The Studies On The Conditions And Patriotic Activities Of The Chinese Laborers In France During The First World War

During the First World War,an intense debate occurred in the Beiyang Government on whether it should engage in the war or remain neutral.With the Beiyang government's trade-off of gains and losses and the social celebrities' thorough consideration,a decision was finally made,which was joining the Triple Entente by supplying laborers instead of soldiers to it.Approved by the Beiyang Government,the United Kingdom and France established a recruitment corporation and afterwards employed around 140 thousand Chinese laborers in North China through it to engage in the war in France.The article made an all-sided and detailed analysis of the Chinese laborers' miserable experience in France and their contribution to the society based on the studies on the 140 thousand laborers,covering the background and motivation for them to leave for France,the working conditions of them in France,the education they received,the awakening of their patriotic awareness and the social impacts they have made.First,in terms of the background,the article offers a brief description of the debate in the Beiyang Government on whether to engage in the war or not.After encountering setbacks for two times while seeking for engaging in the war by sending troops,the Government put forward the strategy of supplying laborers to France instead of soldiers,which finally prevailed.The article also analyzes the reasons for the laborers to make a living abroad,which include the contradiction between human and land,natural and man-made disasters,the allure of high wages from the British and French governments and previous experience of Chinese laborers going abroad.Second,the article gives a general introduction to the laborers' hard journey to France,their daily life and working conditions in France and the repatriation and arrangement for them after the war.During the time in France,the Chinese laborers worked very hard,so the French government complied with the agreement which had been made and guaranteed their human rights on the whole.By contrary,British government treated the Chinese laborers in an inhuman manner and it has repressed their revolts by armed force for many times.Furthermore,the article makes an analysis of the Chinese laborers' educational conditions in France.The loose recruitment led to the varied quality of the labor forces.In order to eliminate the bad habits of the laborers such as poor hygiene,addiction to smoking and gambling and perpetration of violence and stealing and to raise their awareness of social morality,the Young Men's Christian Association provided anti-illiteracy,patriotic and moral education for them first and launched the "The Weekly of Chinese Laborers" for their reading afterwards,which had gained positive effects.The initiative patriotic activities of the Chinese laborers have also impacted on the elite intellectuals for their thinking of salvaging China.Finally,the article sums up the Chinese laborers' patriotic activities and the social effects arising.Objective judgement is made on their contribution in this part.During their time in France,the Chinese laborers actively joined in the patriotic activities,which has awakened their political awareness.This has motivated the modern elite intellectuals to salvage China from subjugation and become the paradigm for the young intellectuals in France,driving them to work while studying.The Chinese laborers in France during the First World War is an indispensable part of the fever of modern Chinese laborers going abroad.