May 2009 Issue

2. EDITORIAL
Prudence Needed in Promoting the RMB Published by China Newsweek Corporation
Publisher: Liu Beixian
O
Executive Directors:
n April 8, China’s State Council an- Of course, a country’s status in international Liu Beixian, Xu Zhongmin, Chok Jianming
nounced a series of pilot projects to eco-politics, whether it is has an advantage or Editor-in-chief: Peng Weixiang
use the Renminbi (yuan) in overseas disadvantage, can be linked to its currency’s inter-
trade transactions within five coastal national status and its role in international trade in Editorial Office
Chief Editor: Liu Wanyuan
cities – Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shezhen, Zhuhai particular. Throughout history, all large economic Advisor: Liu Dizhong
and Dongguan. The announcement came on the powers have, without exception, tried to make Senior Editor: Yang Yi
Copy Editors: Stephen George, Chris Gauthier
heels of the debate over a super-sovereign reserve their currencies strong international currencies
Editors: Shao Xinfang, Wang Yan,
currency and the re-establishment of Special in order to obtain advantages in world trade and Yu Xiaodong, Chen Dongyi
Drawing Rights (SDRs) at the recent G-20 sum- finance, while those countries enjoying this status First Reader: Gareth George
Address: 5th Floor, 12 Baiwanzhuang South
mit in London. would not want to relinquish it. Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing, China
As the US monetary authorities continue to At the same time, it is the international com- PO Box: 100037
issue vast sums of money, the devaluation of the munity instead of a single nation that has the final Tel: 86-10-88395566
Fax: 86-10-88388045
US dollar has become an increasingly likely pos- say in selecting a nation’s currency as an interna- Email: readers@newschinamag.com
sibility. With this in mind, China’s new project tional currency. http://www.newschinamag.com
to settle overseas trade transactions in yuan is A retrospective view of world economic history
Art Department
obviously aimed at steering clear of further for- reveals that nations must first become a manu- Chief Art Designer: Fa Man
eign exchange risks while maintaining its current facturing power, then a trading power, before Advisor: Wang Min
level of foreign trade. finally becoming a monetary power. Given this Photo Director: Zuo Weiwei
Art Director: Xu Jie
These pilot projects, to a certain extent, reflect model, it seems that strong productivity, leading Photo Editor: Chen Jundan
China’s intention to expand the yuan in foreign to a trade surplus and a strong currency, are the Art Editors: Li Li, Tian Hao
trade. This idea, however, is not a new one. Pilot only way to ensure a nation’s favorable status in Assistant Art Editors: Li Hui, Gao Ying, Liu Jie
projects were initiated last year in several over- world trade. Marketing Office
land ports in order to promote trade with bor- In view of this, China needs to first reinforce China Newsweek Corporation
President : Peng Weixiang
dering regions. This latest move signals China’s its economy by increasing its involvement in the
Chief Executive : Fred Teng
ongoing intention to establish the yuan as a lead- world economy. At present, heated discussions on Tel: 1-212-481-2510
ing regional currency. new international reserve currencies reflect the Fax: 1-212-481-2503
Address: Suite 801, 15 East 40th Street, New York,
In this sense, the launch of the pilot projects declining position of the US dollar and people’s
NY 10016, USA
marks the first step in positioning the Renminbi resentment over its deliberately created excessive Email: readers@newschinamag.com
as an international currency. But, the path to full- liquidity. Yet in spite of this, the US dollar’s cur-
Vancouver Office
fledge international exchange of the yuan is long rent position as the primary international reserve Director: Lu Zhenya
and full of pitfalls. currency remains unlikely to be toppled within Address: 6326 Vivian St., Vancouver V5S 2S7,
Canada
For now, it is more practical for the yuan to the immediate future.
Tel: 1-604-435-5180
become a major currency in regional trade. Only This, however, has not stopped discussions over Fax: 1-604-435-5140
after fulfilling this immediate objective can the both a super-sovereign currency and a new com- Email: canada@newschinamag.com
yuan begin its move into more international bination of several powerful currencies as possible Marketing Director for China: Song Wensheng
markets. First, the yuan must make the transi- alternatives to the dollar. Whether or not either Tel: 86-10-88395566 ext 195
Marketing Promoter for the USA: Deng Yue
tion from being used in regional trade settlements of these currencies will ever fully materialize,
Tel: 1-212-481-2510
to international trade settlements. Then it must depends largely on the rise and fall of the world’s
become a regional investment currency before major economies. New York Office: Jing Xiaolin
Washington Office: Qiu Jiangbo
becoming a regional reserve currency. Once these As a manufacturing and trading power in a Los Angles Office: Zhang Wei
staged goals are completed, the yuan can then transitional stage, China needs to rely more on London Office: Li Peng
move on to become an international investment technology and science, rather than on labor to Tokyo Office: Zhu Yanhua
Sydney Office: Wang Jinchang
currency, before finally becoming a major interna- boost productivity. Paris Office: Wu Weizhong
tional reserve currency. It is through interactions with other national Bangkok Office: Gu Shihong
Pending this process, the country needs to currencies that a nation’s financial power rises or Kuala Lumpur Office: Zhao Shengyu
Moscow Office: Tian Bing
open the capital account of Renminbi and set falls. If China is intent on breaking away from this
up a number of international as well as regional system and overeager to see immediate results, it Legal Advisor: Allen Wu
monetary hubs, paving the way for Renminbi to would end up being trapped in the snares of “mon-
ISSN 1943-1902
become an international currency. etary nationalism.”
2 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

3. CONTENTS
The Revival of the Flying Tigers
Due to political reasons, the Flying Tigers’ story had been buried in China for several decades. It was not until
recently that their contributions to history gained notice, and efforts to preserve Flying Tigers historical sites
and relics have begun.
EDITORIAL SPECIAL REPORT 60 Yan Geling: Songs of Myself
02 Prudence Needed in Promoting the RMB 34 Who Should be Sent to Psychiatric Hospitals?
A Journey inside the System / China’s Mental Health DOCUMENTARY
TOP EVENT System: In Search of a Cure / The Argument For and 62 A Deadlock in Territorial Negotiations
10 The DPRK: A Calculated Crisis Against Involuntary Hospitalization
OLUMN
C
COVER STORY ECONOMY 64 The Foreign Exchange Reserve Hallucination
12 The Revival of the Flying Tigers 42 China, a Safe Haven? 65 Public’s Approval Crucial in Imposing Traffic
A Late Salute / A Lasting Bond with China / 44 Investment Opportunities and Challenges Restrictions
My Country, My Destiny / A Piece of History in China
that did not Come Easy TRAVEL
international 66 The Hulunbeier Grassland:
POLITICS 46 The Committee of 100: In Search of the Ancient Lele Cart
24 Questioning the 480-Billion-Yuan Defense Our Greatest Value is that We Exist
Budget 50 North Korea’s Rocket and Japan’s Drama ESSAY
26 China’s Aircraft Carrier: One Step Closer 68 A Radical Remedy / ’Just Go To IKEA’
28 Unhappy China: Nationalism Magnified VISUAL REPORT
through the Media’s Lens 52 I Want to Survive
04 MEDIA FOCUS
SOCIETY ULTURE
C 06 NEWS BRIEF
30 Dashed Dreams of Migrant Laborers 58 High Speed Hao - Chinese Cinema’s Fastest 69 HOT PICKS
New Thrill 72 ENTERTAINMENT
9 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 3

