My China Album records China-US friendship

The fifth My China Album, co-sponsored by China Daily USA and the Chinese embassy in the United States, will chronicle the many touching stories of China-US friendship, capturing significant moments and recording the voices of those who consider China a friend afar.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has frequently expressed that to nurture China-US relations, the hope and foundation reside in the people, the future lies with the youth, and the vitality comes from the subnational level.

Through our 12 video episodes and serial articles, we feature a wide array of topics from joint efforts on subnational levels to battling climate change, to restoring and preserving habitats for giant pandas, to how the power of music strikes a sympathetic chord in the hearts of audiences in both countries.

My China Album collects the shared legacy of both the United States and China, for example, the legend of the Flying Tigers. Our reporters have traced the footsteps of the Flying Tigers World War II veterans to rekindle the wartime friendship.

In 1941, a group of American volunteer pilots led by General Claire Lee Chennault, commander of the Flying Tigers, joined Chinese comrades to fight shoulder to shoulder against the invading Japanese Army.

The Flying Tigers flew over the Himalayas, helping transport most-needed strategic supplies to break through the Japanese blockade and then celebrated with their Chinese brothers and sisters when the final triumph came.

In his September letter, President Xi wrote to Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Mel McMullen that, "in the past, our two peoples fought the Japanese fascists together, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire. In the future, the two major countries shoulder even more important responsibility for world peace, stability and development."

In another letter he sent in August in response to the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, Xi said he hoped that more young people from China and the United States would get to know each other and move forward together; become generational ambassadors for bilateral friendship; and inject impetus into the development of bilateral ties.

My China Album also documents the growing interest among the young American generation's exploration of Chinese culture.

Clint Liddick, a Californian fluent in Chinese, spent years in China gaining first-hand knowledge of Chinese martial arts before opening his own kung fu school.

John Smagula, a judicial system scholar at Temple University in Philadelphia, indulged China's tea fermenting and cultivation skills so much so that he has become a self-trained expert.

Davyd Booth, cellist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, anticipates more visits to China to collaborate with Chinese counterparts.

Regardless of differences in age, race and background, our storytellers share the belief that to advance China-US friendship, what is needed is mutual respect, reciprocal appreciation, willingness to withstand difficulties together, and painstaking efforts to nurture, retain and sustain the relationship.

We are hopeful that My China Album can increase mutual understanding, enhance mutual respect and propel the healthy development of China-US relations.

junechang@chinadailyusa.com