By Zhang Shuo
LOS ANGELES, US, March 20 – An event commemorating the 5th anniversary of the photo exhibition wall honoring the Flying Tigers was held in Los Angeles, US, on March 18.
In 1941, the First American Volunteer Group (AVG), nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed under the leadership of late US Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault to help Chinese fight against the invading Japanese troops during the World War II. The photo exhibition wall was unveiled at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum on March 24, 2018, to demonstrate the spirit of the Flying Tigers.
Hosted by the American Flying Tigers Communication Association, the recent event also marked the 5th death anniversary of China-US friendship envoy Chen Xiangmei, or Anna Chan Chennault, widow of “Flying Tigers” commander Claire Lee Chennault. She died on March 30, 2018.
Hundreds of people from China and the US attended the ceremony, including officials from Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, US Congresswoman Judy May Chu, Mrs. Nell Calloway, the granddaughter of Chennault, and Mel McMullen, a US Flying Tigers veteran. The event aimed to help people understand the history and pass on the friendship between China and the US from generation to generation.
According to Wang Qi, director of the Consular Affairs Section of Chinese Consulate General, the commemorative event is conducive to promoting the common memory of the Flying Tigers’ history for both the Chinese and Americans. China and the US should take peace as the theme and history as a mirror, work hand in hand to safeguard the China-US friendship, and promote the healthy and stable development of the bilateral relations.
Zhang Sujiu, honorary chairman of the China Society of Southern California, said that holding such historic and future-oriented commemorative activities by overseas Chinese in the US is to achieve greater harmony between China and the US and a long lasting friendship between the two peoples.
