Since my prep school days in England, I’d worn the poppy around Remembrance Day. But as the only Mainland Chinese, I used to wonder, what was the relevance for me? So I learned. In WWI, 140,000 Chinese workers braved perilous journeys to join the British and French on the European frontlines. They cleared mines, dug trenches, and built roads. But it was a thankless sacrifice, for the Treaty of Versailles ceded German-held Chinese territory to Japan. The sting of betrayal sparked the May Fourth Movement of 1919, which inspired the next generation of revolutionaries. In WWII, we lost 20 million - more than the entire European theatre minus the Soviets. But the December Ninth Movement of 1935 brought a fractured nation together. Reds and blues stood shoulder to shoulder, joined by Americans too. And so, beyond thanking the veterans, lest we forget: whether through betrayal or alliance, our fates remain intertwined. We'll have our chip sanctions and trade spats, but what we share will always outweigh what separates us.

Today is one of our favourite school days... World Book Day! By making a donation or raising funds for #WorldBookDay#, you can help change lives through a love of books and reading: Read our Easter-themed Book Bag article here: