The article describes the study of the perception of the Russian-Chinese borderland by the participants of the Russian expedition of 1874-1875 under the leadership of Y.A. Sosnovsky. The 19th century was a period of active study of Asia and the formation of ideas about these territories at the level of mass consciousness. From the point of view of intercultural communication on the borderland, the linguistic tradition that developed in Kyakhta, which at that time was the centre of the Russian-Chinese tea trade, is of particular interest. In those places, a mixed Russian-Chinese dialect arose, which turned out to be extremely stable thanks to the consistent policy of the Chinese authorities. They required knowledge of the Russian language from their merchants and created a special language school to teach the minimum basics necessary for trading. Y.A. Sosnovsky expedition opened a new shorter trade route and created the prerequisites for the formation of a holistic image of the Russian-Chinese borderland.