Deren

Deren was a seasonal Qing tribute and trading post on the lower Amur, near Lake Kizi. Its modest palisade stood amid forests and river channels, yet it drew visitors from the mainland and Sakhalin. Ainu, Nivkh, Ulch, Oroch and others came with furs, connecting the post to trade across the sea as well as along the river.

When the Japanese traveller Mamiya Rinzo visited in 1809, Qing officials had come for the summer and many visitors camped outside the wooden enclosure. Tribute bearers presented sable skins and received silk and other gifts in return. Trading stalls surrounded the official proceedings, and goods could travel through many hands from the Amur to Sakhalin and Japan. Deren was deserted in winter, but in the warmer season became a gathering place for peoples from a wide region.