support. The Russian press also closely followed the course of hostilities. Various discussions about the fate of China, Korea and Japan have appeared in magazines and newspapers. The authors also tried to understand what role Russia will have to play in the current events and what lessons it should learn. China also has become a popular character in Russian weekly cartoon magazines. Visual images of China, formed at the turn of the 19-20th centuries, rooted in the minds of Russian readers for a long time.