STORY: Chinese museum preserves enduring legacy of Flying Tigers
DATELINE: Sept. 28, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:19
LOCATION: CHENGDU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST
1. various of the Jianchuan Museum
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): Docent at Jianchuan Museum
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): FAN JIANCHUAN, Curator of Jianchuan Museum

STORYLINE:

Even 78 years after the end of World War II (WWII), the heroic story of the Flying Tigers lives on well in a private museum in China.

The Flying Tigers was a special combat team, comprised of a group of American volunteer pilots, who came to China over 80 years ago to help the Chinese drive out invading Japanese troops.

To commemorate the Flying Tigers and other American servicemen who assisted China during WWII, Fan Jianchuan, who was once an entrepreneur, set up the Hall of the Heroes of the Flying Tigers in Anren Town in China's Sichuan Province.

The exhibition hall is part of the Jianchuan Museum, China's largest private museum cluster. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): Docent at Jianchuan Museum
"These are very precious historical records. It can be seen that military personnel and civilians from both China and the U.S. established a very profound camaraderie during their joint combat."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): FAN JIANCHUAN, Curator of Jianchuan Museum
"Being able to see these real, evocative, warm, and tangible artifacts from that time is of great benefit to our accurate and comprehensive understanding of this period of history. It encourages us to cherish peace, value the friendship between the Chinese and American people, and promote world peace."

Since its opening 18 years ago, the hall has welcomed 7.2 million visitors.

Xinhua correspondents reporting from Chengdu, China.
(XHTV)