A monument unveiling ceremony dedicated to Chinese laborers in WWI was held at Saint Vaast in Arras, northern France on December 10, local time, oushinet.com has reported....
French provincial and local government representatives, the Chinese community living and working in France, and Li Xiang, the initiator and chairman of a local France-China friendship association jointly unveiled the monument.
Li spent almost a year designing the monument, and the inscriptions read: "In remembrance of all Chinese workers employed by France, and those who served in the Chinese labor corps, assisting the allied forces during and after WWI.
Let us never forget that more than 2,500 people made the ultimate sacrifice, most of whom now lie in the fields of France and Flanders. A noble duty bravely done."
After laying flowers and observing a moment of silence in front of the monument, Mayor Frédéric Leturque noted that Arras was reconnecting the past and future of China, France and even Europe. Deputy Governor of Pas-de-Calais Alain Bessaha commemorated the contributions made by workers of the Chinese Labor Corps during WWI, envisioning closer cultural and economic relations between France and China.
On the same day, a hundred plus old photos and a ten-meter scroll by a French painter depicting over 160 Chinese laborers were exhibited in the hall of the Arras municipal government.
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