UK commemorates WWI Chinese laborers for the first time

Ding Xiaoxiao China Plus Published: 2017-11-15 16:15:11
Comment
Share
Share this with Close
Messenger Messenger Pinterest LinkedIn

Chinese laborers in the First World War were memorialized by the mainstream UK society for the first time on November 11, almost one hundred years after the end of the war.

Soldiers pay respect to those who passed away in the First World War in London, the UK, on November 11, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

Soldiers pay respect to those who passed away in the First World War in London, the UK, on November 11, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

On the morning of November 11, 99 years after the First World War, over 30 Chinese in the UK and Britons came to the Peace Arch in London to memorialize Chinese laborers in the First World War in the UK, presenting flowers in front of the Peace Arch.

This is the first time that the lives of Chinese laborers were commemorated by people in the UK in an official memorial service.

On the evening of November 12, Channel 4 in the UK aired a documentary telling the stories of Chinese laborers in the First World War. The documentary tells about 140,000 Chinese laborers, who came to assist the British and French armies during the war. This is the first time that the UK mainstream media has made such a documentary to pay homage to this period of history.

Meanwhile, a monument is to be built in memory of the Chinese laborers in WWI in London. The monument will be 9.6 meters tall and is to be completed in August 2018.

"The purpose of building the monument is to be fair to Chinese laborers during WWI," said Chen Deliang, the first Chinese mayor in the UK. He also said that it will help Britons know better about the contributions Chinese laborers made to the UK during the war.

During the First World War, over 140,000 Chinese laborers were recruited, among which 100,000 worked for the British army while 40,000 for the French army.

The laborers worked between 10 to 18 hours a day and only had three days off per year during the war. They risked their lives building roads, tunnels and railways, and fixing tanks, among other tasks.

There have been over 60,000 monuments built in the UK up till now in memory of the war, but none has been built for Chinese laborers yet.


Related stories

Share this story on

Most Popular