On August 30, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States hosted a commemorative event honoring the descendants of the Flying Tigers and celebrating Sino-U.S. friendship. The occasion marked the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, known as the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in China. In Xiaoxi Township, Pinghe County, Fujian Province, however, local residents continue to recall how, in the summer of 1945, a damaged Flying Tigers aircraft landed in a creek's sandbank in Kuzhulin Village, near Guanxi (now Xiaoxi). Assisted by villagers, the plane became a lasting testament to the joint resistance of China and the United States.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Xiamen was occupied, and Japanese aircraft frequently bombed southern Fujian. Pinghe County was not spared—"on April 30 and May 4, 1941, Japanese planes bombed the county seat twice," causing casualties and heavy property losses, according to the Pinghe County Chronicles (1993 edition). In response, coastal schools were relocated inland, and many residents fled to the mountains, forced to live under the constant shadow of war.
By July 1945, the Pacific War was nearing its end. With U.S. forces in control of the skies, Japanese warships were repeatedly sunk in the waters off Fujian and Guangdong. Cut off from supplies, Japanese troops stationed in Kinmen and Xiamen were forced to retreat overland along the southern Fujian coast toward Shantou. Earlier that year, U.S. Army Air Forces units, commonly known as the Flying Tigers, had been stationed at Changting Airport in Fujian. Serving as the only air base on China's southeastern front, it played a critical role in the fight against Japan.
One day in August, a Flying Tigers fighter plane was damaged in a fierce battle with Japanese aircraft over Xiamen. It circled for a long time over Xiaoxi Township, Pinghe County. Locals initially mistook it for a Japanese attack and took refuge in air-raid shelters. Later, the plane gradually descended onto the sandbank at Kuzhulin Village, between Hutian and Xinpo near Guanxi.
History enthusiast Xiaolin interviewed Mr. Cai, an elderly resident of Kuzhulin Village, about the incident. He confirmed that it indeed took place. Eighty years ago, a plane landed on a large sandbank beside the Huaxi River on the west side of the village, along the Jiulong River. Two pilots from the U.S. Army Air Forces, commonly known as the Flying Tigers, were injured during the landing. They carried a "blood chit" inscribed in Chinese: "This foreigner has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue and protect him." The blood chit served to request local assistance, bridging language barriers and ensuring the pilots received prompt medical attention. The two men disembarked safely. Mr. Cai, now nearly 90, recalled that the plane was small, about the size of a boat on the Jiulong River.
Mr. Cai Hanyi, director of Pinghe County's Taoist Association, added, "When I was in junior high at Shange Middle School (now Pinghe No. 6 Middle School), our English teacher, Ms. Ren Xueying, a Christian who remained unmarried lifelong, often told us about the Flying Tigers' plane landing at Kuzhulin. After the landing, her brother served as an interpreter for the pilots. Villagers like Cai Kunfang from my hometown, Longqing Village, also rushed to help with the rescue. They even used urine buckets to remove 18 dan (about 317 gallons) of gasoline from the plane, just in case. For those born after the Liberation, such stories are little known."
At that time, the Huaxi River was nearly 100 meters wide and had no bridge. Residents of Hutian, Yanban, Kuzhulin, and Lilin villages could cross safely by ferry, paying a two-cent fee to the boatman, and from Lilin Wharf walk another 1.5 to two kilometers to reach Xikou (today's Guanxi Township) for the market.
The two American pilots also crossed the river by ferry from Lilin. When they disembarked, they attempted to pay the ferryman. Unable to communicate in Chinese, they used hand gestures, one finger, then two, and so on, but the ferryman still shook his head in confusion. Finally, one of the pilots pressed a U.S. dollar bill into his hand. Waving goodbye, they walked along the rugged path toward Guanxi.
At the time, my mother was teaching at Hutian Village Primary School, less than 500 or 600 meters from the Kuzhulin sandbank. The villagers all took their children to see the downed plane, but my mother would not allow me to go.
The third daughter of Dr. Zhang Guorui, a renowned physician from Pinghe County and a native of Suzhou (her wife's grandfather was Rev. Ye Hanzhang, one of the earliest Chinese pastors), recalled, "My father brought five or six of us children to the sandbank at Kuzhulin, about 2.5 to three kilometers from Guanxi, to see the plane. The place was packed with people, like a marketplace. Street vendors seized the opportunity to sell cold water and snacks, and the sandbank turned into a bustling marketplace."
Meanwhile, Li Mingda, then mayor of Guanxi Township, quickly contacted Zhang Jingyao, principal of Pinghe Dacheng Middle School, who was a Peking University graduate fluent in English, and sent English teacher Chen Yufeng to communicate with the two American pilots. They were first housed at the "Social Service Office" in Guanxi and later moved to a residence used by American missionaries to recuperate.
People from all walks of life in Guanxi came to express their concern, including teachers and students from middle schools relocated there from Hong Kong, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, and other areas during the war.
Dr. Zhang's third daughter added, "I was only eight or nine years old at the time. I joined a group of children organized by Xiaoxi Church to greet the American pilots. They were very kind and even gave us some milk candies."
It is said that a piece of iron used for ringing bells at Xinpo Primary School was originally salvaged from the aircraft. Soon after, the damaged plane was dismantled and transported by riverboat to Niuqitou in Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, and eventually returned to Changting Airport.
"At 11 p.m. on August 15, news of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression reached the county town. People rushed to spread the word, beating drums and gongs and setting off firecrackers. Students held torchlight parades, the streets and alleys were brightly illuminated, and shops opened to celebrate." (Pinghe County Chronicles, 1993 edition). The story of the Flying Tigers' plane became a heartwarming footnote to this historic moment.
Eighty years later, the spirit of the Flying Tigers continues to symbolize Sino-U.S. friendship. Today's commemoration serves as a reminder that peace is hard-won and that cooperation is essential for mutual success. The civilians' rescue of the Flying Tigers was not only an act of wartime goodwill but also a shining example of humanity that transcends national boundaries. This history deserves lasting remembrance.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times, and the author is a Christian in Fuzhou, Fujian.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
