Fyodor Baykov

Fyodor Isakovich Baykov (c. 1612–c. 1663) was the first Russian ambassador sent to China. In 1654 Tsar Alexis dispatched him to the Shunzhi Emperor to establish regular trade between Moscow and Beijing. He travelled across Dzungaria and the Gobi, but was stopped at Kalgan, where officials mistook his advance messenger for the ambassador.

He reached the Forbidden City in March 1656. His refusal to kowtow except to the emperor himself and his insistence on presenting his credentials directly left negotiations deadlocked; after months of isolation the court expelled him. He returned to Moscow, leaving a detailed account of his journey.