4. MEDIA FOCUS
Nanfang People News China (Chinese Edition) April 13, 2009 Southern Weekly
Weekly
April 2, 2009
March 20, 2009 Light Punishment for Severe
Crimes being Rectified
‘Super’ Old Men
Questions often arise in
China when convicted gov-
ernmental officials are not
duly sentenced. Legal Daily
newspaper disclosed that
95.6 percent of the people
who are convicted of derelic-
tion of duty are either not
Manner of Medical Reform Settled punished to the full extent of
the Criminal Law or end up
China’s long-expected reform of the health care system was an- with suspended sentences.
nounced on April 6, which stipulated that basic health care is a On March 19, the Supreme
“public service,” and the government should strengthen its role in People’s Court of China
“formulating polices and plans, raising funds, providing service and and the Supreme People’s
supervision” in order to ensure fairness and equality of the service. Procuratorate of China
Meanwhile, market elements also have a particular role in the plan, jointly released a judicial
A group of four influ- since China has achieved significant progress in market reform. An interpretation of key terms,
ential Chinese singers additional 850 billion yuan (US$124 billion) from the government such as “turning oneself in”
based in Taiwan – Lo will be invested to carry on the reforms in 2009-2011. But a lot of and “successfully confessing
Tayu, Jonathan Lee, people are still waiting to see more detailed policies and plans, espe- crimes and related activities,”
Chow Wah Kin and cially regarding the impact that the market will have on how other used in verdicts that allow
Chang Chen Yueh – last social elements will contribute to the health care plan. corrupt officials to get away
year formed a “Super with softer penalties. With
Band,” and they cer- the judicial interpretation,
tainly lived up to their Global People April 15, 2009
it is expected that guilty of-
title. The musicians ficials will find fewer ways to
have issued 70 releases escape severe punishment.
and about 600 pieces
and have held over 350
concerts so far. Starting Oriental Outlook
March 7, Super Band
kicked off a concert tour March 31, 2009
with stops in Taipei, No Cotton in the
Hong Kong, Beijing, Reserve Center
and Shanghai. Super Senior Officials in
they may be, but young Their 40s There is nearly no cotton left
they are not (except in three State cotton reserve
Chang, who’s in his A total of five Chinese officials in their 40s have been promoted to centers (Tieli, Shangzhi
30s). Their concerts have minister or provincial-governor level: Zhou Qiang, appointed Gov- and Wuchang) in northeast
attracted huge audiences ernor of Hunan at 47; Hu Chunhua, 45, Governor of Hubei; Sun China’s Heilongjiang prov-
throughout China, and Zhengcai, 43, Minister of Agriculture; Nur Bekri, 46, President of ince. Since 2003, the three
they’ve become darlings the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Lu Hao, 41, First Sec- reserves have not received
of the music industry. retary of Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist new stocks, although they
Part of their appeal is Youth League of China. They are regarded as valuable political as- have continued to incur
the fact that Super Band sets born in the 1960s, as they are young compared to most senior operating costs of 3 million
might be a short-lived officials in China and also received complete higher education. In yuan (US$439,000) per year.
endeavor. Insiders say addition, these younger senior officials have all had experience at The issue has raised ques-
the group will disband different political posts. They have not, however, left particularly tions concerning the need to
within the year. outstanding impressions on the general public, which might have maintain the cotton reserves
something to do with their age. centers.
4 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

5. MEDIA FOCUS
Sanlian Lifeweek New Weekly April 1, 2009 Caijing Magazine
Magazine
March 30, 2009
April 6, 2009
Learning From the Coca
Europe: Next Stop for Cola-Huiyuan Case
China’s Auto Exports
China’s Brilliance Auto sold
800 automobiles in Germany
in 2008. While poor from
a quantitative perspective, it
signified, at least, that Bril-
liance has gained a foothold in Credit is the Best ID
the German market. Brilliance
has projected that it would sell In the past, a person was often judged by factors such as family
6,000 units in Germany this background, education and wealth. But nowadays, that stand-
year, partly because there is an ard of judgment seems to be shifting to a person’s credit. While
appetite for small-sized autos in some critics have deemed that China’s fledgling credit sector is
Germany. In addition, the auto mired in problems such as unsound economic regulations, moral
producer will further expand absence, and the cheap cost of defaulting, there is a strong push
its market to Spain, Italy and to build a vibrant credit system. In light of the global economic Coca Cola’s attempt to ac-
France. Following Brilliance, crisis, “confidence is more valuable than gold,” according to quire Chinese juice brand
other Chinese brands like Premier Wen Jiabao. And confidence can only be built upon a Huiyuan was rejected by
Great Wall, Huatai and Cherry strong basis of government credit, corporate credit, and finally, China’s Ministry of Com-
all have their sights set on the personal credit. merce (MOC), resulting
European market, rather than in a wide range of argu-
only on emerging markets. ments around the world
regarding legality of the
Southern Metropolis Weekly March 30, 2009
decision. Did it represent
International Herald Leader
trade protectionism and
April 10, 2009 local brand protection? As
the MOC tried to defend
Different Think Tanks in itself, its explanations
Different Places did not seem compelling
While the US has more than enough to answer all the
1,000 think tanks, China questions. How could
only has 74, according to the MOC prove some
James McGann, a professor of the accusations that it
at the University of Penn- From ‘Slumdog’ to made against Coca Cola
sylvania, who tracks think Millionaire regarding its potential use
tanks worldwide. Recent of bundle-selling tactics?
years have seen more non- Like other parts of the world, there are poor people in China The Anti-Monopoly Law
government-backed think seeking the key to wealth. But it is far from reality to believe that is a new law in China and
tanks emerge in China. Due wealth can only be attained through the lottery or on TV game the Coca Cola-Huiyuan
to different political struc- shows like in the movie “Slumdog Millionaire.” Once, not too case is the first one to be
tures between China and the long ago, some people earned their millions through a determined tested by the law, which is
US, think tanks in China pursuit of wealth. Cao Dewang is such a person. The current why some people accepted
might not be as diverse as in Chairman of Fuyao Group in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, which the MOC’s ruling. Mean-
US in the near future, yet specializes in producing automotive safety glass and industry-use while, it is certain that
they could learn from their glass, was just a poor cowboy with little education before he started China needs to learn how
US peers in such aspects as working at the glass production company in 1976. But through to improve the application
management and operation, hard work, determination, wisdom and a favorable market during of the law through dealing
in order to improve their the 1980s, Cao became the head of his company. He says he would with such cases.
financial management and like to leave more than just money to his son, he wants to impart
public relations. his wisdom, too.
9 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 5

