Chinese Labour Corps
Encyclopedia
The Chinese Labour Corps was a force of workers recruited by the British government in World War I
to support the troops by performing support work and manual labor.
Sir Douglas Haig
requested that 21,000 labourers be recruited to fill the manpower shortage caused by casualties during World War I
. As China
was initially not a belligerent nation, her nationals were not allowed by their government to participate in the fighting - although the Chinese later declared war against Germany
and Austria–Hungary, on 14 August 1917.
The scheme to recruit Chinese to serve as non-military personnel was pioneered by the French government. A contract to supply 50,000 labourers was agreed upon on 14 May 1916 and their first shipment left Tianjin
for Dagu
and Marseille
in July 1916. The British government also signed an agreement with the Chinese authorities to supply labourers. The recruiting was launched by the War Committee in London in 1916 to form a Labour Corps
of labourers from China to serve in France
and to be known as the Chinese Labour Corps.
The Chinese Labour Corps comprised Chinese men who mostly came from Shandong
Province, and to a lesser extent from Liaoning
, Jilin
, Jiangsu
, Hubei
, Hunan
, Anhui
and Gansu
Provinces. The first transport ship carrying 1,088 labourers sailed from the main depot at Weihaiwei on 18 January 1917. The journey to France took 3 months.
By the end of 1917 there were 54,000 Chinese labourers with the Commonwealth forces in France and Belgium
. In March the Admiralty declared itself no longer able to supply the ships for transport and the British government were obliged to bring recruitment to an end. The men already serving in France completed their contracts. By the time of the Armistice
, the Chinese Labour Corps numbered
nearly 96,000, while 30,000 were working for the French. In May 1919, 80,000 Chinese Labour Corps were still at work.
The workers were tasked with carrying out essential work to support the frontline troops, such as building dugouts, repairing roads and railways, digging trenches and filling sandbags. Throughout the war, trade union pressure prevented the introduction of Chinese labourers to the British Isles. Sidney and Beatrice Webb
suggested that the Chinese Labour Corps were restricted to carrying out menial unskilled labour due to pressure from British trade unions.
, Fiji
, India
, Malta
, Mauritius
, Seychelles
, the British West Indies
as well as a Native Labour Corps from South Africa
. It was estimated that at the end of the war over 300,000 workers from the Colonies had aided in labour. There were 100,000 Egyptians, 21,000 Indians and 20,000 South Africans working throughout France and the Middle East
by the end of the war in 1918.
The Corps did not take part in combat. According to the records kept by the British and French recruiters, around 2,000 Chinese Labour Corps died during World War I, most from the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu, some as a direct result of enemy action or of wounds received in the course of their duties. This figure is contested by some Chinese scholars who say the number was as high as 20,000.
They were classified as war casualties and were buried in 17 cemeteries in the North of France with a total of about 2000 tombs (also a few tombs in one cemetery in Belgium). One of the four following proverbs were inscribed on the standard Commonwealth War Grave
Portland stone
gravestones: "Faithful unto death", "A good reputation endures forever", "A noble duty bravely done" and "Though dead he still liveth". Cemeteries include:
looked on the CLC as a point of pride - Chen Duxiu
, for instance, bragged that "while the sun does not set on the British Empire, neither does it set on Chinese workers abroad." But the ill treatment of these workers was added to the list of grievances against Britain. A more positive impact was on the educated youth who came to France to work with them, such as James Yen, whose literacy programs under the auspices of the YMCA
showed him the worth and dignity of the Chinese common man. He worked out a 1,000 Character Primer which introduced basic literacy and became the basis of his work in China.
Chinese intellectuals who worked with the CLC included Jiang Tingfu, Lin Yutang
, and several others.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to support the troops by performing support work and manual labor.
History
In 1916, Field MarshalField Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
requested that 21,000 labourers be recruited to fill the manpower shortage caused by casualties during World War I
World War I casualties
The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I were over 35 million. There were over 15 million deaths and 20 million wounded ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history....
