Cover News Reporter Ningning
November 11, 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. On the anniversary, leaders of more than 60 countries gathered in Paris, France to hold commemorative activities. During the international ceremony, French high school students read 6 passages to commemorate the Armistice Day, one of which was written by Chinese workers. This is also the first time that the Chinese workers group has been recognized in a commemorative event at the French national level.
On July 28, 1914, broke out in the battle of , and the war quickly ignited throughout Europe.
In the spring of 1917, notices for recruiting Chinese workers were posted in major city gates and streets in China.
. Gu Xingqing, a young student born in , Zhabei District, Shanghai, was only 23 years old at the time. Because of illness, he dragged his sick body to recuperate in North China. He could neither go to school nor work. He was full of enthusiasm and was worried about his future.
happened to be the case. This recruitment notice gave Gu Xingqing hope, and it also indicated that recruitment translators were recruited. He believed that this was a great opportunity to study abroad.
So, the 23-year-old young translator Gu Xingqing boarded the ship to Europe with more than 3,000 recruited Chinese workers. As one of the more than 400 translators of the Chinese Workers' Army, Gu Xingqing recorded what he saw and heard, leaving behind a "Memoir of the European War Work", which is the only memoir about World War I written by the Chinese so far.
headed westward, and the road was blocked and long
After successfully applying, Gu Xingqing quickly packed his luggage and said goodbye to his relatives and friends, and set off impatiently.
Leaving his motherland made him feel quite moved, "Life is just a common parting, which is enough to make your heart turn. Besides, far away from the motherland and go thousands of miles away?"
On April 6, 1917, Gu Xingqing first went to Jinan, then set off from Qingdao , crossed the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver, Canada, and then arrived in Halifax by car from Vancouver. Then he crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax to Liverpool, England, and then turned to France.
There were about 3,000 Chinese workers who were traveling with him, but there was no cabin on the ship. The Chinese workers were crowded together and were sorted out and packaged like "cargo", just like the way of treating "animals" was transported all the way to the European battlefield.
Gu Xingqing was born in Zhabei District, Shanghai in 1894. He returned to China after the war and then went to Northwestern University in the United States to study. After returning from studying abroad, he served as the accounting director of Kailuan Mining Bureau and other positions. After liberation, he served as a professor of English at the Military Commission Engineering College and Shanghai Foreign Languages College.
All the way from east to west, difficult and dangerous.
Because the German army implemented the "unrestricted submarine policy", enemy submarines appeared impermanently, so when ships sailed at sea, they often faced a situation where they were unable to stop the fire. Although I have always been vigilant, I still have crises and have encountered unexpected problems several times.
One night, Gu Xingqing was suddenly awakened by voices while sleeping. He hurriedly asked what happened. The person living in the same room immediately told him, don’t ask what happened, get up quickly. He then jumped up from the bed and tied the lifebuoy beside the bed tightly to his body.
Although it is early summer, the sea at night is very cold and nothing can be seen in the darkness, and he feels very scared. When I ran to the next door, I found that they were sitting silently. I heard someone say that the boat broke down and three gunshots were heard. Later, I found out that it was the enemy's submarine that appeared and was discovered by British officers and fired at him. As a result, the submarine fled.
There are also very timid people among Chinese workers, who are often panicked and worried in this situation. So, Gu Xingqing would walk to the cabin where Chinese workers gathered to tell stories and entertain them. One is to relieve their boredom by themselves, and the other is to relieve their nervousness and fear.
With two days left to arrive at the destination, the voyage entered its most dangerous period.
British officer asked Gu Xingqing to tell Chinese workers that from now until they landed on the shore, they must sleep in their clothes every night, practice the driving skills of small sampans and how to use lifebuoys. In addition, there is another message, "Once the ship is on the verge of danger, be careful to act calmly. If you are confused, you will not be able to use first aid methods."
Although he conveyed it to the Chinese workers calmly, Gu Xingqing could not feel at ease in his heart. He thought the worst result was that the ship sank. He was buried in the sea and was swallowed by fish, but his family still thought that he rode the wind and waves and moved forward all the way.
not only felt uneasy. But the captain of the ship was not asleep day and night for three consecutive days, and acted bravely and calmly. He couldn't help but sigh, "Western people are brave and hardworking. "
Life is hard, discipline is strict
Behind the battlefield, Chinese workers have to carry materials, dig trenches, pave roads, repair various destroyed infrastructures, and load thousands of sandbags in the rain of guns and bullets.