6. NEWS BRIEF
Sino-US Relationship
First Meeting between Hu and Obama
C hinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama
had their first meeting on April 2 prior to the G20 Summit
in London. During the meeting, the two leaders pledged that both
countries would work together to help combat the ongoing global
financial crisis. Obama also accepted “with pleasure” an invitation to
visit China in the second half of the year. With the meeting, relations
between the two countries, described by some as the G2, appear to
have got off to a good start. The countries have agreed to prioritize
their relations by establishing a new strategic economic dialogue and
Xinhua Photo strengthening ties at all levels.
ASEAN Summit December 2008, despite strong protests after the Big Dipper Constellation. Made
from China. In February, a Chinese busi- up of 4 satellites, it is experimental and has
Premier Wen Back Home after ness delegation, while on a trip to Europe, limited coverage and application.
ASEAN Summit Postponed avoided France before signing US$15 bil-
lion deals with other European countries. CEO Pay Curb
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao returned Premier Wen Jiabao’s European trip earlier
to Beijing on April 11 after the ASEAN that month also excluded France. In an CEO Pay Cuts, the Chinese Version
summit was postponed due to Thailand’s official statement issued by France on the
current political situation. According to same day as the meeting between the two China has ordered pay cuts for executives at
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Wen heads, France reiterated “the importance State-owned banks and other finance insti-
had planned to make a three-point proposal and sensitivity of the Tibet issue” while tutions as public anger grows over their high
at the summit for joint efforts to tackle the declaring its refusal to support any form salaries during the global economic crises.
financial crisis and promote cooperation of Tibetan independence. The statement, The Ministry of Finance said in a statement
among East Asian nations. The plans would marking an apparent shift in France’s posi- released on its website on April 7 that last
have included a China-ASEAN investment tion, was followed by confirmation from year’s pre-tax income for top executives, in-
cooperation fund totaling US$10 billion, China’s Ministry of Commerce that China cluding salaries, bonuses and benefits, must
270 million yuan (US$39.7 million) in spe- is initiating plans to send a trade and in- not exceed 90 percent of their earnings in
cial aid to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, vestment team to France. 2007. The official China Securities Journal
and 300,000 tons of rice for the emergency reported earlier that top executives at listed
East Asia rice reserve. According to previ- Satellite Launch financial institutions, earned an average an-
ous plans, after the summit, China had nual salary of 604,600 yuan (US$89,000)
intended to sign an investment agreement, China’s COMPASS Navigation Satel- for 2008, the highest among all industries
marking the end of negotiations on the lite Launched and far more than ordinary workers. Ma
free trade zone, which, according to Yang, Mingzhe, chairman of China’s Ping An
if established, would have a significant and On April 15, China launched its second Insurance Group, one of China’s highest
far-reaching impact on the promotion of COMPASS or Beidou-2 navigation satel- paid executives with earnings of 66.2 mil-
cooperation among East Asian nations. The lite on a Long March-3III carrier rocket lion yuan (US$9.7 million), has given up his
summit will resume in August. at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in 2008 salary following the firm’s disastrous
Sichuan Province. It is part of an effort to overseas investment.
China-France Relationship establish the country’s independent global
satellite navigation system, China’s coun- Antarctic Exploration
Beijing and Paris Back on Track terpart to the current US Global Position-
ing System (GPS). Reports have suggested China’s First Antarctic Inland Station
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with that China plans to complete the system Established
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on the by launching up to 30 more orbiters before
sidelines of the G20 Summit in London on 2015, with a further 10 navigation satellites Chinese scientists who returned from their
April 1. Sino-French relations soured after in 2009 and 2010. China’s current naviga- 25th expedition to the South Pole on April
Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama in Poland in tion system is the Beidou-1 system named 10 have confirmed that China has estab-
6 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

7. NEWS BRIEF
lished its first inland Antarctic research sta- Star’s Comeback
tion “Kunlun” on Dome A, the highest ice
cap on the Antarctic at an altitude of 4,093 Liu Xiang to Get Back on Track in
meters. “No scientist, from any country, September
has set foot on Dome A, except us,” said Li
Yuansheng, the head of the newly estab- Liu Xiang, former world-record holder
lished research station. The Kunlun station, and Olympic gold medalist in the men’s
with the capacity to host 20-25 persons, 110 meter hurdles, is set to compete for
will allow scientists to conduct research the first time after recovering from sur-
on astronomy, geology and global climate gery on his ankle. Liu, a national idol,
change, important components of the In- upset a lot of his Chinese fans when he
ternational Polar Year program. Kunlun is was forced to pull out of the Beijing Ol-
the third Chinese research station on the ympics at the last minute due to injury.
South Pole after Changcheng (Great Wall) IC Photo
Liu later underwent three-months of
and Zhongshan. treatment in the United States.
Face of the Month
Rong Zhijian:
Fall of the ‘Red Capitalist’ Family
R
ong Zhijian (called Larry Yung
Chi-kin in Hong Kong), chair-
man of the CITIC Pacific, a
Hong Kong-based investment
house, was forced to resign on April 3 in
the face of a police investigation.
The company lost US$2.5 billion last year
on a bungled attempt to hedge movements
against the Australian dollar. The CITIC
Pacific board became aware of the losses on
September 7, but only disclosed it on October
20, which alerted the Hong Kong’s Commer-
cial Crime Bureau.
The rise of the Rong family can be traced
back to his grandfather, Rong Desheng, who
became one of the country’s richest men in
1930s. Rong’s elder son, Rong Yiren, took a
leading role in supporting nationalization after
the People’s Republic of China was founded
in 1949 and donated much of his property to
the State. He was selected as the vice-mayor of
Shanghai (1957 -1959) and later served as vice-
president of China (1993 -1997), leading many
to refer to the Rong family as “red capitalists.”
Rong Zhijian, Rong Yiren’s son, born in
1942, moved to Hong Kong in 1967 whereup-
on he founded CITIC Pacific in 1990, which
turned out to be a great success. In 2007, Rong
Zhijian was listed by Forbes Magazine as one
of the wealthiest people in mainland China
with a personal net worth of US$2.2 billion.
After his resignation, Rong still remains a
board member of CITIC Pacific. But with his
daughter Frances and son Carl both departing
the company earlier, the once mighty Rong
Xinhua Photo family dynasty appears to be in decline.
9 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 7

8. NEWS BRIEF
What They Say
“My father always said that his primary wish was to go back to his native
Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, to pay homage to his ancestors. I have been
living in the Chinese mainland for 30 years
and my desire to go back to Taiwan is as
strong as my father’s.”
- World Bank Vice President Justin Yifu Lin, who was born
in Taiwan and made his way to the Chinese mainland
from Kinmen Island in 1979 by swimming across the strait,
expressed his wish to go back to Taiwan to pay respect to
his late parents. Taiwan authorities have yet to grant him
AFP PHOTO
permission to visit Taiwan.
“Is there a cheaper tomb site!?”
- Ms. Li, a Beijing resident, is stunned after discovering the price of a tomb site. (In recent years,
tomb sites prices have skyrocketed in big cities like Beijing)
“We can’t find a place to buy newspapers.”
- A local villager from Xichen Village of Henan Province reveals the weakening demand for news
media in rural areas.
“Why is it normal for Li Ka-shing to sell his company, but abnormal for
me to sell mine?”
- Zhu Xinli, chairman of Huiyuan Juice Group, talks about the rejection of Coca Cola’s purchase of
Huiyuan by the Ministry of Commerce.
“Look at the piles of deserted furniture, paper, cans, packages… We can
see that environmental damage is caused by normal daily lives. Environ-
mental protection is humanity’s most important project. It is not merely
the purification of the earth or the recycling of resources, but is the puri-
fication of human souls as well.”
- Master Cheng Yen, founder of Taiwan Tzu Chi Foundation, puts forward the idea that the “green-
house effect is a heart-house effect” during a recent speech at the Taipei session of the Second
World Buddhist Forum.
“A person’s life is like the flight of a plane. Only
a faultless landing rounds off the journey per-
fectly. It is the same in our careers as perform-
ing artists.”
- Jacky Tsung-hsien Wu, a well-known performing artist from Tai-
wan talks about his decision to quit the entertainment industry.
Cns photo
“The only-child generation is hard to teach, why have we allowed future
generations to turn into this mess?”
- Ji Baocheng, the President of Renmin University of China criticizes China’s current family plan-
ning system.
“Whenever I do charity, I let the world know the very next day. ”
- Chen Guangbiao, China’s “most famous philanthropist” explains that by publicizing his charity work
he can encourage more people to take part .
8 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

