"There is a Doolittle Operation Memorial Hall in Quzhou, Zhejiang, where the descendants of rescued American soldiers often come to pay their respects to the Chinese who have acted bravely. On November 15, 2023, President Xi Jinping attended a joint welcome banquet of American friendship groups in San Francisco, USA, and delivered an important speech, specifically about the story of the Chinese military and civilians who bravely rescued American pilots during the Anti-Japanese War and the descendants of rescued American soldiers visited Quzhou.
From April 17 to 19 this year, the Sino-US people-to-people cultural exchange activity to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of Operation Doolittle was held in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. During the event, Chinese and American non-governmental friends visited the new exhibition of the Doolittle Action Memorial Hall, inspected the site of the rescue pilot, and held discussions and exchanges, so as to jointly continue the story of friendship between the two peoples in the new era.
The foundation of China-US relations is poured by the people.
"Just to forget this history"
Between the green tiles and white walls, stepping on the stone road, people from China and the United States came to an old building at No. 9 Shuiting Street, Kecheng District, Quzhou City, where the Doolittle Action Memorial Hall is located.
During World War II, China and the United States fought together for peace and justice. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, in 1942, 16 B-25 bombers of the US Air Force rushed to Japan, due to the lack of fuel, Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle and other pilots abandoned the plane and parachuted in China, and the Chinese military and civilians bravely rescued, and the Japanese army slaughtered 250,000 Chinese civilians.
The theme exhibition of Operation Doolittle Quzhou Rescue presented the audience with a panoramic view of this good story of friendship between the Chinese and American people through chapters such as "We will see you in Quzhou!", "Quzhou Rescue" and "Bridge of Friendship". In the more than 1,500-square-meter exhibition hall of the Doolittle Action Memorial Hall, from the aircraft parts displayed in the display case to the precious historical photos, from the interactive projection immersive experience to the lifelike collective sculpture of the pilot, Chinese and foreign guests relive the years of the two peoples of the two countries 82 years ago.
The friendship between the two peoples has continued through history to the present day. On the other side of the ocean, the surviving pilots and their descendants who participated in Operation Doolittle successively established organizations such as the Doolittle Raiders Association and the Doolittle Raiders Children Association. Some of them have visited China many times to visit their homeland and thank the Chinese who participated in the rescue that year. Susan Ozuk, as well as brothers William and George Conterberg, who came to China to participate in the event, were among the representatives.
Susan's father, Charles Ozuke, was the navigator of Operation Doolittle 3, and was parachuted and hung on a cliff all night after parachuting, and was later found by Chinese villager Liao Shiyuan, who took him home to recuperate. Susan, who is in China for the third time, is grateful for China and its people: "Every time I come to China, it's like coming home. The Chinese have always been in my heart, thanking them for risking their lives to rescue the pilots involved in Operation Doolittle. ”
"I put my grandfather's name, Rose, in my children's name just to remember this history. George said. He and his brother William's maternal grandfather, Ross Wild, was the co-pilot of Operation Doolittle No. 5, and was rescued by villager Mao Guangxiao and others after parachuting and was safely transferred to Quzhou. On April 16, the two brothers reunited with Mao Honggen, the son of Mao Guangxiao, at Rose Wild's landing site - Fangyuan Village, Jiangshan City, and unveiled the parachute logo marked with the geographical latitude and longitude of the landing site. "My grandfather drank all the whiskey he had with him in order to warm up after the forced landing. Now, I'm bringing a bottle of whisky with you to remember that friendship. George said.
The story of China-US relations is written by the people -
"My home is your home, welcome to come home at any time"
On the morning of April 17, the car carried Susan and her entourage along the winding and rugged mountain road, into the depths of the mountains, and drove to Longtoudian Village, Zhangcun Township, Jiangshan City, Quzhou. After many years, she came to the Liao family's old house at No. 3 Xiaonankengkou, Longtoudian Village again. "When I first came, I saw the 'home' where my father had lived in the war. This old house carries the story of my father and will remain in my memory forever. In 2021, Susan donated money to repair the Liao family's old house.
In front of the renovated rammed-earth house, Susan is reunited with her old friend Liao Ming-fat, the son of Liao Shiyuan. As soon as they met, the two of them hugged each other tightly like brothers and sisters, and then their foreheads were close together, holding each other's shoulders, and their eyes were red. The two old men helped each other into the old house, holding hands and looking at the old photos hanging on the walls. Liao Mingfa, who is nearly 90 years old, told Susan through an interpreter that he was so excited that he couldn't sleep the night before because he thought of meeting soon. "I'm your family in Chicago, and I miss you too. Susan replied emotionally.
