Statue set up in Paris railway station to honor Chinese workers in WWI

A statue of a Chinese farmer has been installed in front of Gare de Lyon, one of the French capital's largest railway stations, to pay tribute to Chinese workers in World War I.

A memorial ceremony is held to pay tribute to Chinese workers in World War I in Paris, France, September 20, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

With more than 2 meters of height, the bronze statue represents an ordinary farmer of China's Shandong province, from which most of the Chinese workers of the World War I came.

"This statue embodies a Sino-French common memory ... I hope it will establish an even stronger link between the French and the Chinese...," said Zhai Jun, ambassador of China in France.

For her part, Catherine Baratti-Elbaz, mayor of the Paris 12th district told Xinhua "I am convinced that what we are doing today to express memories for the Chinese workers of the World War I, will contribute to peace for today and tomorrow."

Between 1916 and 1918, some 140,000 Chinese workers had arrived in Europe to provide logistical services to the Allied forces. About 20,000 of them had lost their lives during the war.