. As China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was initially not a belligerent nation, her nationals were not allowed by their government to participate in the fighting - although the Chinese later declared war against Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria–Hungary, on 14 August 1917.
The scheme to recruit Chinese to serve as non-military personnel was pioneered by the French government. A contract to supply 50,000 labourers was agreed upon on 14 May 1916 and their first shipment left Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
for Dagu
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
in July 1916. The British government also signed an agreement with the Chinese authorities to supply labourers. The recruiting was launched by the War Committee in London in 1916 to form a Labour Corps
Labour corps
Labour Corps may be:*A forerunner of the British Royal Pioneer Corps*Solomon Islands Labour Corps, a Second World War organisation in the British Solomon Islands*Chinese Labour Corps, a British corps in the First World War...
of labourers from China to serve in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and to be known as the Chinese Labour Corps.
The Chinese Labour Corps comprised Chinese men who mostly came from Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
Province, and to a lesser extent from Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Provinces. The first transport ship carrying 1,088 labourers sailed from the main depot at Weihaiwei on 18 January 1917. The journey to France took 3 months.
Strength
A total of about 140,000 Chinese workers served on the Western Front during and after the War. Among them, 100,000 served in the British Chinese Labour Corps. About 40,000 served with the French forces, and hundreds of Chinese students served as translators.By the end of 1917 there were 54,000 Chinese labourers with the Commonwealth forces in France and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In March the Admiralty declared itself no longer able to supply the ships for transport and the British government were obliged to bring recruitment to an end. The men already serving in France completed their contracts. By the time of the Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
, the Chinese Labour Corps numbered
nearly 96,000, while 30,000 were working for the French. In May 1919, 80,000 Chinese Labour Corps were still at work.
The workers were tasked with carrying out essential work to support the frontline troops, such as building dugouts, repairing roads and railways, digging trenches and filling sandbags. Throughout the war, trade union pressure prevented the introduction of Chinese labourers to the British Isles. Sidney and Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
suggested that the Chinese Labour Corps were restricted to carrying out menial unskilled labour due to pressure from British trade unions.
Other workers
Not only Chinese workers were supplied. There were Labour Corps serving in France from EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
as well as a Native Labour Corps from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was estimated that at the end of the war over 300,000 workers from the Colonies had aided in labour. There were 100,000 Egyptians, 21,000 Indians and 20,000 South Africans working throughout France and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
by the end of the war in 1918.
Aftermath
After the end of the war the surviving Chinese labourers were given transport back to China between December 1918 and September 1920.Casualties
They were classified as war casualties and were buried in 17 cemeteries in the North of France with a total of about 2000 tombs (also a few tombs in one cemetery in Belgium). One of the four following proverbs were inscribed on the standard Commonwealth War Grave
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
gravestones: "Faithful unto death", "A good reputation endures forever", "A noble duty bravely done" and "Though dead he still liveth". Cemeteries include:
France
- AbbevilleAbbevilleAbbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
Communal Cemetery Extension. - AlbertAlbert, SommeAlbert is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is located about halfway between Amiens and Bapaume.-History:Albert was founded as a Roman outpost called Encre, in about 54 BC...
French National Cemetery. - Arques-la-BatailleArques-la-BatailleArques-la-Bataille is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Arques is situated near the confluence of the rivers Eaulne, Varenne and Béthune, with the forest of Arques to the north-east...
British Cemetery has more than 70 Chinese graves. - AscqAscqAscq is a former village in the Nord department in northern France on the Marque river. Today, it is part of the city of Villeneuve-d'Ascq. Ascq is unfortunately known for the Ascq massacre of 1 April 1944, where the Nazis massacred 86 men.-Heraldry:...