9. TOP EVENT
The DPRK: A Calculated Crisis
By Zhang Liangui
F
uture scholars of international bate. Although the de- It appears that the
politics will be drawn to the his- tails of the arguments The Democratic People’s Republic diplomats have forgot-
tory of April 2009, when relevant are still unknown, we o f K orea made a provocative ten that the DPRK has
parties presented their responses can tell from public announcement on April 14 saying never taken sanction
to the missile/satellite lunch by the Demo- comments made by resolutions seriously.
cratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). relevant parties that
that it will permanently withdraw The DPRK has always
This incident provided a valuable case study the arguments focused f rom the six-party talks, restart its followed its own track
in international politics. on three questions: nuclear reactor and speed up its and neither sanction
The international community had The first question is nuclear weapons development. resolution nor eco-
speculated as early as February 2009 that what was it exactly that nomic compensation
the DPRK would test-fire its ballistic mis- the DPRK launched? has had any substantial
sile, the Taepodong-2, but the DPRK Was it a satellite or a impact on its nuclear
announced that it would launch a satel- missile? Under current plans, whether they
lite instead. On April 5, the DPRK made circumstances, the answer to this question were within the frame of six-party talks or
the launch as promised, while the US and cannot be obtained. Though diplomats not. The DPRK, with its nuclear tests and
Japan monitored from various locations. from different countries have held onto missile launches, has never shown concern
At one point before the launch, Japan had their respective positions, none of them for “the security and stability of East Asia.”
threatened to intercept the rocket, but it have been able to provide concrete evidence
eventually backed down. to answer this question. A Slap in the Face
After the launch, the DPRK immediately The second question is whether the
announced that it had used its “Galaxy 2” launch was in contravention with Security Some Americans believe that the DPRK’s
rocket to send the “Kwangmyongsong-II” Council Resolution 1718 or any other inter- potential nuclear weapons will not pose
satellite into orbit, and that the satellite was national laws? Unfortunately, this question serious threats to the US until North Korea
broadcasting revolutionare songs in space. is pointless without the first question being possess the technology to produce long-
But the US, the UK, Russia and the Inter- answered. range missiles. The Chinese and Russians,
national Telecommunication Union (ITU), The third and final question is whether on the other hand, believe that the DPRK’s
all better equipped, never located the satel- a new resolution of sanctions should be nuclear ambitions are targeted at the US,
lite in orbit, which led them to claim that passed. The parties supporting sanctions and use this belief as leverage. As a result,
the rocket failed. The launch, they said, argue that by manifesting the international the North Korea nuclear issue has lasted for
violated UN Security Council Resolution society’s determination against nuclear a long time, and none of the major powers
1718. In an emergency session, the UN proliferation, new sanctions will pressure have set a concrete bottom-line in terms of
Security Council debated a response. In and warn the DPRK and deter it from time or ultimatums, nor have they taken
return, the DPRK threatened to withdraw further missile launches and nuclear tests. any serious and effective actions to prevent
from the six-party talks if negative actions On the contrary, those who opposed said the DPRK’s nuclear proliferation. Only
were taken against it. that a new resolution will anger the DPRK Japan and South Korea, under the govern-
In the UN Security Council, diplomats and jeopardize the six-party talks, therefore ment of Lee Myung Bak, have realized the
from the five permanent members plus Ja- posing a threat to the peace and security of severity of this issue, and have made neu-
pan entered into 10 days of contentious de- East Asia. tralization of North Korea’s nuclear weapon
10 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

10. TOP EVENT
a top priority. between the North Koreans and the Ameri- party talks have “lost the meaning of their
In the meantime, the DPRK has taken cans directly. To the DPRK, the other par- existence.” However, should the DPRK
advantages of the powers’ disagreements ties are all third parties. Only after Saddam need another 1 million tons of heavy oil, it
to buy time and move forward its nuclear Hussein’s regime was overthrown by the would no doubt be happy to return to the
plan. US, did the DPRK, in fear of becoming six-party talks.
The same scenario has once again repeat- the next target, reluctantly agree to attend a In reality, North Korea’s boycott of the
ed itself. While the Security Council de- multi-lateral talk that the US has insisted. six-party talks and its efforts to strengthen
bates, North Korea has already prepared its Many people have since forgotten that its “nuclear deterrence” are not unnotice-
next move. On April 13, the powers finally in the wake of the first meeting of the six- able. After its nuclear test in Oct. 2006, in
reached a consensus after compromises, and party talks in August 2003, North Korea face of a possible strike, the DPRK managed
the Security Council adopted a cautiously openly said that the six-party talks were to prevent Resolution 1718 including clauses
worded “presidential statement.” However, more harmful than beneficial. Even in the of “use of force.” It later returned to the six
before the diplomats could celebrate their meetings that followed, it insisted on a dual party talks, which generated two joint docu-
hard work, the DPRK released a provoca- approach, whereby key issues be determined ments with limited compromises from the
tive statement, condemning the Security by bilateral negotiation between the DPRK DPRK. In the meantime, the DPRK has
Council’s statement and declaring that it and the US, and six parties ratify the final won more than two years in time and much
would permanently withdraw from the six- agreement. more in materialistic benefits. Now, with
party talks, as well as restore its disabled When the idea was later raised that the the possibility of a surgical strike from the
nuclear facilities and speed up its nuclear agenda of the talks should not be limited to US seemingly removed, it can once again
weapon programs. It is a slap in the face of the nuclear crisis alone, but that the talks proceed with its nuclear objective.
all parties, and it is a hard one. should also provide “a package solution” to The DPRK’s nuclear plan has two objec-
all relevant issues in the Korean Peninsula, tives: the adaptation of nuclear weapons to
The Fate of the Six-Party Talks North Korea got its first opportunity to fit on warheads and improving its capability
subvert the process. It set up two objec- in nuclear power projection. The six party
Following the DPRK’s statement, the media tives as the six-party talks proceeded: first, talks, along with its agreements are obsta-
and scholars alike started to talk about the it planned to use delays to pursue nuclear cles of the two objectives. Taking the criti-
fate of the six-party talks and the impact of research, and second, it aimed to maximize cism from the Security Council’s “presiden-
the statement on the security in the region. its benefits with limited compromise. Now, tial statement” as an excuse, North Korea
Diplomats, on the other hand, started the it has fulfilled both objectives. After 6 years can now eliminate these obstacles. We can
pointing fingers, blaming the other parties, of six-party talks, the DPRK has become expect the DPRK to conduct a new mis-
and asking the DPRK to calm its anger and a nuclear power, and has obtained at least sile test within the year, and a new nuclear
come back to the table. Once again, they 800,000 tons of heavy oil as “compensa- test within two years. Unfortunately, this is
are surprised by the DPRK’s strategy. tion.” It has had its cake and eaten too. likely to be just the beginning.
Actually, the DPRK’s withdrawal from North Korea had hoped to obtain the
the six-party talks was predicted. From the 20,000 tons of heavy oil Japan had prom- (The author is a professor from the International
very beginning, North Korea has been re- ised in compensation too. But it now seems Strategic Studies Institute, the Party School of
luctant to attend the six-party talks, repeat- unrealistic given Japan’s strong reaction the Central Committee of the Communist Party
edly stressing that the dialogues should be to its “satellite” launch, and hence the six- of China. Translated by Yu Xiaodong)
9 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 11

