On September 1, the Ceremony to honor Flying Tigers Heroes and to launch the “Flying Tigers Youth Leadership Programs” hosted by the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation was held at Jack Lund Schofield Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Consul General Zhang Jianmin attended the event and delivered a speech. The full text is as follows:

Dear Trustee Cavazos,

Dear Principal Knepp,

Dear Chairman Greene,

Boys and girls, faculty and friends,

It’s good to be back in school. After seeing how you cheered when we watched the film in honor of Flying Tigers together, I was so touched. The Flying Tigers and other heroes should not be forgotten. History serves as a useful guide to the future. And it is because of the sacrifice made by the Flying Tigers and many others that we today have the luxury to enjoy what we have. I hope it doesn’t have to take a world war for people to recognize the value of friendship and cooperation between our two countries.

It is my great honor to join all of you today to honor the memory of Dr. Jack Lund Schofield and to witness the official launch of the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and the Flying Tigers Youth Leadership Programs. It is most befitting that we are celebrating the memory at this school, which is named after one of the Flying Tiger heroes. The timing is also perfect, because tomorrow is the Victory in the Pacific Day. The anniversary of the world’s victory against Fascism is also commemorated in China and many other countries around the world. On behalf of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, the Schofield Middle School and all others whose efforts have made today’s event possible. 

The story of the Flying Tigers testifies to the power of friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and American peoples. 

More than eighty years ago, the Flying Tigers, under the command of General Chennault, fought together with the Chinese people against the Japanese aggressors. They made huge sacrifices. Two thousand one hundred and ninety-three American airmen gave their lives. Five hundred and sixty-eight airplanes were lost, whose wreckage along the treacherous Hump air route formed what came to be known as the Aluminum Trail. 

The Chinese people also risked their lives to rescue and protect the downed American pilots. More than 200 American airmen were thus saved. Thousands of Chinese people sacrificed their lives in the rescue operations. In another case of the American Doolittle Raiders, who were also fighting the Japanese Fascists, a total of two hundred and fifty thousand Chinese people lost their lives when the Japanese military bombed and wiped out entire villages suspected of having sheltered American pilots. Nevertheless, such barbarism cannot stop the Chinese people from doing everything they could to protect and save as many American friends as possible. 

Indeed, the Chinese and American people shed their blood together in the fight against Fascism. Friendship and cooperation thus forged are deeply cherished by people in both countries. With the Friendship Schools Program, you will have more opportunities to visit China and your Friendship School friends. If you come to China, you are most welcome to visit the places where the Flying Tigers once fought. There you will find many historical sites and museums set up in honor of the Flying Tiger heroes. 

The spirit of the Flying Tigers makes clear our shared responsibility for a better future for the people of our two countries and the world at large. 

Peace and security are not to be taken for granted. The world we live in today is still confronted with many global challenges: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, and geopolitical tension, to name just a few. How to create for the future generations a peaceful and prosperous world remains a common task for both nations. Useful inspiration can be drawn from the Flying Tiger story. Friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and the American people served both nations well in history. Whether or not we continue to enhance friendship and cooperation will have a major impact on our shared future. So how should we proceed?

I really couldn’t say it better than the motto of this school: We choose today what we become tomorrow. At this critical juncture of the China-US relationship, it is all the more important to embrace the spirit of the Flying Tigers and approach our bilateral ties with mutual respect. China and the United States have every reason to coexist peacefully and engage in win-win cooperation. 

As Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden in their recent telephone conversation, China and the United States, both major countries, are expected by the people of our two countries and the world to take the lead in upholding world peace and security and ensuring global development and prosperity. This is our shared responsibility. The pressing task now is to implement the consensus reached by the two presidents to improve and grow this important relationship. Anything short of that will be unworthy of the sacrifices made by our two peoples in the war against Fascism, especially the sacrifice made by Flying Tigers.

So, boys and girls,

Flying Tigers may get old with the passage of time, many actually are no longer around, but the spirit of the Flying Tigers stays strong and is always with us. It is my sincere hope that the young people of our two countries will take up their historic responsibility and carry forward the Flying Tiger spirit. Through dialogue and exchanges, our young people will have better mutual understanding of each other and work together to find solutions to global problems. We will have better chance of success in bringing about a better world if our two peoples work together to enhance friendship and cooperation. 

To conclude, please allow me to quote General Chennault. The words are from his memoirs, “Way of a Fighter”. I quote: “It is my fondest hope that the sign of the Flying Tiger remains 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.”

May the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and the Flying Tigers Youth Leadership Programs every success!

May the spirit of the Flying Tigers spread far and wide!

May the friendship between our two peoples grow in strength!

Now it is my great honor to present to the Schofield Middle School the letter of commendation in memory of Dr. Jack Lund Schofield for his service as a Flying Tiger hero and in recognition of the school’s commitment to carry forward the legacy of the Flying Tigers, cultivate Flying Tigers youth leaders and enhance friendship and cooperation between our two great nations.

Thank you.