Communal Cemetery . - AyetteAyetteAyette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:A farming village located 9 miles south of Arras at the junction of the D7 and D919 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
British Cemetery. - BeaulencourtBeaulencourtBeaulencourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A small farming village located 20 miles south of Arras on the N17 road, at the junction with the D11...
British Cemetery, Ligny-Thilloy. - BlargiesBlargiesBlargies is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
Communal Cemetery Extension. - CaudryCaudryCaudry is a commune of the Nord department in northern France.-History:In the Middle Ages, as tradition will have it, Maxellende, a daughter of the lord of Caudry, was stabbed to death by one Harduin d'Amerval on 13 November 670 after turning him down. Following this Harduin became blind...
British Cemetery. - CharmesCharmesCharmes may refer to the following places in France:* Charmes, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne* Charmes, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier* Charmes, Côte-d'Or, a commune in the department of Côte-d'Or...
Military Cemetery, Essegney. - ChocquesChocquesChocques is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village by the banks of the Clarence River, some west of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D70 and the N43 roads...
Military Cemetery. - EbblinghemEbblinghem-References:*...
Military Cemetery. The grave is numbered "106247" and bears the inscription "A good reputation endures forever." It is listed simply as a "Non-Commonwealth" grave in the register. - FoncquevillersFoncquevillersFoncquevillers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D3, D6 and the D28 roads.-Population:-World War I:...
Military Cemetery has 2 graves. - GezaincourtGézaincourtGézaincourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D128 road, some east-northeast of Abbeville, near the banks of the river Authie.-Population:-External links:* * *...
Bagneux British Cemetery . - Haute-AvesnesHaute-AvesnesHaute-Avesnes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Haute-Avesnes is situated west of Arras, at the junction of the N39 and the D62 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
British Cemetery. - LaventieLaventieLaventie is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A small farming and light industrial town, situated some northeast of Béthune and west of Lille, at the junction of the D166, D173 and D174 roads. Famous for its...
Military Cemetery. - Le PortelLe PortelLe Portel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Le Portel is a tourist, fishing and light industrial town situated about southwest of Boulogne town centre, at the junction of the D236 and D119 roads...
Communal Cemetery has 1 grave. - Les Rues-des-VignesLes Rues-des-VignesLes Rues-des-Vignes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.Vinchy was the site of a famous battle of the then-rising Charles Martel in spring 717.-References:*...
Communal Cemetery has 1 grave. - LonguenesseLonguenesseLonguenesse is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Longuenesse is a large suburb of Saint-Omer, one mile southwest of the centre, on the D208 road.-Population:-Places of interest:...
(near Saint-OmerSaint-OmerSaint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
) Souvenir Cemetery has special memorials commemorating 23 men of the Chinese Labour Corps whose graves could not be exactly located. - Mazargues War Cemetery, in the southern suburb of MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. - Noyelles-sur-MerNoyelles-sur-MerNoyelles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Noyelles-sur-Mer is situated on the coast, facing the English Channel, on the D11 and D40 junction, some northwest of Abbeville.-Railways:...
Chinese Cemetery and Memorial, in the village of Nolette, is the largest one. It contains 838 Chinese workers' graves, while the memorial commemorates 40 more who died on land and sea and whose graves are unknown. - RuminghemRuminghemRuminghem is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Ruminghem is located about 10 miles north of Saint-Omer on the D217 road.-Population:-References:* *-External links:* *...
Chinese Cemetery, contains 75 Chinese graves, half of them transferred from a Chinese cemetery at Saint-Pol-sur-MerSaint-Pol-sur-MerSaint-Pol-sur-Mer is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Dunkerque, and is almost encircled by it.-Heraldry:-References:* -External links:*...
after the war. - Sains-en-GohelleSains-en-GohelleSains-en-Gohelle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Sains-en-Gohelle is an ex-coalmining town, nowadays a farming and light industrial commune, northwest of Lens, at the junction of the D937 and the D166 roads...
