As an eight-month exhibit on Sino-US ties forged during their
joint fight against Japanese aggressors during World War II came to
an end in Dayton, Ohio State, the United States on Friday, a senior
curator said the retrospect really gave more reasons for the two
countries to promote friendship.
"It is very nice to have an exhibit that reflects on the time we
stood together and looked forward to the future," said Terry Aitken
of the American Air Force Museum, which hosted the exhibit.
The exhibit, jointly sponsored by the museum and the Press
Office of China's State Council in cooperation with five Chinese
provinces and autonomous regions, gave a glimpse of the tremendous
support provided by the Chinese people to the American volunteer
group and air force in their fight against the Japanese air
force.
Aitken noted that Americans are not well aware of many aspects
of World War II in China. When the exhibit comes to the Flying
Tigers and General Chennault, they may know something, but they
have little idea about the level of Chinese involvement in, support
for and contribution to the war efforts.
That was why when the exhibit came, the Air Force Museum asked
that airfield construction in China for the Allied flying missions
and China's participation in the war be made part of the
exhibition, he said.
"It is very nice that China remembers the American pilots, but
we want to be sure that our American audience remember what the
Chinese have done," he said.
He noted that Chinese villagers rescued a well-documented total
of 848 Allied pilots during World War II from being captured by the
Japanese. For most of those people flying in China, if they bailed
out and if they could be with a Chinese villager, they would be
saved.
"You could figure that the villager was putting the whole
village at risk by helping the pilot. That was an extremely brave
thing to do," he said.
The exhibition was originally planned for six months, but the
museum extended it to eight after museum authorities has seen how
the audience reacted to the exhibits. The museum had also added new
exhibits and new topics by responding to questions frequently asked
by the audience. The stone roller, for instance, has become a
permanent part of the exhibits as a result of that interaction.
In a few months, said the senior curator, the museum would have
new exhibits about China National Aviation Company on prominent
display beside the stone roller. As a pioneer in China's air cargo
transport, the group performed hundreds of missions and carried
thousands of tons of materials, along with US air force in the Hump
airlift. Many of its pilots gave their lives during the
operation.
The museum would also bring to public attention episodes that
are not very well known. For instance, many Chinese Americans
fought alongside with American pilots when they volunteered their
service in China, said Aitken. Some 32 Chinese Americans received
training in civilian private flying schools in the United States
and went to China to fly various missions.
He noted that part of the museum's exhibits showed Americans who
went to England and flew the Eagle Squadron of the Royal Air Force,
fighting German aggressors. Here exactly the same thing happened in
China: Chinese Americans went to defend China against fascists.
He said these Chinese Americans, however, were very quiet about
what they did because they were very afraid of losing their
citizenship. Under a US law, US citizens are forbidden to swear
allegiance to another country, as required sometimes if one is
fighting in a foreign army. But it was interesting that none of
these people were ever asked to swear allegiance to China, but they
fought and served in China.
"This story is a very interesting part of Chinese-American
history," he said.
He said there were sometimes tensions between the United States
and China, but when looking back at the history of their relations,
the two countries have more in common than otherwise.
He noted that Chinese have been in America for centuries and
they have become part of the American society, and to some extent,
Americans appreciate Chinese culture. "I think there are really
more reasons for friendship," he said.
Unlike many of his colleagues in the museum, Aitken's past
record of service was with the US Army, but he made up for it by
marrying a woman who flies with the United Airline.
A man with great interest in China, he celebrated his wife's
birthday in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2003, during a specially arranged
stopover of her routine flight. On the same day China celebrated
the 54th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of
China.
(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2004)