What Does World War I Mean to China?

By GAO ZHUAN

China’s involvement in WWI is a neglected part of world history. Yet WWI profoundly influenced China’s modern and contemporary history. During the war, China followed the examples of the Western world’s parliamentary and presidential systems. Manipulated diplomatically by Western powers, weak and impoverished China failed to independently implement its foreign policies. China’s stance in WWI reflected its absurd political systems and exposed its political incompetence. Initially neutral, China later formally declared participation, without direct involvement, and then dispatched Chinese laborers to the European battlefields. This ended in a diplomatic fiasco at the Paris Peace Conference, a testament to China’s humiliating history. In particular, through the Paris Peace Conference, China’s intellectual circles and general public saw through the treasonable actions of the warlord government and the true nature of Western powers. China’s diplomatic fiasco directly actuated the May 4th Movement and prompted the historic awakening of the Chinese nation.

On June 7, 2013 overseas Chinese in France organized the first memorial ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe Square, honoring Chinese laborers who died in France during WWI. Around 500 people attended, including overseas Chinese, students and French representatives of the military and government.

Origin and Nature of WWI

Reflections on WWI inevitably lead to examinations of its origin and nature, which is still significant for international affairs. In the 1870s, world capitalism began its transition to imperialism with several powers in Europe entering the imperialist stage. Internationally, the old European Power System featuring the “balance of power” was being replaced by the new “World Power System,” aimed at colonial aggression and expansion. Radical nationalism was rife in European countries with rising war fever. The basic motivation for European powers to launch foreign aggression was to gratify their insatiable desire for more power and prestige, seize markets and raw materials outside Europe and spread their religion and civilization. For example, the U.K., which seized Hong Kong, claimed that their race was the most advanced in the world. According to their beliefs, God shaped the English to create a society based on justice, freedom and peace. Wilhelm II, who carried out the “World Policy” of German Empire, put his nationalism in a more straightforward way when invading and occupying Jiaozhou Bay of East China’s Shandong Province. “If someone tries to impair our legitimate rights or harm us, we’ll rise up to confront them with military force.”