One hundred years ago, on the Western Front battlefield in Europe during World War I, 140,000 Chinese laborers fought side by side with the British and French troops, 80,000 of whom were from Shandong, of which 25,000 were from Weifang.

A hundred years ago, on the Western Front battlefield in World War I Europe, 140,000 Chinese workers fought side by side with the British and French troops, 80,000 of whom were from Shandong, of which 25,000 were from Weifang. In the British and French armies, Chinese workers were engaged in logistical support work such as carrying weapons, building fortifications, clearing roads, and rescuing the wounded. Some even directly participated in battles.

History is a textbook for the future and a long-ringing bell for understanding the present. As the main source of Chinese workers, we have the obligation to dig out their stories. This group of ordinary Chinese workers worked hard to restore world peace and wrote the prelude to the integration of Eastern and Western civilizations; their arduous exploration for China's internationalization has, over the years, The accumulation of hundreds of years has become increasingly clear. This is a shared history and eternal memory, and the contribution and role of Chinese workers should be respected.

What can comfort our ancestors is that today, a hundred years later, China has bid farewell to the history of poverty, weakness, backwardness and beatings. The country is becoming increasingly prosperous and powerful, and the people's lives are prosperous and healthy. We remember the Chinese workers in order to cherish this hard-won peace. , learn from history, create the future, and work hard to realize the "Chinese Dream" of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the people's yearning for a better life.

The Weihai Chinese Labor Concentration Camp established by the British can accommodate 1,000 people.

In July 1914, the First World War broke out, and more than 1 billion people around the world were involved in the war. As the intensity of the war intensified and time passed, the number of soldiers on both sides of the war decreased sharply, and there was an extreme shortage of labor. For this reason, the Allied Powers side set their sights on China, trying to restore the decline by recruiting Chinese workers. After some operations, France and Britain started recruiting workers in China in May and October 1916. By the end of 1918, the process lasted for nearly two years, recruiting 140,000 people. Shandong Province has become the main recruitment and source of Chinese workers. There are approximately 80,000 Chinese workers in Shandong Province.

The first choice for the British to recruit Chinese workers was Hong Kong. However, given that southerners had difficulty adapting to the cold climate of northern Europe in winter, the British military decided to recruit stronger northerners in Weihai, Shandong and other places it leased. Since there is no railway in Weihaiwei, it is difficult to transport Chinese workers from the inland, so the British chose to set up a second recruitment base at Qingdao Station.

In 1916, the British set up a recruitment bureau in Weihai, and batches of Chinese workers recruited from Shandong and other provinces were concentrated on Heqingnan Mountain on the other side of Liugong Island in Weihai for screening and training.

The Chinese trade unions who undergo the physical examination will receive a bracelet, which is their "passport" to go abroad.

Britain and France have very high physical fitness requirements for the Chinese workers they recruit. They are as strict as the inspection for new recruits. Most of the Chinese workers recruited came from rural areas. Because the sanitary conditions in rural areas were poor at that time, there were many people suffering from trachoma, and the elimination rate could sometimes reach 60%. . Chinese unions who pass the physical examination will receive a bracelet, which serves as their "passport" to go abroad. Those who enter the Chinese labor camp must also undergo physical and military skills training.

While recruiting Chinese workers, the UK also recruited a group of translators, most of whom were students from Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. Recruited Chinese workers must press their fingerprints on the registration form. Each finger must be pressed once, and then five fingers must be pressed simultaneously. Each fingerprint is in duplicate, which means that each Chinese worker must press 24 times. , fingerprint verification is used for various purposes such as salary payments or identification after a disaster.

After the recruitment of Chinese workers was completed, they set off for Europe. Most of the Chinese workers recruited came from the countryside and took ships to war-torn Europe. Once they set off, all kinds of unexpected hardships and dangers followed one after another.

The journey for Chinese workers to Europe lasted for one or two months. The suffering of seasickness, poor living conditions, and constant dangers caused many Chinese workers to contract serious illnesses and die at sea. These dead people were thrown into the sea without dignity, causing great uneasiness and deep fear to the living. At this time, everyone is praying for a safe landing.On February 17, 1917, the cruise ship Atos carrying Chinese workers was sunk by a German submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 543 Chinese workers.

