Capturing an epic journey

Helen Fitzwilliam finds the topic of Chinese workers in World War I like a mythical story, similar to the journey of the Greek king Odysseus in Homer's heroic poems.

"Here they go on a journey thousands of miles away and they encounter money, dangers and horrors, and yet they come away with the most extraordinary experience. I felt very emotionally attached to this story," Fitzwilliam said.

Fitzwilliam, an independent filmmaker, has produced a 10-minute documentary about the story, which was commissioned by London think tank Chatham House. To accompany the film, she also wrote an article for The World Today, Chatham House's in-house publication.