11. COVER STORY
The remains of Lt. Robert
Hoyle Upchurch, pictured
here, a Flying Tiger pilot in
World War II, were laid to rest
on April 8, 2006 at High Falls
United Methodist Church
in High Falls, N.C. Upchurch
was killed when his plane
crashed into a mountain in
China on Oct. 6, 1944. (Photo
by Stephanie Bruce/AP)
12 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

12. COVER STORY
The Revival of
the Flying Tigers
Between 1941 and 1945, over 2,000 American pilots
and support staff arrived in China as part of the Pacific
theater of World War II. The shark-faced fighter planes
they flew were regarded by local Chinese as fierce “Fei
Hu, or Fl ying Tigers. These young American pilots
”
f ought alongside their Chinese comrades against the
Japanese. Some paid the ultimate sacrif ice, or went
missing into the skies over China.
Due to political reasons, the Flying Tigers’ story had
been buried in China for several decades. It was not until
recently that their contributions to history gained notice,
and eff orts to preserve Flying Tigers historical sites and
relics have begun.
As more monuments and museums are being erected
to commemorate the Fl ying Tigers, the legend is
experiencing a revival. And now that a Flying Tigers
theme park is under construction, the legend is becoming
so popular that it is moving beyond the history books and
into contemporary entertainment.
9 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 13

13. COVER STORY
A Late Salute
Between 1941 and 1945, over 2,000 pilots, known as the “Flying Tigers” f rom the US Air Force died
fighting Japanese forces over the skies of China. Many of these men vanished deep in the mountains of
southern China, or were buried in small villages, never to be heard f rom again. Sixty years later, relatives
continue to search for them, hoping for the day that their loved-ones can be properly put to rest.
By Staff Reporter Wang Yan
F
our days after Second Lieutenant After the Second World War broke out, that day, and visibility was low. When the
Ernest W. Garner Jr. sent a Moth- Ernie, like millions of other young, com- mission was over, Lt. Garner’s plane did not
er’s Day V-Mail (Victory mail) let- petent, enthusiastic young men and wom- return to the airbase.
ter to his mother Mrs. E. W. (Lela) en, devoted himself to the Allied cause. Nine days later on April 23, Robert A.
Garner back home in Ashburn, Georgia on As a fervent American patriot, Ernie had Clendenin, Lt. Garner’s commanding of-
April 10, 1945, he disappeared, never to be a strong desire to defend his nation, so ficer of the 528th Fighter Squadron sent a
seen again. At the bottom of the V-Mail on in February 1943, he left his industrial letter to the lost pilot’s family. In the letter
which “A traveling son is thinking of his management studies to join the Army Air addressed to Mrs. Garner, Major Clendenin
mother” was printed in both Chinese and Corps.
English, the 22-year-old’s smooth hand- Ernie trained for a year at Napier Air-
writing read, “All my love to the bravest field in Alabama before receiving his pilot
mom in the world.” certification - his wings - on February 8,
Mrs. Garner would have never expected 1944. Six months later, he was on his way
that days after receiving the letter, the joy to Calcutta, India to join the 14th divi-
she felt would be crushed by a hand-deliv- sion of the US Air Force, lead by General
ered, typed letter from her son’s command- Claire Lee Chennault. With this, Lt.
ing officer. The letter said Lt. Garner went Garner found himself in the middle of
“missing in action while flying as part of a the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of The location of the burial site for Lt. Garner’s remains.
bombing and strafing mission over enemy- World War II. (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Lucas)
occupied China.” On December 23, 1944, the day before
After that, the only news of Ernie his he would fly over the “Hump” (the supply
mom and dad ever received came in the route Allied pilots flew through the south- A Bouquet of flowers with Lt. Garner’s photograph on
form of hand-written letters Ernie wrote be- eastern Himalayas from India to China) to the site of his grave. (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Lucas)
fore his disappearance, and letters of condo- a base in China, he shared his longing for a
lence from the air force. When Mrs. Garner Christmas at home in a letter to his mother:
thought about him, the memories of Ernie’s “I can see the little tree on the table by the
presence and personality were interwoven window and the wreath in the door. Re-
with his last words. She never gave up hope member the many times we’ve all crowded
that Ernie would some day come home. through the French doors on those Christ-
mas mornings. Wonderful days, wonderful
Mom’s Unfulfilled Wish times.”
Ernie arrived in China on Christmas
Ernie was born on March 7, 1923, the sec- Eve, 1944, amid a heated battle for China
ond of five children, in Ashburn, Georgia. between Japan and the Allied forces, and he
As the oldest son, he was given his father’s soon began flying in missions over the area.
name, and he became the most revered On the morning of April 14, 1945, he
child in the family. Upon graduating from was piloting a P-51 “Mustang” fighter plane
Ashburn High School, he entered Georgia during an attack on a Japanese column of
Tech in 1940. supplies and personnel. Skies were cloudy
14 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

14. COVER STORY
wrote, “When Ernie was last seen, he was Chinese made every effort to aid him and
climbing into the clouds to join the other return him to an American base. Major Mission Continued
planes on the mission. Since he did not Clendenin wrote, “There is a possibility
join the others, he must have been lost in that [Lt. Garner] was able to bail out of his Lt. Garner’s nephew, Allen Garner, now
the clouds.” On May 15, a month after the plane, and may be in the hands of Chinese in his forties, grew up a few blocks from
accident, Mrs. Garner received a sympathy guerillas.” But as time went on without his grandmother. As a child, Allen came to
letter from Major General C. L. Chen- word from Ernie, hope for his recovery di- know his lost uncle through the stories his
nault, which offered more details about the minished. grandmother told and through the letters
disappearance of Ernie: “He was last seen Ernie’s mother spent years after the war she kept all those years. What he remem-
five miles south of Taiku, Shansi Province, actively seeking additional information bers most is the wistful way she talked
China, but no word has since been heard from the US government, the military, and about her son, and how her eyes filled with
from him.” people who knew him. She pleaded with sadness every time she thought about him,
By this time, Chinese civilians, along officials to do more to recover her son, but even as the decades went by.
with Chinese guerilla forces, had estab- it was impossible Spurred by his grandmother’s devotion to
lished a relationship with the US military Mrs. Garner died in the early 1980s find Ernie, Allen took up the cause of find-
operating in the area. Whenever a lost or without ever having fulfilled her wish to ing his uncle’s remains after she died. In late
injured Allied soldier was discovered, the find her son. 2007, Allen was introduced to American
Garner family in Daytona.
Lt. Ernest W. Garner Jr.
NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 15