Chinese workers have been in trenches for a long time, and their lives are hard and difficult to bear. This is all true. Their bodies are dirty and cannot be cleaned, they are tired and difficult to fall asleep at night, they work in the dust during the day, and the dirty food around them cannot be cleaned. If it rains heavily, it will be even more painful.
However, Chinese workers are not depressed, but often joke with each other. The mental crisis is resolved while chatting and laughing, so the enemy's guns and cannons are often ignored in the trenches and are calm.
Because the largest shell cannot penetrate the land as deep as digitally, a fortress is built with wood and three-compound soil in the soil below 30 to 40 feet, and the power of the cannon cannot reach. Therefore, when the enemy launched artillery fire, the Chinese workers could actually live in it, such as sleeping and resting. Sometimes the sound of the artillery fire is too loud, and the Chinese workers also used it as entertainment.
Chinese workers demolished and moved the shells
Coolie in labor
In terms of living treatment, Gu Xingqing wrote, "The workers eat three times a day, eat lunch in the wild and eat wide areas, and the rest of the morning and evening meals are in the camp. Because of the inconvenience to cook, they only eat bread and serve with butter to satisfy their hunger. "
In terms of food matching for each meal, bread, beef and mutton, vegetables, sugar, ham, cheese and tea are provided. In addition to the officers, each Chinese worker can also receive cigarettes and paper cigarettes for entertainment every week. In addition, sugar and wine are also used as prizes to reward those who fight bravely and strive for upward efforts.
In Gu Xingqing's view, he felt "full and full of food" because he lived such a life.
This is the situation of Chinese workers in the British army where Gu Xingqing is located, and most Chinese workers in the French army have also obtained the previous export labor stations of China. No good treatment ever received. When Chinese workers set off, they can receive 2 blue cloth shirts, 1 cotton coat, 2 trousers, 1 cotton pants, 1 wool underwear, 1 pair of cloth shoes, 1 hat, 2 pairs of socks, 1 mat, 1 travel quilt and utensils, etc. After arriving in France, they can get 1 pair of leather shoes and 1 collar hat. When they go to France and return to China, they are free of charges and meal fees. They are not paid. When they go to France, they will be given 1 francs every day. After arriving in France, they will be deducted for meal fees for the future meal fees. After arriving in France, 2 blue cloth shirts, 2 trousers, 1 pair of shoes, 1 hat, and 2 pairs of socks will be distributed. , one set of cotton clothes and pants a year. After the Chinese workers board the ship, their families can receive a settlement fee of 50 francs from the bank.
During their stay in France, Chinese workers can not only enjoy the same holidays as French workers, but also have a day off on the National Day of the Republic of China. French parties provide public residence and provide free lighting and heating. Chinese workers enjoy free medical treatment if they suffer from diseases that should be treated; if they are sick for more than 6 weeks, they will be jointly identified by French doctors and designated doctors of the Chinese Consulate to decide whether they should terminate the labor contract and return to China. They will not make additional compensation. If the designated doctors of China and France are inconsistent, the judge will be judged. But if If the Chinese workers did not die due to injury or illness within half a year (meaning death from war), the French side will compensate 135 francs; if they die for more than half a year, they will compensate 270 francs. If they die due to work injuries, they will also be compensated according to this standard.
However, the work during the war was very tight, and it is particularly important to carry bullets. If negligence occurs, the soldiers on the front line will be exhausted. Therefore, the Chinese workers in the rear work at least 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. The discipline in the rear is very strict. The Chinese workers are under the jurisdiction of British officers and have long laws (expeditionary forces discipline). If there are people who escape at the last minute, they must be punished by military law, and those who are severe will be sentenced to death.
Gu Xingqing once heard that a warring soldier escaped because of the violent attacks of artillery fire and was punished and shot; another worker in his team was sentenced to death for beating the chief.
Strictly abide by military discipline is the first priority of Chinese workers on the battlefield.
No stamp is required to send letters to the Chinese team. Chinese letters must be inspected before being sent to China. English letters must be inspected by the base officials before being sent to the post office. No letters about the military camp station and the content of the war are allowed to be sent. Therefore, the letter from home can only exchange greetings and say something irrelevant.
