Strangers on the Western Front

“This is the first comprehensive study of the roughly 140,000 Chinese laborers who worked in France during the Great War. Filled with rich details and based on extensive archival research, the book adds immeasurably to the literature on the war, international migrations, racism, and cross-cultural encounters. Written clearly and with a wonderful eye for the telling anecdote, the book will establish Xu as among the foremost scholars of modern Chinese and international history.”—Akira Iriye, Harvard University

“A compelling narrative of a neglected episode in the global history of the Great War. Xu tells a new story with energy and verve, as he illuminates the nature of cultural exchange in the war zone, with broad ramifications for the future of China in the twentieth century and beyond.”—Jay Winter, Yale University