Editor's note: Luo Qing is an international affairs watcher specializing in China-U.S. Relations. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In the autumn of 1944, 20-year-old Allen Larsen first set foot on Chinese soil, thousands of miles away from his hometown in Massachusetts, the U.S. With a camera hanging across his chest and hope in his heart, Larsen joined the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, better known in China as the Flying Tigers.

Under U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault, Larsen and other airmen stood shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese people, fighting against Japanese aggression in one of World War II's most critical theaters.

Through the clouds of death

During his time in the Flying Tigers, Larsen took one of the deadliest missions of the war: flying the "Hump," an 800-kilometer aerial supply route over the Himalayas to deliver troops and equipment to China. Flying over peaks as high as 7,000 meters, despite lashing storms and constant threats from Japanese forces, pilots managed to reach their destination following what they somberly named "the Aluminum Trail," a glittering scatter of aircraft wreckage that marked every mile of the route.

Thousands of tons of supplies were flown into China through this aerial lifeline, helping to sustain China's resistance. The cost was high: Over 600 aircraft lost and nearly 2,000 airmen perished. Chinese and American pilots flew side by side, sharing not just missions, but their hope and belief that justice will one day prevail.

Colors in the darkest days

When taking the mission, Larsen brought a Kodachrome camera that was rarely seen in China in the 1940s. He captured over 200 colored images of the country in wartime: children playing in the alleys of Chongqing, farmers harvesting crops in the golden sunlight in Hangzhou, shoppers making their way through bustling Kunming markets and crowds dancing in celebration of peace.

His photographs, later published in an album titled China in the Eyes of Flying Tigers 1944–1945, are not only historical records. They carry a living memory of the resilience, warmth and courage of ordinary people in China during a time of immense suffering. When the camera replaced the rifle, a shared heartbeat was found.

A miracle reunion after almost seven decades

In 1945, as Chongqing's streets were filled with cheers over Japan's surrender, Larsen snapped a photo of a little girl in a white dress and with a bright smile. He didn't know her name – only that she was affectionately called "Doo-Doo."

After spending decades tracing the little girl's image, in 2012, researchers in China finally found her: Wang Zhi, now a retired geologist whose life carried the mark of war and the strength born from it.

The next year, at Larsen's 90th birthday in Austin, Texas, Wang Zhi traveled across the Pacific to see the man who had shared a moment of empathy with her in war-torn Chongqing. Their reunion – where two silver-haired elders embracing each other after decades and across continents – demonstrated the enduring friendship between the Chinese and American people, which was born in a time of hardship and has been carried forward since.

Friendship forged in fire

Eighty years on, stories like Larsen's remind us that international cooperation is not a matter of strategy; it is buried deep in humanity. In the skies above Kunming, on the streets of Chongqing and over "the Hump," Chinese and American lives were intertwined in shared aspirations and sacrifice.

Today, as the world faces new challenges, the legacy of the Flying Tigers is more relevant than ever. It reminds us that true friendship is built not just in peace but also in adversity, and that across cultures and continents, people can find common ground in courage, compassion, solidarity and hope.

As Larsen said, he arrived in China with sympathy; after fighting side by side with the Chinese people, he left the country with optimism and kindness. Let us remember that spirit – not just in history books, but in the choices we make today.

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