World War II in China

One of the great things about teaching this World War II in Asia class in China is that this is a place where things connected to the war actually happened. At the Jianchuan Museum Cluster, just outside of Chengdu, there is a museum that commemorates the Sino-Japanese War and the American assistance that was provided to the Chinese. There is a museum dedicated solely to the Flying Tigers. For those of you who do not know, the Flying Tigers were a group of American pilots who flew for the Chinese nationalists against the Japanese before the United States was involved in the war. The Flying Tigers, or American Volunteer Group (AVG), had it beginnings in 1937 and one of the key driving forces behind its formation was Claire Chennault. Chennault, a retired US Army general, had some to China to be Chiang Kai-shek's air advisor. With assistance from the US, he crated the Flying Tigers. After the American entry into the war, the Flying Tigers were absorbed as the 14th Air Force, though many members of the group refused to fly as part of the US Army because they thought they had been shown little respect. Also, as a group, they were a little too free wheeling for the regular army. They posted an admirable record against the Japanese, shooting down well over 100 Japanese bombers.

Also at the museum were moving memorials to the Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese lost 10 million people in World War II, a death toll during the war only exceeded by the Soviet Union. 

Above is me standing with part of a large display of glass plates that are covered with the hand-prints of people who fought in the war against the Japanese. To be able to put your hand into their hands is an eerie experience. Below are more of the plates, then a close up of the hand prints, and kind of humorous take of a statue of a boy soldier.