The recruitment contract states that Chinese workers will not participate in the war, but most of the jobs assigned to Chinese workers are directly or indirectly related to the war, and most of the places they are sent to are dangerous areas near the front line, such as anti-bullet belts...

The work of Chinese workers The environment is often extremely harsh. Like soldiers, Chinese workers serving on the battlefield must constantly move as the battlefield situation changes. They can only live in temporary tents, and they will be huddled together in the cold wind, rain and snow. Sometimes heavy rain soaked the tents, keeping them awake at night, and they had to continue working during the day. When the war broke out, the Chinese workers struggled to maintain their food and wages and relied on eating wild vegetables to survive. After three years of hard work and harsh environment, the Chinese workers experienced "several hardships and hardships."

Faced with harsh working and living conditions, Chinese workers are still able to endure hardships and stand hard work. They performed well in military production, material transportation, emergency road repair, and field labor, providing a strong guarantee for the Allied Powers' final victory. French Commander-in-Chief Foch praised Chinese workers as "first-class workers and the makings of outstanding soldiers."

Huagong can maintain an optimistic attitude most of the time. Chinese workers enjoy using their spare time to carry out some recreational activities to enjoy life and relax their body and mind, and the management authorities are also optimistic about the success. Especially every Chinese New Year, Chinese workers will celebrate in the traditional way of their hometown. For example, they put up Spring Festival couplets and flowers in front of the barracks, formed a celebration team in the camp, built a simple temple by themselves to pray to the gods, and also performed Chinese Peking Opera, coconut drama, juggling, lion dance, dragon dance, etc. The program expresses my longing for my hometown. The YMCA and the Work-Study Society will also cleverly arrange their spare time life for the Chinese workers, including learning cultural courses, organizing physical exercises, holding lectures, showing movies, etc.

Britain repatriated the first batch of 365 sick Chinese workers to China on November 1, 1918. 1 The repatriation of the remaining Chinese workers began on February 14, 1919. The last batch of Chinese workers arrived in Qingdao on September 13, 1920. Qingdao .

After returning to China, many people put their experience in Europe into practice, opened factories and hospitals, were keen on researching inventions, or devoted themselves to social reform movements, becoming effective forces that changed China's destiny.

At the Paris Peace Conference, China wanted to take back Germany's rights and interests in Shandong as a victorious country, but the Allies transferred them to Japan. At this historical crossroads, the May 4th Movement broke out, and the Chinese people suddenly awakened and actively explored a new path to enrich the country and strengthen the people. A new era began.

On the afternoon of May 4, 1919, the Peking University parade marched towards Tiananmen, and the May Fourth Movement broke out. From here on, the Chinese no longer believe in any savior. “To create human happiness, we must rely entirely on ourselves.”

The wheels keep turning, and the story of Chinese workers will be passed down forever. The heroic deeds of the 140,000 Chinese workers in the First World War will never be forgotten. Their marks have long been engraved on the land they once set foot on, and they have become the seeds of friendship and peace, taking root, sprouting, and growing stronger day by day.

The French government erected a monument to Chinese workers in Chinatown in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in 1998, with the inscription "in memory of the Chinese workers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for France in World War I."

On the Qingming Festival in 2002, during the public memorial ceremony held at the Nolet Chinese Workers Cemetery, the local band played "March of the Volunteers" and "Marseillaise".

On November 4, 2008, the Association for the Promotion of the Integration of French Veterans and Chinese Americans held a grand ceremony in Paris to commemorate the nearly 20,000 Chinese workers who died for France during the First World War.

A hundred years ago, Chinese workers in World War I worked hard to support Europe under fire with their own flesh and blood, winning China the status of a victorious country, promoting China's internationalization process, and creating a monument in the history of Sino-foreign relations. The restoration of peace in the world has written a magnificent poem.

Today, although the smoke of World War I has long since dissipated, the world is still facing actual and potential threats of war. This period of history will always be remembered by the world and reminds us that we should cherish peace, face the future, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. !