The British and French governments did not give sufficient recognition to the Chinese workers who aided France in World War I, and the newspapers of the two countries did not carry out due publicity and reporting.
So much so that after more than ten years, except for the local residents who had seen it with their own eyes, other French people did not know the existence of Chinese aid workers in France. However, Zhou Hexuan, the winner of the highest award for French novels, told these stories at the award ceremony
Tell it to reporters and judges.
The French are still very cute, and the most adorable thing about them is their contempt for authority and government.
When I heard that the government was hiding such a thing, the French reporter suddenly became motivated. Hehe, you are hiding it and not publicizing it, right? So I decided to write an article and report it!
In the afternoon of that day, many reporters went to the Chinese settlements in Paris, specifically looking for insiders to interview the news about the Chinese workers aiding France.
Although the accounts of the parties involved were not as vivid as those of Zhou Hexuan, they were full of tears. The reporters responsible for the interview were completely shocked by these stories, and at the same time they were even more angry that the Chinese who had traveled thousands of miles to help were actually treated as hard work by the British and French officers.
!
"Le Figaro" soon filled the page with reports: "In June 1916, after the residents of the small town of Noyelle finished harvesting wheat, the British began to build the first camp... A few months later, they were surprised
I saw that the first batch of Chinese people got off the train and were closely guarded by British soldiers holding thick wooden sticks. These Chinese people were short in stature and wore large blue cotton-padded jackets, small round hats and fur earmuffs.
They wear leggings, bloomers, and wear numbered copper bracelets for identification. Their bamboo poles (poles) carry rice bags and wooden boards, swinging back and forth, and they also have a big wheel driving a wheelbarrow with a triangular handle. These outsiders look very bad.
But the discipline is strict..."
The article in "Le Figaro" was written in great detail. It not only described the cruel abuse of Chinese workers by British and French officers, but also focused on the role of Chinese workers in the war. In particular, Chinese workers used their flesh and blood to fight against the German army on the front line of the war.
Landmines laid, this passage is shocking and sad to read.
…
The economic crisis from the United States has not affected France yet, and Paris is still bustling and lively today.
George was an ordinary company employee who had just returned from a business trip. Before boarding the train home, George walked into the station bookstore and said to the clerk: "Have the results of the selection of the Goncourt Literary Prize come out?"
"Yes, sir, this is "The Goddess"." The clerk said as he pulled out a new French edition of "The Goddess". The packaging was the same as before, but there was a line of small words printed on the cover: "Winner of the Goncourt Literary Prize".
Instead of taking the novel with his hands, George asked, "Can you wrap it up?"
"Of course." The clerk smiled.
The French have an interesting tradition. Because the Prix Goncourt is awarded just before Christmas, so every year when Christmas comes, many people choose to give the winning works of the Prix Goncourt as Christmas gifts to relatives and friends.
.
This is why some novels with sales of only 20,000 to 30,000 copies instantly sell 700,000 to 800,000 copies once they win the Goncourt Prize.
After the clerk wrapped the books, George said: "Here are two newspapers, one "Le Figaro" and one "Journal de Paris"."
"Okay, please put it away." The clerk took down the newspaper and said.
George put the novel into his leather bag and read the newspaper while walking. Until the train started, he finally read the content about Chinese workers in "Le Figaro" and couldn't help but exclaimed: "God, this is unbelievable!"
After reading "Le Figaro" with difficulty, George quickly flipped through the "Paris Journal" and finally found relevant news in one of the pages. The winner of the Goncourt Prize told the story of the blood and tears of the Chinese laborers on the spot!
"Mr. Zhou Hexuan is obviously a maverick. He wore a labor uniform and carried a big shovel into the restaurant and had lunch with famous people in suits and ties. Everyone, including the author, was surprised by his abnormality
At this time, Mr. Zhou explained his intention to us. He wanted to tell the French a fact! During the European War just over ten years ago, there were 140,000 Chinese workers from rural China working 10-16 hours a day.
, with a meager salary, they were discriminated against and abused by British and French officers, and they made sacrifices for the war day and night..."
After George finished reading this report, he suddenly caught a glimpse of his neighbor reading the Eastern Republic. He said, "Excuse me, can I exchange newspapers and read them?"
"Of course." The other party smiled and handed him the newspaper.
This newspaper also has relevant content, and the title is even more sensational: Sons of Heaven, France cannot forget them!
After George read the article carefully, he silently put the newspaper aside.
The passenger sitting next to him took the initiative to chat: "Are you also shocked? If the Chinese writer hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known that 140,000 Chinese workers participated in the European War."
George shrugged and said: "What shocked me was the cruel abuse of Chinese workers by British and French officers. Britain and France are civilized societies, but they can still commit such atrocities. They treat the Chinese as livestock and call them '
'Ogre', 'Pig that walks on two legs'. But these Chinese workers were obviously on our side and helping us fight the war, but many of them died under the whips of British and French soldiers."
"Who says it isn't? Those Chinese workers are so pitiful," the passenger next to me asked, "Have you seen Mr. Zhou's "The Goddess"?"
George said: "No. But I have already bought it and am going to give it to my wife as a Christmas gift."
The passenger sitting next to me said: "I think you can take a look. After reading "The Goddess" and then reading those reports about Chinese labor, the feeling will be more profound."
"Really? Then I'll give it a try." George opened the wrapping paper and started reading it on the spot.
"The Goddess" is really poisonous. After reading only a few chapters, George felt his vest getting cold and his scalp numb. He was frightened by the supposedly indifferent and cruel world, and at the same time he couldn't stop immersing himself in various magical scenes.
It wasn't until the train pulled into the Paris station that George closed the book without finishing.
As the passenger next to him said, after reading "The Goddess", George has gained an intuitive understanding of the lower class Chinese people. When he thinks of the Chinese workers in the report, he feels even more inexplicable sympathy and compassion, which makes people feel
Heart-wrenching and uncomfortable.
Due to the great attention of the French to the Goncourt Prize, Zhou Hexuan's public opinion guidance this time was extremely successful. In the following days, major French newspapers reported that "Son of Heaven" became the respected name for the Chinese workers aiding France.
On Christmas Day, when the French were celebrating, Zhou Hexuan suddenly published an announcement in the newspaper that he wanted to build a cemetery and monument for Chinese workers, and collected relevant information from all over France, hoping that the French government and people could provide reliable information.
The enthusiasm of the French people finally showed. After Christmas, city halls across France received countless letters from citizens every day, urging the government to help build a cemetery for Chinese workers.
Some people even organized demonstrations to demand severe punishment for the soldiers and officers who abused the Chinese workers. Many students studying in France also organized spontaneously and held various commemorative activities for the Chinese workers.
The Embassy in France took the opportunity to promote Sino-French friendship. Li Shizeng also used this trend to actively contact French scientific research institutions, hoping that they could reach academic cooperation with the Peking Research Institute.
What makes Zhou Hexuan most gratified is that the French's impression of the Chinese has greatly improved, at least it is not as discriminatory as before.