In Gu Xingqing's view, doing so will allow Chinese workers who have participated in the war to train and continue to serve in the military camps to increase their ability to fight against foreign countries.
protects Chinese workers, and the communication bridge
is not easy to serve as an interpreter in the Chinese workers' troupe, because Chinese workers come from all over the country and have different languages. For example, there are accents from Fengtian, Hebei , Henan, Anhui and other places. Shandong dialects are mostly Tai'an , Qingzhou , and Jinan; and the source of personnel on the British army is also very diverse, including English with accents such as Ireland, Scottish and Welsh , and some people speak vague accents. All this caused great trouble to translators, including Gu Xingqing.
Since there are no Chinese officials in each army, the status of the translator is equivalent to that of Chinese officials, who holds guidance and protection positions, and often defends Chinese workers. Because Chinese workers often hold sufficient reasons when being tried but are unable to appeal, so there is a translator on the side to defend and explain, so that a fair judgment is made to avoid injustice.
"Overseas workers are protected by translators, which is really not a simple matter," Gu Xingqing wrote.
In addition to playing a protective role, the main job of translators is to play the role of a bridge of communication between Chinese workers and military officers.
Gu Xingqing found that the translation in the Chinese workers' team was always insufficient. Because he often had contact with different officers and soldiers, he began to try to chat with them, talk to them about Chinese culture and the lifestyle of Chinese people, and at the same time he also understood their views on Chinese workers. In his opinion, different cultures should slowly blend under this running-in.
According to Gu Xingqing, the officials in the Chinese team mainly come from the following aspects: pastors who taught in our country, businessmen who do business in our country or officers who are ordered to be transferred. The quality of these officials is different, and their attitude towards Chinese workers is also different.
As for the team they are in, Gu Xingqing has experienced more than 10 officials, one of which was a British officer named Matthews was injured in many battles. The British government appointed him to serve the Chinese team to prevent him from going to the front line to show his reward.
This Matthews officer treats Chinese workers approachable and kind-heartedly, and often encourages them with whispers. When Chinese workers say they are unable to work, they will allow them to take a break to restore their energy, and Chinese workers respectfully call him "Master Ma".
However, another military officer born and raised in China can speak fluent Chinese, but he is very irritable and often beat and scolds Chinese workers. When the Chinese worker was exhausted, he had no mercy and reported it to the captain for the Chinese worker to accept the punishment.
What's ridiculous is that when the enemy plane flew over, the officer was so scared that he urinated in the trench and begged for God's blessing. Once the crisis has passed, Chinese workers have been cursed over and over again. In Gu Xingqing's opinion, he had no cultivation, which was caused by his failure to receive higher education.
In Gu Xingqing's view, the attitude of military officials towards Chinese workers has a great relationship with the work performance of Chinese workers: there are no officials who have good attitudes but poor performances in Chinese workers; there are no bad attitudes but good performances in work.
The team also posted a Chinese-printed announcement, "Whoever workers or foremans who are unfairly treated and must accuse British officials of the United Kingdom must report to the supervisor directly for disposal."
In addition, British supervisors will often send officials fluent Chinese to secretly visit Chinese workers to investigate whether any officers abuse workers. If any incident occurs and the situation is true, the officer will be investigated or transferred to the front line for combat. Therefore, in this way, the life of Chinese workers in the army is guaranteed by military law.
"Memoirs of European War Work"
After the war ended, Gu Xingqing arrived in Shanghai and returned to her hometown in Jiangsu.In his memoir, he ended his experience with a family reunion that reunites with a family to share the "happiness of family".
1937, Commercial Press published "Memoirs of the European War Work" written by Gu Xingqing. In 1938, the book was printed twice again, and it is the only Chinese memoir about World War I so far.
The material in "Memoirs of European War Work" comes from the notes recorded by Gu Xingqing when he was a Chinese translator in Europe.
After the book was published, Gu Xingqing hoped that the book would inspire and exhort the Chinese people, believing that labor in war can also contribute to the final victory, just like actual combat.
"Memoirs of European War Work"
"Memoirs of European War Work" was later translated into Dutch and was exhibited in Belgium Flanders Battlefield Museum in 2010.
"Without Chinese labor, the war would not have been won. These laborers are crucial and are essential in this war. If there is no participation of Chinese laborers in the European war, it is hard to say whether it is to win or lose," Gu Xingqing wrote at the end of "Memoirs of the European War Work".
The information in this article is from "Memoirs of the European War Work", "Fabie Participation Records", "Trades and Remuneration of Chinese Workers in World War I" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu_Xingqing)
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