Dragons

In 1919 thousands of Chinese stayed in the Westhoek. From 1917 this Chinese Labour Corps had arrived in the area to work for the British Army. After the Armistice the Chinese workers cleared the battlefields and built cemeteries.

Earlier this year the British collector James Brazier donated no less than 27 beautiful shell casings engraved by the Chinese to the museum. As a result, the museum's collection now numbers some 60, making it the largest collection of Chinese trench art from the First World War in the world. They show us mythical figures and symbols, as well as other typically Chinese motifs.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication.