From Flying Tigers to Kuliang hills, US family treasures friendship with China since WWII

BEIJING/FUZHOU -- On a memorial wall bearing over 8,000 names in East China, 73-year-old Elyn MacInnis quickly found Mu Airen, the Chinese name of Donald MacInnis. She gave the name a gentle wipe, as if greeting an old friend.

The wall in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, honors heroes who once fought here in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, including those from across the Pacific.

Donald MacInnis, Elyn's late father-in-law, was one of them. His bond with China, notably, has been kept alive for three generations in an American family and is remembered in China as a testimony to the China-US friendship forged during World War II.

"Don has always loved China, and especially Fujian," said Elyn, her eyes brightening as she recalled her father-in-law.

In 1940, roughly three years into China's whole-of-nation resistance against Japanese aggression, 20-year-old Donald journeyed alone to the country to teach English at a Fuzhou middle school for a year. He later joined the US 14th Air Force, known as "Flying Tigers" in China, serving as a "coast watcher."

His scouting efforts served as "eyes" for the Flying Tigers. Whenever he and his Chinese comrades spotted Japanese supply ships approaching, they would radio coordinates to the Kunming command in Southwest China, alerting them about the opportunity for bomber strikes.

China and the United States fought the Japanese fascists together in the war, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire. More than 2,000 Flying Tigers airmen sacrificed their lives during the war. The Chinese people also provided American pilots with assistance at all costs. More than 200 pilots in distress were rescued, with thousands of Chinese people giving their lives during the rescue operations.

"He understood the risks, but was not so afraid," Elyn said, while revealing that Donald often recounted how profoundly the Chinese people's united resilience had moved him. "Their collective strength touched his soul."