Chinese Labour Corps contribution marked at London commemoration

The Chinese Labour Corps, a force of some 140,000 Chinese men recruited by the British and French militaries to support their frontline soldiers during World War I, was commemorated again on Armistice Day in London, England on Saturday.

Around 50 representatives of different overseas Chinese communities and veterans laid wreaths at London's Cenotaph war memorial during a commemoration ceremony held annually by the Western Front Association, a British non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of WWI history.

The Chinese Labour Corps, or CLC — which provided essential services, such as the unloading of ships, the building of dugouts, repairing roads, and digging trenches during the war — was recognized for the first time during the association's commemoration back in 2017, thanks to the continuous efforts by some overseas Chinese to raise awareness of this part of history.

Peng Wenlan, co-founder of the Meridian Society, which has been promoting the story of CLC for years and organized the Chinese contingent that attended this year's ceremony, said when the society first joined the WFA's Armistice Day commemoration in 2017 there were only around 20 people in attendance. Since then, more people have taken part in the annual event, to remember the ordinary Chinese people who supported the Allied powers during the war.

At a seminar in London on Thursday titled Forgotten Faces of World War I: Who were the Chinese Labour Corps?, Peng said: "When we talk about war, we tend to think only about the people who take up arms and fight at the front, but we forget about those who work behind the lines.

"Not many people like to really think back on history. But history is just so important… It just made the world what it is today. And what we make of the world today is going to shape the future and the world of the younger generations."

Caroline Chu, a British and French filmmaker with Chinese heritage, flew from Paris to London to attend Saturday's ceremony. She said it was her second time participating in the event, and she had a feeling of appeasement as the CLC has officially become part of the collective recognition.

Chu has interviewed descendants of CLC members in France and made a two-part documentary that is being shown on the festival circuit and that will be screened during an event in Paris on Tuesday.

Clive Harvey, the author of a historical novel about the CLC called Yang's War, which was published in Britain in 2017 and got translated and published in China in 2022, was also among the Chinese contingent. He said he felt lucky and honored to have been invited to attend the event.

Harvey said his previous book brought him into contact with the group of campaigners for the CLC cause and he is working with Chu on another novel, to bring the CLC to a broader readership.

"I have tirelessly promoted awareness of this Chinese history ever since. I will not rest until we succeed," he said.