China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Flying Tigers display unveiled in Los Angeles
A display wall presenting the timeline of the Flying Tigers’ story was unveiled Saturday in an aviation-themed restaurant in Los Angeles.
The display was installed on the second floor of the Proud Bird restaurant, which is near the Los Angeles International Airport. It also features a brief introduction to the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and US General Claire Lee Chennault, who founded the Flying Tigers during World War II.
The installation was initiated by the American Flying Tigers Communication Association and sponsored by dozens of groups and individuals from the Chinese community in the Los Angeles area.
The aim is to remind people of the friendship between China and the US during the war and the contribution of the Flying Tigers in Chinese People’s War Against Japanese Aggression, according to Xu Shaoli, president of the American Flying Tigers Communication Association.
The Chinese People’s War Against Japanese Aggression lasted 14 years, from 1931 to 1945. In 1937, Chennault traveled to China, helping train Chinese pilots. In 1941 he returned to the US and recruited a group of young pilots and formed the American Volunteer Group, later known as the Flying Tigers.
“In the history of China and the US fighting together against Japanese aggression during World War II, which was represented by the Flying Tigers and the Hump, there was engraved a profound friendship between our two peoples through the hard times,” said Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Zhang Ping.
“Today, as we revisit this part of history and commemorate the virtue of the Flying Tigers, it becomes more important than ever that we embrace this legacy and make sure that such friendship will be passed on from generation to generation,” he told a gathering of people from the Chinese community at the opening event.
Nell Chenault Calloway, granddaughter of General Chennault, was among the guests at the event. She said people in China and the US should remember the history of both countries fighting together as brothers and the friendship formed during the war.
“We moved mountains to form the alliance, and we crossed oceans to protect our family and homeland,” she said. “As old enemies fade away, we face new challenges. China and the US must become partners because we have common goals and respect.”