Fosse No.10 Communal Cemetery Extension. - Saint-Étienne-au-MontSaint-Étienne-au-MontSaint-Étienne-au-Mont is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France...
Communal Cemetery. Most of the cemetery's 170 burials are Chinese. - Saint-SeverSaint-SeverSaint-Sever is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-History and geography:Saint-Sever stands on an eminence...
Cemetery Extension is located within a large communal cemetery situated on the eastern edge of the southern RouenRouenRouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
suburbs of Le Grand Quevilly and Le Petit Quevilly. Contains 44 graves. - Les Baraques Military Cemetery in SangatteSangatteSangatte is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department on the northern coast of France on the English Channel.Like many place names in French Flanders, the name is of Flemish origin and means "gap in the sand".-Engineering:...
has more than 200 Chinese graves. - Tincourt-BouclyTincourt-BouclyTincourt-Boucly is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated east of Amiens, on the D88 and D199 roads.-Population:-External links:*...
New British Cemetery. - Villers-CarbonnelVillers-CarbonnelVillers-Carbonnel is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated 25 miles east of Amiens, at the N17 and N29 crossroads.-Population:-External links:*...
Communal Cemetery.
United Kingdom
- In Britain, there are 8 CLC graves in Efford Cemetery, PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, 6 graves in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, near FolkestoneFolkestoneFolkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, and 3 in Anfield cemetery, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Impact
The workers saw firsthand that life in Europe was far from ideal, and reported this on their return to China after the war. Chinese intellectuals of the New Culture MovementNew Culture Movement
The New Culture Movement of the mid 1910s and 1920s sprang from the disillusionment with traditional Chinese culture following the failure of the Chinese Republic, founded in 1912 to address China’s problems. Scholars like Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, and Hu Shi, had...
looked on the CLC as a point of pride - Chen Duxiu
Chen Duxiu
Chen Duxiu played many different roles in Chinese history. He was a leading figure in the anti-imperial Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement for Science and Democracy. Along with Li Dazhao, Chen was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. He was its first General Secretary....
, for instance, bragged that "while the sun does not set on the British Empire, neither does it set on Chinese workers abroad." But the ill treatment of these workers was added to the list of grievances against Britain. A more positive impact was on the educated youth who came to France to work with them, such as James Yen, whose literacy programs under the auspices of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
showed him the worth and dignity of the Chinese common man. He worked out a 1,000 Character Primer which introduced basic literacy and became the basis of his work in China.
Chinese intellectuals who worked with the CLC included Jiang Tingfu, Lin Yutang
Lin Yutang
Lin Yutang was a Chinese writer and inventor. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generation, and his compilations and translations of classic Chinese texts into English were bestsellers in the West.-Youth:Lin was born in...
, and several others.
See also
- List of British corps in World War I
- History of the Republic of China: World War I and brief Manchu restoration
- Chinese diaspora in France
- Arthur de Carle SowerbyArthur de Carle SowerbyArthur de Carle Sowerby was British naturalist, explorer, writer, and publisher in China. His father was Arthur Sowerby .-Background:...
- Wang JungzhiWang JungzhiWang Jungzhi was one the last people to be executed by the British Army in World War I. He was killed by firing squad on 8 May 1919, six months after the Armistice after being convicted of murder.-Chinese labourers:...
External links
- International Conference on Chinese Workers in the First World War
- Website about the Noyelles-sur-Mer Chinese Cemetery and Memorial
- Another website about the Noyelles-sur-Mer Chinese Cemetery and Memorial
- St. Etienne-au-Mont Communal Cemetery on the website "Remembrance Trails of the Great War in Northern France"
- Chinese Labour Corps platform
- Documentary on Chinese national television CCTV9, part 1/5
- Documentary on Chinese national television CCTV9, part 2/5
- Documentary on Chinese national television CCTV9, part 3/5
- Documentary on Chinese national television CCTV9, part 4/5
- Documentary on Chinese national television CCTV9, part 5/5