Paris, Legation in France. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Mr. Zhou, please come with me." The embassy secretary said to Zhou Hexuan with a smile, with a bit of admiration and respect in his tone.

Zhou Hexuan came to the office of the minister in France and saw Gao Lu chatting with a French man. As soon as he appeared, the two people inside immediately got up.

Gao Lu said: "Mr. Zhou, this is Mr. Joseph Charente, deputy director of the National Archives of France. ”

"Hello." Zhou Hexuan shook hands and greeted.

Joseph Charente looked at Zhou Hexuan curiously and said with a smile: "I heard that when Mr. Zhou traveled around the world, he visited the libraries and archives of various countries, so he wrote the amazing masterpiece "The Rise of Great Powers". Presumably, you've also been in the National Archives of France? ”

"Thanks to the French government's tolerance, ordinary people can also access the archives. ”

"Mr. Zhou, I think you missed a point. Ordinary people can only consult and visit the reading rooms and exhibition halls, and the really important archives are kept secret from the outside world," says Joseph Charente playfully, "and I have worked in the National Archives for 20 years, and only three Asians have visited them, one of whom is Mr. Koo Hongming from your country." As for Mr. Zhou, it may be that I don't remember it clearly, and it doesn't seem to have appeared in my memory. ”

Zhou Hexuan shrugged: "I sneaked in quietly, do you believe it?" The National Archives of France are not well guarded. ”

"Probably," said Joseph Charente, who was also unsure, pointed to the pile of materials on the table, "I have brought what Mr. Zhou needs." ”

Gao Lu explained: "These are the files of Chinese workers who have aided France, but they are only partial, and they are not complete. ”

Zhou Hexuan sat down to look through it in detail, feeling quite surprised, because the file of Huagong was very detailed. Each person's name, age, place of origin, and time of signs are recorded in detail, and even have a number, but unfortunately the final destination is unknown.

For example, the page that Zhou Hexuan is currently reading contains information about a total of 20 Chinese workers, of which only 5 are marked as "returning to China", another 6 are marked as "dead", and the remaining 9 are all "missing".

The "missing person" may be dead, he may be insane, he may have returned to China, or he may have become a French citizen, like the restaurateur Chen Ying. The specific situation is too complicated, and it is impossible to find out clearly with the current means of information and intelligence.

All Zhou Hexuan could do was to build a cemetery for those "dead".

Joseph Charente opened a wooden box, took out a brass ring, and said, "I found it from the military, and it took a lot of effort, and each brass ring represents a dead Chinese laborer." There were probably more than 2,000 of them, and I only brought a few of them. ”

Zhou Hexuan took out a copper ring and observed that the copper ring was very rough in workmanship, but it was engraved with a separate number. This is equivalent to the identity certificate of the Chinese workers who aid France, which is issued when they are called up, and is equivalent to a special "military badge" worn on the wrist.

By comparing the copper ring with the number on the file, the identity information of the owner of the copper ring can be determined.

Gao Lu said: "Mr. Zhou, if you really want to build a cemetery, I think you can build a tomb for Chinese workers." Bury these rings and erect inscriptions for them. As for the scattered bones, they can only be collected and buried in a centralized manner, because the specific identity is difficult to identify. ”

"It's a good idea," Zhou agreed, and he asked Joseph Charente, "I want to build the Chinese Workers' Cemetery outside the small town of Noyelle, is that okay?" ”

Most of the 140,000 Chinese laborers gathered in Noyelles and were then distributed throughout France. If you want to build a cemetery for Chinese workers, the small town of Noyelle is the best place and the most commemorative.

Joseph Charente, who had apparently done his research, said: "The town of Noyelles is full of wheat fields, and it may be difficult to convince the local population. However, there is one more suitable place, that is, near the Huagong Hospital and the Lunatic Asylum at that time, both of which have been deserted, and can be opened up as a cemetery. ”

"That's fine." Zhou Hexuan nodded and said.

Joseph Charente stood up and said, "I'll take my leave!" ”

Gao Lu personally sent the other party out of the embassy, and when he came back, he smiled at Zhou Hexuan: "Mingcheng, you did a good job this time." Now the whole of France is discussing Chinese workers, which has greatly changed the image of Chinese in France. You have not only done good deeds for the miserable Chinese workers, but also contributed to the Chinese living in France. ”

"I feel very honored." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.

The deputy director of the National Archives of France has personally come to the embassy to deliver materials, which shows that the French government attaches great importance to this. Whether the other side is trying to curry favor with the French people or to win over the Chinese government, the result is very happy.

Gao Lu said: "Let's have lunch at the embassy, and I'll take you to meet the designer in the afternoon." ”

The designer Gaul is talking about, called Le Corbusier, is a top French designer and a leader in the field of modern architectural design. In addition to his architectural design, he is also a writer, sculptor, planner, furniture designer, and modernist painter. He also won first prize in the League of Nations design competition two years ago, and last year he co-founded the International Association of Modern Architecture with a friend.

Le Corbusier was tall and thin, with a slightly bald forehead and black-rimmed glasses. Even when he sits in his office, he wears a neat suit and black bow tie, as if he is ready for an important dinner.

Well, a gentleman's picture.

"Hello Mr. Corbusier!" Zhou Hexuan smiled.

Le Corbusier happily received Zhou Hexuan and Gao Lu, and said: "Mr. Minister has explained the situation to me, and I am personally happy to design a resting place for those 'children of heaven'. I wonder what specific requirements Mr. Zhou has? ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "The gate of the cemetery and the front of the tombstone must face east. ”

"Understood," Le Corbusier wrote down in a small notebook, "you go on." ”

Zhou Hexuan also said: "There needs to be a monument in the cemetery, and the monument is used to engrave the exploits of Chinese workers. In addition, I hope to design two more sculptures of Chinese workers, one of which is the image of a Chinese worker carrying a flat shoulder, and the other is the image of a Chinese worker pushing a wheelbarrow. These sculptures should not be designed to be too magnificent, and the expression should preferably be dazed and helpless, and at the same time full of expectations for an unknown life. ”

Le Corbusier thought for a moment and said, "Regarding the design of the cemetery, I need to go to the site to observe. As for the sculpture you mentioned, I'm sorry, although I've traveled to Asia but not to China, I don't know what you mean by pole and wheelbarrow. So, I wanted to be able to go to China and observe the people at the bottom of China and the tools they use. ”

"Yes, I will arrange an assistant for you in China." Zhou Hexuan suddenly remembered his eldest brother Zhang Yuandong.

Although Zhang Yuandong majored in bridge design at Cambridge University, if he could work as an assistant to Le Corbusier, then both his professional ability and his name in the design circle could be greatly improved.