15. COVER STORY
founded “Remembering Shared Honor” old Cai Jingxiu, who remembered the exact mand (JPAC), stated that more than 1,365
(RSH), a nonprofit group dedicated to time and place she saw a destroyed military US servicemen went missing in the CBI
recording the history - especially the oral aircraft on the ground in 1945. Theatre during the war. JPAC is charged
history - of the CBI Theater of WWII. “The dirt road was destroyed by the with recovering the remains of soldiers lost
Lucas has been in China for over 10 plane,” said Cai. “The plane broke into two at war; it is currently conducing opera-
years and became interested in helping large parts scattered over the nearby grain tions in the Asian Pacific region, but such
people find missing American soldiers in field. In one part sat a young foreigner, not operations are costly and time consuming.
China after he got to know Air Force veter- moving. He looked dead.” Private organizations like RSH play a larger
ans and the local Chinese people who came Later, another witness came forward who role in the ongoing mission to find lost
in contact with them. Through researching claimed to know where the pilot’s body was military personnel; other groups include
historical documents and military files, Lu- interred. Xie Sancun, a 77-year-old said MIA Recoveries, Missing Air Crew Project,
cas has been able to help families searching locals buried the remains in a field, now the BentProp Project, and BentStar Project.
for loved ones who went missing in China. location of the Shanxi Fuel Filter Factory. In the past decade, searches for wreck-
But the search for Lt. Garner was not When Lucas arrived in Yongji, he spent age and remains US Air Force pilots from
easy. Allen provided Lucas with a few two full days researching and recording WWII have been frequently conducted in
documents, including the letters sent home sites with his video camera. With the help China. People have found debris of Flying
by Ernie, but these offered limited help. In of local media, seniors from the village and Tigers aircraft in the provinces of Guangxi,
order to get more information, Lucas vis- the US military report, he found a small Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunan, Sichuan,
ited the US National Archives and Records yard adjacent the Shanxi Fuel Filter Fac- Yunnan, Henan and the Tibet Autono-
Administration (NARA), where he was tory, where Lt. Ernest W. Garner, Jr.’s body mous Region.
able to obtain the secret intelligence report was believed to be resting. However, his Chinese people understand the desire
regarding Lt. Garner’s last mission in 1945. grave was not found. families have to find the remains of missing
Through this report, Lucas was able to On April 14, 2008, the 63rd anniversary pilots and to pay a final visit to where they
acquire more information about that day, of Lt. Garner’s death, a group of Chinese lie, according to Lucas. “People at every step
including approximately when and where and Americans visited the spot to com- the way, whether officials or average folks,
Lt. Garner’s plane went down. The report memorate the sacrifice he made. Mourners were supportive, interested, respectful and
stated, “Pilots participating in Mission buried 63 cents in US currency in a tiny sympathetic,” he said. There were also times
No. 145 observed what they believed to be hole in the earth as a symbol of the culmi- when Chinese witnesses could not help but
a plane burning in the warehouse area of nation of the search for answers that his burst into tears when recalling stories about
Yungcheng. Possibly the Mustang piloted mother began so long ago. US pilots.
by Lt. Garner.” Ernie’s last surviving sibling, his youngest “Without the support of local people,
With this information, Lucas journeyed brother, Everett (Allen’s father) received the media and ordinary villagers, we could
to Shanxi Province in search of Lt. Garner’s news from Lucas. On his 78th birthday, Ev- never find the final resting places of those
final resting place. He was at first skepti- erett’s family gathered at his home to read the lost spirits,” Lucas added. He, along with
cal that his trip would produce any results. report and examine the photographs from the seven other members in RSH, have so
Many names of the places have been altered Lucas’ trip. Although the family was unable far found over 10 different places in China
over the years and historical facts were dif- to travel to China themselves, they took com- where the remains of 20 Flying Tigers are
ficult to verify due to a lack of information. fort in the Lucas’ explanation of Ernie’s story buried.
Lucas said he took the trip mainly to as- and the possible location where he rests. In China, local governments and experts
suage the family, rather than expecting to Now in spite of difficulties, the effort is from the US have joined together to con-
find Lt. Garner’s grave. still being made to locate the grave of Lt. duct searches. The US Central Identification
Garner. Laboratory in Hawaii in 1996 dispatched
Lucas’ Find specialists to Mao’er Shan, a mountain ra-
Bring Them Home vine in Guangxi Province where wreckage
Before going there, Lucas contacted the from a US B-24 bomber had been found.
local media in Shanxi to alert them of his On the official Flying Tigers website, a page The remains of all 10 crew members were
journey and to enlist their help. The Shanxi dedicated to the men of the 14th division recovered, identified and returned to their
Evening Post newspaper on April 4, 2008 of the US Air Force asks visitors to “Pray families. And in 2001, officials from the
published an article about Lucas’ search. for Their Safety and Safe Return Home to Pentagon’s POW/Missing Personnel Office,
Three days after “Searching for the Burial Families and Friends”. accompanied by a group of Chinese locals
Site of a Flying Tiger” appeared in the news- Unfortunately, many young airmen, that included soldiers, mountaineers and
paper, a man from Yongji city called the including Ernie, did not return home. In medics, visited two crash sites in the Hima-
Post saying that he knew of an eyewitness to reports online, Rear Admiral Donna L. layan Mountains in Milin County in the
the crash who lived in Matsun village. Crisp, commander of Joint Prisoner of Lang Gong region of Tibet.
The witness was a local villager, 73-year- War/Missing in Action, Accounting Com- The search continues.
16 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

16. COVER STORY
An American military plane lands in southern China during WWII. (File Photo)
A Lasting Bond with China
The legend created by the Flying Tigers over 60 years ago is once again arousing
interest and bringing back memories of an unforgettable past.
By Staff Reporter Wang Yan
I
n the last decade, American World Volunteer ‘Shark-Faced’ Fighters Chennault began to lay the groundwork
War II veterans, in particular Air for the American Volunteer Group (AVG)
Force veterans, have frequently The Japanese invasion of China started by building runways and ordering planes
revisted China and the battlefields in 1931. It quickly became apparent that from the US. He spent the winter of 1940
where they once fought the Japanese. the Chinese Air Force was too vulnerable in Washington, supervising the purchase
Many of these former airmen are known against the Japanese, so the Kuomintang, of 100 Curtiss P-40 fighters (diverted from
as the legendary “Flying Tigers.” The then the ruling party of China, decided to a UK Royal Air Force order). The planes,
Flying Tigers, commanded by General strengthen its air force. In 1937, Madame painted with the signature shark-face in-
Claire Lee Chennault, were young, dar- Chiang Kai-Shek (Mei-ling Soong) invited signia, were shipped into China through
ing airmen who gained a reputation as Claire Lee Chennault, a retired US Army Burma.
some of the bravest pilots of the Second Air Corps captain, to act as an advisor to On April 15, 1941, before the US for-
World War. the fledgling Chinese Air Force. mally declared its participation in WWII,
NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 17

