停战日：铭记历史，珍视和平 Armistice Day: Remembering History, Cherishing Peace

每年的11月11日停战日（Armistice Day），是比利时最重要的纪念日之一。这一天，人们缅怀第一次世界大战中的遇难者，并重申对和平、团结与国际合作的珍视。

1918年11月11日11时，第一次世界大战宣告结束。战争给欧洲留下了深刻创伤，比利时作为西线主战场之一，付出了沉重代价。时至今日，伊普尔（Ypres）、梅宁门（Menin Gate）以及西法兰德斯省（West Flanders）的众多军人公墓，仍然见证着那段历史。

停战日最广为人知的象征是鲜红的罂粟花（Poppy）。这种曾盛开在战场废墟间的花朵，如今已成为纪念战争牺牲者和寄托和平愿望的象征。每年11月，人们都会佩戴罂粟花徽章，表达对逝者的敬意。

提到罂粟花，人们往往会想起加拿大军医约翰·麦克雷（John McCrae）于1915年创作的著名诗篇《在法兰德斯战场（In Flanders Fields）》：

在法兰德斯战场

在法兰德斯战场，虞美人盛开

于十字架之间，一排接一排

标示着我们的所在，在天空中

勇敢的云雀仍在歌唱、翱翔

可却难以听见，因为枪炮正响

我们逝去了，就在短短几天前

我们曾有过生命，沐浴晨曦，瞻望夕阳

我们爱过他人，也为人所爱，而今已倒在

法兰德斯战场

捡起武器，继续同敌人战斗

从我们低垂的双手，接过火炬

让它由你们高高举起

倘若你们背弃了我们的遗志

我们将永不瞑目，纵使虞美人盛开

在法兰德斯战场

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这首诗让法兰德斯的罂粟花成为缅怀战争牺牲者最广为人知的象征之一，也提醒后人铭记和平的珍贵。

在第一次世界大战期间，约14万名中国劳工远赴欧洲，为协约国提供运输、工程建设、物资装卸、道路维修及战后重建等重要支持。他们为战争结束和战后恢复作出了重要贡献。

其中，不少中国劳工曾在比利时西线地区工作。战争、疾病、事故以及艰苦的工作环境夺去了许多人的生命。今天，在比利时西法兰德斯省的多个军人公墓中，仍安葬着中国劳工；在伊普尔附近，也建有专门纪念中国劳工队（Chinese Labour Corps）的纪念设施，铭记他们的贡献。

今年恰逢比利时与中国建交55周年。回顾两国关系的发展历程，我们不仅珍视过去55年的交流与合作，也铭记更早以前连接两国人民的历史纽带。一个多世纪前，中国劳工远渡重洋来到比利时，为和平与重建贡献力量；今天，比中两国继续通过对话、文化交流和务实合作，深化相互理解与友谊。

在这个停战日，让我们共同缅怀所有战争受害者，珍惜来之不易的和平，并继续为建设一个更加和平、包容与合作的世界而努力。

Every year on 11 November, Armistice Day is commemorated as one of Belgium’s most important days of remembrance. It is an occasion to honor the victims of the First World War and to reaffirm our commitment to peace, solidarity, and international cooperation.

At 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918, the First World War officially came to an end. The conflict left deep scars across Europe, and Belgium, as one of the principal battlefields on the Western Front, paid a heavy price. To this day, sites such as Ypres, the Menin Gate, and the many military cemeteries of West Flanders stand as enduring reminders of that history.

One of the most recognizable symbols of Armistice Day is the red poppy. Once seen growing among the devastated landscapes of the battlefields, it has become a powerful emblem of remembrance and a tribute to those who lost their lives in war. Every November, people wear poppies as a sign of respect for the fallen.

The poppy is closely associated with a famous poem written in 1915 by the Canadian physician John McCrae:

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

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By evoking the image of poppies blooming among rows of soldiers’ graves in Flanders, it helped establish the flower as one of the most enduring symbols of remembrance for those who lost their lives in war, while reminding future generations of the precious value of peace.

During the First World War, approximately 140,000 Chinese labourers travelled to Europe to support the Allied war effort. They contributed to transportation, engineering works, logistics, road maintenance, and post-war reconstruction. Their efforts played an important role in supporting wartime operations and rebuilding Europe after the conflict.

Many of these Chinese labourers worked in the Belgian sector of the Western Front. War, disease, accidents, and harsh working conditions claimed numerous lives. Today, Chinese labourers are still buried in several military cemeteries across West Flanders, while memorials near Ypres continue to honor the contribution of the Chinese Labour Corps.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and China. As we reflect on the development of relations between our two countries, we not only celebrate the progress achieved over the past five and a half decades, but also remember the historical ties that connected our peoples long before that. More than a century ago, Chinese labourers crossed continents to contribute to peace and reconstruction in Belgium. Today, Belgium and China continue to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship through dialogue, cultural exchanges, and practical cooperation.

On this Armistice Day, let us remember all victims of war, cherish the peace we enjoy today, and continue working together towards a more peaceful, inclusive, and cooperative world.

-END-

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