Recently I have attended several events and written articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of defeating the Japanese War Machine. Chinese often call it the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. When most in the west hear the word fascist they think of Hitler and Mussolini and not Japan. “War of Aggression?” Yes, we can agree that Japan’s War was an Aggression, but it might be better stated that World War II by Japan was considered by most geopolitical professors and experts as a War of Japanese Imperialism. As to Victory. Allied Forces defeating Germany was good for all humanity. Defeating Japan was not only a victory for the Chinese People’s but a victory for all humanity. One must always remember the true history. It took a second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki for the Japanese to final capitulate. Had that not happened the War with Japan might have gone on and on. We also must remember those who fought side by side in Chinese and Americans in Partnership to defeat a common enemy the Japanese War Machine. We honor fallen heroes, cherish peace, and look forward to creating a better future for humanity. I have written a lot about the American Volunteer Group (AVG) which the Chinese renamed The Flying Tigers.” We will always remember the Flying Tigers, who crossed the Pacific Oceans and fought shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese people against Japanese on Chinese soil, in Buma, and Indo China. This is a real friendship between the Chinese and American peoples standing the test of blood and fire. I have interviewed so many of the last surviving Flying Tigers and their families and every time I come across a new story and, in my desire, to continue to honor the Flying Tigers sacrifice and fighting spirit that provided the world freedom, and I have come aware of something deeper than the “Hump Pilots who flew the supplies across the Himalayas without instruments in often terrible conditions, that put the Flying Tiger Fighter Planes in the air not to mention the amazing Chinese ground crews. Everyone was working with a single common goal. The greater story for me is learning about a documentary of the deep and everlasting friendships that lasted regardless of political differences, or times of physical separation. Thus, I wanted to reprint a story written by Xiaoyan Zhang and encourage readers and our audience in this 80th year that there was more that came out of that darn war and endured even to this day.
A Friendship That Transcends Time and Politics
Xiaoyan Zhang, Ph.D.
August 2022
On August 13, 2022, the documentary film “Flying Tigers Made Lifelong Friends” won the Outstanding Documentary Film award at the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival.
The documentary told the story of a Chinese journalist, Zhang Yan (my father), over 60 years of friendship with a group of American soldiers who served in the 14th Air Force (AKA Flying Tigers) under the command of General Chennault during WWII, when the U.S. and China were allies in the war against Japanese invasion. My father called his American friends “brothers without borders.” Their friendship was so deep and close that it transcended 60 years of turbulent history and politics between the two countries. Given the current geopolitical tensions and the declining relationship between the U.S. and China, it is more important than ever that we remember and cherish the friendship between the two peoples that touches the hearts of both sides.
In 1944, as a college student at a wartime university called “Southwest Associated University”, my father met a group of American soldiers serving with the American 14th Air Force stationed in Kunming, Yunnan province. Learning about each other’s cultures, histories, and personal lives, sharing thoughts about the war, and protecting each other by sharing critical information about the Japanese bombing, they quickly became best friends.
When the war was over in 1945, these American friends went home. Then there was the civil war between the Nationalist and Communist parties, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cultural Revolution. These political upheavals and military conflicts made it impossible for my father and his American friends to communicate for more than 30 years.
In 1979, when the U.S. and China normalized diplomatic relations, my father, a bilingual journalist, was selected as one of the first two correspondents stationed in Washington, D.C., in exchange for two counterparts from the New York Times. My father was elated and planning to reconnect with his American brothers as soon as he settled in the U.S. However, when he walked into his room at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., a pot of flowers was there waiting. It was from his American friends living in New York City. So moved, he immediately called Hyman (one of the friends) and told him he would see them when he visited NYC. Jumping up and down at the other end, Hyman said, “No, we will take an Airbus to see you tomorrow. We have been waiting for 30 years and cannot wait any longer.”
In the years that followed, my father and his friends traveled back and forth between the two countries and shared many beautiful memories. In 1980, as a student, I arrived in the U.S. at JFK Airport. There was my American uncle Hyman standing at the gate with open arms to welcome me to America.
Both my father and most of his Flying Tiger friends have passed away. But their lifelong friendship has forever changed my life and my appreciation of the American people. People-to-people communication, gratitude, trust and respect, and collaboration can foster true friendships that transcend time and politics.
(Here is the link to the trailer of the documentary if the reader is interested: https://youtu.be/Q-U_zE9BCK4