The enthusiastic Liao Ming-fat family served steaming egg noodles to Susan and the rest of the Doolittle Raiders' Children's Association, and a group of people sat around the table and mingled as they ate. After my father rescued Susan's father, he applied herbs to his wounds every day, and his mother boiled egg noodles to nourish him. Liao Mingfa told the story behind the egg noodles, "At that time, supplies were in short supply, but for the sake of the rescued pilots, we were willing to take out the best food at home." ”
In the old house, Susan went to the bed where her father had slept again. "My father stayed at Liao's house for about five days," she said. His father always remembered that Liao Shiyuan's family took good care of him and let him sleep in the bed at home. On April 18, at the launch of the Doolittle Operation Quzhou Rescue Theme Exhibition and the donation ceremony of important historical materials, Liao Mingfa gave Susan a key to the old house: "My home is your home, welcome to go home at any time!"
In this theme exhibition, five exhibits, including Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle's reply to the descendants of the rescuers, were unveiled for the first time, and this group of exhibits was donated by Zhang Kangda, a professor at Zhejiang University of Technology. In that year, the No. 1 plane piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle crashed on the Haotianguan Ridge of West Tianmu Mountain at the junction of Zhejiang and Anhui, and Zhang Kangda's father, Zhang Zhenhua, as an interpreter, participated in the rescue and formed a friendship with the crew. "I hope that more people can understand this history and cherish the friendship forged between the Chinese and American people in the anti-fascist war. Zhang Kangda, who was unable to attend the event due to physical reasons, expressed his heart over the phone.
Chinese and American people planted a friendship tree at Jiangshan Middle School in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Photo by Bai Ziwei
The future of China-US relations is created by the people –
"We need young people to continue to tell stories and pass on friendships"
The hope of China-US relations lies in the people, the foundation lies in the people, the future lies in the youth, and the vitality lies in the localities. From Muscatine High School students in Iowa, USA, to Beijing, Hebei and Shanghai, to more than 20 students from Lincoln School and Stracon High School in Washington State to visit Beijing, Shiyan in Hubei, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong, to visits to China by American business and strategic academics in the spring season...... China and the United States will promote the implementation of the San Francisco Vision, strengthen people-to-people ties, enhance people-to-people communication, build more bridges of mutual understanding, and write more new stories for the future.
Walking into Quzhou No. 2 Middle School, a "Friendship Tree" planted by Chinese and American friends in September 2015 is flourishing, and the stone tablet next to the tree is engraved with a message for the future - "Continue the legend of 'Doolittle Raid' and write a new chapter in Sino-US friendship". Since 2016, the Doolittle Raider Children Association has set up scholarships in Quzhou No. 2 Middle School and organized an English essay contest around the theme of Doolittle Raiders, sowing the seeds of peace in the hearts of students. This year, the essay contest attracted many students to participate, and more and more young students learned about this story of Sino-American friendship.
"Youth represent the future and hope. Many of the Doolittle Raider Children's Association, including me, are old and need young people to continue to tell stories and pass on friendships, and I'm constantly looking for innovative ways to make that happen. Susan said. At the award ceremony of the essay contest held on April 19, Susan asked the students in attendance: How to understand "living history"? "I think our participation in this essay contest is a good way to do it. We study this history and express our understanding through writing, and this process allows us to integrate into this history, and the telling of this history continues. After a student spoke in English, there was a round of applause. Hu Wenxin, from the second (14th) class of Quzhou No. 2 High School, won the first prize in this essay competition, she said: "As a young generation, we must not forget the friendship forged by the Chinese military and civilians and American pilots with blood and fire, and strive to pass on the friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation!"
In the essay, Hu Wenxin told the story of his friendship with the American girl Tessa. Tessa is from Redwin, Minnesota, a sister city in Quzhou, and came to live in Quzhou due to her mother's job change. "Although Tessa and I have only been together for two months and there is a language barrier, I can feel the pure friendship through her smile and kindness in the relationship, and our hearts come together because of it. Hu Wenxin said that if he could meet Tessa again, he would tell her the story of Operation Doolittle Rescue.
(This article was written by People's Daily reporters Bai Ziwei, Liu He, and Liu Junguo, and edited by Dai Kairan, Liu He, and Zhang Kaifeng)