Exhibition on China-US WWII collaboration unveiled

BEIJING -- A photo exhibition covering China-US collaboration during World War II in the China Burma India Theater (CBI) was opened in Beijing on Saturday.

The exhibition, named "National Memories," displays pictures mainly taken by the 164th US Signal Photo Company and later on collected by the US National Archives.

Organized by Shenzhen Yuezhong Investment Holding Co., Ltd and the Charity Fund for Caring for WWII Veterans under the China Social Assistance Foundation, the exhibition is one of a number of non-governmental memorial activities in the lead-up to Victory Day in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression which falls on September 3.

John E. Easterbrook, grandson of General Joseph Stilwell, who commanded the Allied Forces in China, was invited to give a speech at the launch ceremony.

He referred to General Stilwell's perception of Chinese soldiers as "hardy and uncomplaining, accustomed to long hours, scanty food, hard work, sickness and wounds."

"Yet they were able to make a joke of the merest trifle and remain cheerful under the most discouraging circumstances," Easterbrook quoted his grandfather as saying.

Deng Kangyan, chairman of Yuezhong Film & Television Co., Ltd, explained the motivation behind the show. "When we dug into the WWII photos in the US National Archives four year ago, we found photos featuring European battlefields were browsed by many people, but pictures about of Chinese battlefields or the CBI were little-sought, coated by dust."

Deng hopes that the pictures can ensure history is not forgotten.

Wars fought in the CBI theater were crucial to China's eventual victory in WWII as it helped secure the only supply route to China from the outside world, as the Japanese invaders severed all other channels.

The exhibition will be held until September 9, at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.