17. COVER STORY
Flying Tigers crew members fish during their spare time in Hengyan, Hunan Province in 1943.
US President Roosevelt officially author- nia for AVG – a winged tiger flying through participation in WWI, he realized that air
ized military service personnel of the US a large “V,” for victory. The name “Flying supremacy was essential for all operations.
Army to participate in the war in China as Tigers” became the common moniker of He dedicated himself to modernizing the
volunteers. Chennault was given the com- the American Volunteer Group (AVG) of concept of fighter tactics at a time when
mand of about 100 US combat pilots and the Chinese Air Force in 1941-1942. mainstream thinking among his peers fa-
250 ground-crew volunteers, chosen from Later after the US officially entered the vored bombers.
different branches of the US armed forces. war, the AVG was replaced by the US Army From 1937 through 1945, Chennault
They were trained in Burma and by 1941, 23rd Fighter Group, which was eventually spent eight years helping China gain air
slipped into China, posing as musicians, absorbed into the US 14th Air Force. supremacy against the Japanese. During
students, bankers, artists and missionaries. his early days in China, he wrote a letter
The volunteers signed on for a one-year A Hard-Nosed Leader to a newspaper in Alabama, in which he
contract at triple their normal pay ($600 declared his disapproval of the US govern-
per month), and were guaranteed $500 for Born in Texas in 1893, Chennault was com- ment’s indifferent attitude towards China.
every Japanese airplane they destroyed. missioned as an officer in the Army when In 1941, President Roosevelt decided to
The shark-faced fighters that fought the the US joined World War I in 1917. He was back a group of American volunteers.
Japanese bombers were regarded by local soon transferred to the aviation section of The AVG officially merged with the
Chinese and the media as fierce “Fei Hu,” the Army Signal Reserve Corps with whom Army Air Forces (AAF) on July 4, 1942
or “Flying Tigers.” Based on this common he served with for the duration of the war. and Chennault stayed on as a brigadier
nickname, Walt Disney designed the insig- Through the experience gathered by his general. When the force became the 14th
18 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

18. COVER STORY
A “Hump” pilot plays with his pet jaguar. (File Photo) Memebers of the Flying Tigers. (File Photo)
Air Force, Chennault was selected as com- There are also many stories about Chi-
mander, and his tactics continued to be nese villagers helping injured US pilots
employed in the war for China’s skies. escape from the Japanese, which could have
He was known for his abrasive style. “As put entire villages at risk.
Fighter pilots, you need to have complete Within the 14th Air Force, several Chi-
belief in yourself and in your ability to nese aviators were assigned to the Chinese-
handle anything that walks, swims, flies, or American Composite Wing under General
wears skirts,” General Chennault once said Chennault’s command. These were Chinese
to the Flying Tigers under his command. Air Force fighter and bomber pilots trained
During the war, Chennault had a con- in the US, who fought alongside their
tentious relationship with his commanding American counterparts.
officer, Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell. His style of “I still clearly remember the old days,” re-
leadership conflicted with his AAF superi- calls Jim Dumas, 92, who served in the first
ors, and instead of remaining in command group of the 14th Army Air Force to arrive
until V-J Day as he had ultimately hoped, in China. “I was not the one to make the
he was replaced before the war ended. decision to join the AVG. I was in the Air
Chennault was eventually promoted to Force, they sent me there…Everybody had
lieutenant general, one day before his death homesickness. But when we were in China,
in 1958. He is buried at the Arlington Na- we were treated as royals, we enjoyed that.”
tional Cemetery. KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang Kai-shek In 1945, 10 former AVG pilots decided
(center), pose for a photograph with Flying Tiger Commander
General Claire Chennault (right) in July 1942 (AP Photo). to establish the Flying Tiger Line (originally
Bond with the Chinese called National Skyway Freight), which was
Documents show that large, heavy stone the first scheduled cargo airline in the US
During their days in China, the Flying rollers were used by local villagers to level and soon became the world’s leading air-
Tigers were wildly successful against the and pave runways during the construction freight company. On August 7, 1989 Fed-
Japanese air forces: 2,908 enemy aircraft of airfields, part of painstaking efforts to eral Express acquired the Flying Tiger Line.
destroyed or damaged against 193 combat- build up facilities for the Flying Tigers. In China and the US, various aviation
related losses of its own added to approxi- In a photo from 1944, dozens of Chinese associations have organized Flying Tigers
mately 59,500 Japanese troops killed in villagers are seen pulling a stone roller at reunions, and museums and monuments to
close air support engagements. The Tigers a Kunming airfield. Whenever an airfield commemorate the Flying Tigers have been
earned the full support of Chinese offi- was bombed, destroyed or damaged by set up all over China.
cials and civilians. During the war, when Japanese planes, locals would risk their lives
Chinese civilians sighted Japanese planes, rebuilding the field. Several Chinese were (With reference to “Flying Tiger General Chen-
they did not hesitate to report the cities injured during these attempts; an accident nault,” book written by Li Jianfeng (2005) and
to Chennault’s headquarters over the tel- once killed dozens of Chinese people when article “Flying Tiger, Hidden Dragon” by Rebecca
ephone or ham radio. Grant (2002). Staff reporter Li Jing contributed
the giant stone rolled over them. to this report.)
NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 19

19. COVER STORY
Zhang Ning, 64, lives in an eastern suburb of Beijing.
(Photo by Staff Photographer Liu Zhen)
My Country, My Destiny
As a “Baby Tiger, the son of an American Flying Tigers pilot, Zhang Ning has
”
spent all of his life as a Chinese person, living through the turmoil and triumph
of a nation in constant transformation.
By Staff Reporter Wang Yan
W
hen this reporter first China, by a Chinese general in a Chinese by people around him. As a child, he once
met Zhang Ning in his family. overheard somebody say that he was not
home in Beijing in April It was his special identity, as a “Baby Ti- his mother’s son, so he went directly to his
2009, the 64-year-old man ger,” that has given Zhang Ning an extraor- mother for an explanation. His mother, Li
seemed more Chinese than American, the dinary destiny. Lianfang, explained to him, “When I was
only difference was that his nose was not so pregnant, I used to drink too much vinegar,
Chinese, and his eyes were much paler than Mystery of the Blond Hair so that’s why you were born with golden
most. When he spoke, however, it was pure hair.”
Mandarin with a strong Beijing accent. In late 1950s, when Zhang Ning was a little During those days, his golden hair and
But Zhang Ning is indeed American. boy, his blond hair and blue eyes made him pale complexion garnered comparisons to
His biological parents were American stand out from everyone else. He was nick- stars in the Soviet and Albanian films that
Flying Tigers, stationed in China during named, “Xiao Huang Mao” (little golden were popular in China at the time. Zhang
World War II. But he was brought up in hair) or “Xiao Yang Ren” (little westerner) Ning felt flattered when people said he
20 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009

