Granddaughter of Flying Tiger's late leader visits China

Nell Calloway (center) and her granddaughters visit a kindergarten in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province on Monday. Huang Zhiling/chinadaily.com.cn

She told the students when her grandfather ended his memoir, 'Way of the Fight', in 1949, he wrote "It is my fondest hope that the sign of the Flying Tigers will remain aloft just as long as it is needed and that it will always be remembered on both shores of the Pacific as the symbol of two great peoples working toward a common goal in war and peace."

"We come together under the sign of the Flying Tigers and my grandfather's words hold as much importance now in 2015 as they did in 1949. We must continue to strive towards improving US-China relations by continuing to foster the friendship created by General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers. It is our responsibility to build a better understanding of both cultures through education," Calloway said.

Over 70 years ago, people around the world launched an indomitable resistant war against fascism. In the Eastern battlefield, Chinese people rose up to fight against Japanese invaders. Chennault led his American Aviation Volunteer Group to China and fought intense battles with the Chinese army. His volunteer group was known as the Flying Tigers.

"For many times, American bombers took off from Xinjin Airport in Sichuan to bomb military targets in Kyushu, Japan. They heavily hit the arrogance of Japanese militarists and achieved the victory of long-distance battles against Japan," said Luo Yubin, chairperson of the Sichuan Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

In December 1940, the Youth School of Chinese Air Force was established in Puyang, Dujiangyan.

"During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the school recruited over 2,000 students. Some of them became pilots of the Flying Tigers," said Yuan Ming, vice-mayor of Dujiangyan.

Before the end of her trip at the Guangya School, Calloway unveiled a plaque for the Guangya Chennault Flying Tigers Institute together with Qin Guangya, headmaster of the Guangya School.