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The Reminiscence of History Exhibition is jointly held by the Information Office of China's State Council and the US Air Force Museum. Present at the inauguration of the exhibition in the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, on the evening of Oct. 18 were Zhao Qizheng, director of the Information Office of China's State Council, and representatives for US air force and WWII veterans.
The exhibition is held at the invitation of the US Air Force Museum, a result reached through times of consultation between the two sides. It is a record of the history, telling the joint resistance against aggressors by the Chinese and American people some sixty years ago and is a continuance and expansion of the exhibition held last year in Washington and Bush Presidential Library in Texas. The event is designed to commemorate the American pilots giving their lives during their mission of helping China in the anti-fascist war, a salutation to the veterans in that war. It is expected that by recalling the history the Sino-US relations can be further promoted so as to face squarely the time to come.
The exhibition consists of three parts, the "Hump Course", the Flying Tiger (American Volunteer Group) and the Rescue of Doolittle. On display there is a great amount of precious and moving historical photos and items. It tells us the heroic deeds in which the Chinese and American people conducted the anti-fascist war hand in hand for rescuing the American pilots in Doolittle raid at the risk of their lives and the American pilots fearing no sacrifices fought the anti-fascist war on the Chinese soil. During the war, the US Flying Tiger shot down more than 2000 Japanese fighters and killed over 60 thousand Japanese aggressors. American pilots had ever opened up the "Hump Course" across the "the Roof of the World". Over 600 Chinese and American planes crashed and over 1, 500 pilots lost their precious lives. There is also a romance between American pilot and Chinese girl, General Claire Chennault and Anna (Hsiang-mei) Chan, they falling in love at a glance and the true love they later developed.
When addressing the opening ceremony Zhao Qizheng said, the Chinese and American people had conducted the fight side by side in history and today the two great nations will be sure to cooperate well once again in creating a peaceful, stable and prosperous 21st century.
Lieutenant General Reynolds, representative for the US air force echoed by saying that a joint exhibition like this would promote the friendship between the two people, and that China and US could further develop their communications and cooperation to fight against the terrorist threat endangering the whole world.
Chairman of the US Museum for Air Force said the younger generation should know the history in this period, being inspired to create a world of peace together.
The exhibition has aroused great repercussions among all circles in the locality. Visitors are from the US Air Force, the local communities and overseas Chinese and Chinese Americans. The exhibition is going to last until next summer.
(People's Daily October 21, 2003)
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