20. COVER STORY
looked like a Russian or Albanian.
Zhang was born on June 16, 1945, to-
wards the end of the Second World War,
which brought thousands of Allied soldiers
to China. He was brought up in a Chinese
family whose patriarch was a general during
the war, and the family was considered part
of the upper-middle class. Family members
still call him “Xiaodi,” or “little brother,”
with affection. He told this reporter that his
childhood in Sichuan was happy, and his
family was quite rich. “We had a garden,
a tennis court, around 20 maids and four
cars,” he said.
After the People’s Republic of China
was founded, General Zhang Zhihe, his
father, was appointed to the State Council
in Beijing. So, in 1950, the family left
Sichuan for the capital, where life was also
as good for the Zhangs. Young Zhang
Ning received the best education of the
day, and was given free reign of Zhong-
nanhai, the Chinese equivalent to the
American White House.
Zhang Ning pictured here while he was a baby with his foster parents and sisters.
Everything seemed perfect for Zhang
Ning until 1957, when his father was
branded a “rightist” during the Anti-
Rightist Campaign launched by the Party. adopt her son. Li said to Zhang Ning, “I
General Zhang was sent to Sichuan for “re- heard that your mother went back to the
education,” and the political turmoil turned US with the air force after the war. But
the family’s life upside down. since then, we haven’t heard anything
One day when Zhang Ning was 15, he about her.”
stumbled upon his father’s diary, in which Though he knew that he was indeed
General Zhang wrote: “My son, Ning, American, he was unable to look for his
was adopted from a hospital.” Zhang Ning biological parents because at that time, the
could not believe what he saw; he burst into political environment was quite intense. It
A photograph of Lt. Col. William Norman Reed.
tears and ran into his mother’s arms, asking was during the Korean War (1950 - 1953),
if he was really adopted. His mother held and American soldiers were being depicted
him and revealed the truth about his birth. as cruel and merciless in their battles with his chance for further education after he
the Chinese army. Zhang was frightened of graduated from junior middle school at the
Searching for Roots what people would say if they found out he age of 16. He was assigned to work in a Bei-
was American. jing light bulb factory, where the labor was
“Xiaodi, you were sent over to us on the day Since his adopted father was sent away, tedious, and the environment was severe.
after your birth,” his mother, Li Lianfang, the family suffered, people around them, Zhang worked in the sweltering furnace
explained. “We didn’t mean to hurt you by including friends and classmates, made him room for a grueling 35 years.
keeping you in the dark during these past feel inferior, and his relationships with them In 1979 the government declared that
years; we just thought you were too young turned frosty. Things got worse several years the “rightist” accusations brought against
to know this. ” later when the Cultural Revolution (1966 – Zhang Zhihe were false, and his “re-educa-
From Li, Zhang learned that his parents 1976) brought even more hardships to the tion” was over. By this time the reform era
were both Americans. His father was a family. “Our family was labeled ‘capitalists,’ arrived, the political struggles in the coun-
renowned Flying Tiger, who died during a so the topic of who my birth parents were try had ended, and Zhang Zhihe was given
mission in Sichuan, and his mother was a became taboo,” he said. “I then gave up my the opportunity for a new life.
nurse in the air force. plan to search for my roots.” After so many ups and downs during his
Zhang was born after his father’s plane Because Zhang’s Chinese parents were life, and given the loving way in which he
went down, so his mother asked doctors affected by the political turmoil caused by had been accepted and treated by his adopt-
to find a more suitable family who could the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Ning lost ed family, by then Zhang Ning’s desire to
NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009 21

21. COVER STORY
find his real parents had dissipated. In 1997, Zhang Ning joined the Beijing
It was not until 1984, when his dying Aviator’s Association (BAA), which exposed
adopted mother encouraged him to look him to Flying Tigers reunions and air force
for his biological mother, that his desire was veterans.
reignited. Zhang Ning, now 64, showed a picture
of a young American soldier wearing a gar-
Impending Answer rison cap to this reporter and said, “This
man is quite possibly my biological father.”
With the reform and opening-up of China The back of the picture reads, “Lt. Col.
in early 1980s, more and more Westerners William Norman Reed (Jan. 8, 1917 - Dec.
came to China, which gave Zhang Ning Zhang Ning and his 9-year-old grandson. (Photo by Liu Zhen) 19, 1944).”
the courage to face his real identity. This General Xu Huajiang, a former Fly-
open environment also provided him with him to the Zhang family, said Zhang ing Tiger from the Chinese-American
more opportunities to solve the mystery of Ning’s birth father was a lieutenant colonel Composite Wing (CACW) affiliated with
his birth. that died between December 1944 and General Chennault’s 14th Air Force used to
Dong Bingqi, the doctor who had taken March 1945. fight alongside Reed, so he knew quite a lot
A Piece of History that did not Come Easy
On March 23, construction began of a 42-acre park in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region to commemorate the US Flying Tigers air squadron.
By Staff Reporter Wang Yan
C
onstruction of a Flying Tigers Chinese and the Americans during WWII.
Heritage Park began on March From then on more monuments have been
23, 2009, in Lingui County of built by local governments and individuals
southwestern Guangxi Zhuang in China, and the Flying Tigers Heritage
Autonomous Region, drawing broad media Park in Lingui is the newest project. It is be-
attention from across the world. ing built at the old Yangtang airfield, which
The Lingui project is one of many monu- once housed a Flying Tigers air base and the
ments and museums built to commemorate cave where General Claire Chennault’s com-
the Flying Tigers. Most of these monu- mand office was located. The local govern-
ments, however, had not been established Veterans from the Flying Tigers and their families pay a visit to ment in Lingui has invested US$23.4 million
China in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
until recently because in China, a country end of WWII. (CFP Photo)
in the park, which will cover an area of 42
that has experienced so many ups and acres, and the US-based non-profit Flying
downs over the last century, recording his- na National Aviation Corporation “Hump” Tiger Heritage Organization plans to donate
tory has never been easy. pilot James R. Fox, Jr., an American who US$40,000 and more than 50 items related
Due to historical differences regarding lost his life in early 1943 while flying sup- to the Flying Tigers to the park.
America’s perceived support of the then plies into China. In late March, News China interviewed
ruling Kuomintang Party and the sub- Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who Larry Jobe, President of the Flying Tigers
sequent breakdown in relations between presided over the ceremony, authored this Historical Organization, Inc., who is one
China under communist rule and the dedication: “This was an American pilot of the main people behind the project. A
United States, the Flying Tigers’ contribu- who died a martyr’s death in the battlefield retired captain with United Airlines, Mr.
tion to the eventual victory over Japanese of China during the resistance war against Jobe, shared with us his story about the Fly-
forces was rarely mentioned. Japan. The Chinese people will remember ing Tigers park.
But things changed since the late 1990s, forever this martyr’s name, James R. Fox Jr.” News China: Why did you start this project
as China’s efforts for more openness led One year later in November 2003, while in the first place?
people and officials to soften their views of being interviewed by the Washington Post, Larry Jobe: In 2006, we [board members
history, and the story of the Flying Tigers Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reignited the from the Flying Tigers Historical Organiza-
became better known. On October 22, conversation by confirming the role of Fly- tion] stood on the rock in front of the cave.
2002, China erected a statue to honor Chi- ing Tigers and the cooperation between the The same rock that Mme. Chennault put
22 NEWSCHINA May 5, 2009