Building a Bridge to China Through Art and History

 

Building a Bridge to China Through Art and History

When I saw the list of speakers I was impressed. General Richard Meyers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would be there. So would General Ronald Fogleman, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. President Trump's Ambassador to the People's Republic, Iowa Governor T. Edward Branstad was scheduled as the keynote speaker. The list of Chinese generals, diplomats, and dignitaries was long. And, if I accepted the invitation - me. 

I was invited to present and explain my artwork, as well as describe the history behind it. The pretext for the entire conference was a desire within the U.S. and the People's Republic to push through political differences and build a new relationship based upon the fact that, during World War II, we had fought tenaciously and loyally together against a common foe - Imperial Japan. 

After the Allied victory in the Pacific, there had been an expectation within the provisional government of Chairman Mao Zedong and the infant PRC that the good relations that had existed throughout the Global War Against Fascism (as the Chinese called it) would continue and prosper. The Chinese Communists were unaware that the government of the United States, especially the administration of Harry Truman, were as virulently anti-Communist as it was anti-Fascist. There would be no friendship, and by 1950 the United States would be leading the Western world in a Cold War against the spread of Communism - a conflict that would cost millions of lives in Korea and Vietnam over the ensuing decades. 

Throughout those generations, I learned with some surprise, the people of China - be they Communist or other - possessed an unwavering gratitude towards the people of the United States. It had been Americans who had heeded desperate calls from China in the late-1930s for help. Americans put themselves on the front lines by 1941, before the United States was officially in any war, to aid China in its fight against the invading Japanese. The American Volunteer Group (AVG), or the Flying Tigers, came to mean more to the Chinese than any other political or ideological conflict between world powers from that time until the present day. American friendship as exemplified by the Flying Tigers was taught in every Nationalist and Communist Chinese school in the 1950s - and still is today.  

Last year, President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic, sent a well-publicized letter to the families of Flying Tigers veterans in which he stressed the reverence he, and the people of China, had for the friendship and determination of their fathers and grandfathers. 

With all of that background in mind, I was honored to play some role in bringing two very different countries together through history and my artwork. We all descended upon the United States Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio on April 18, 2024 - the 82nd Anniversary of the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan. It was an utterly fitting day and venue.

   
One thing that I've now learned about diplomatic events: there are a lot of speeches, some good food, and a little cultural entertainment. From 9:30 a.m. through until 9:30 p.m., all of about 300 invited guests from two nations were completely engaged, learning, talking, and interacting. I'm certain that was exactly the point. While CNN and other global news outlets were broadcasting stories of dramatic conflict regarding China, Iran, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine, we were quietly enjoying this day-long marathon together with absolutely no media in attendance. Anybody who Google-searched for this conference would find nothing. According to the Museum's online calendar, it wasn't happening. But there we were. 

I spoke for about fifteen minutes. My painting, on stage throughout the day, depicted a particular moment towards the end of the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942. In keeping with the theme of the conference, I described the symbolic importance of the composition: One of the Doolittle Raider's, B-25B bombers, 'Whiskey Pete', running out of fuel over the Chinese mainland in the dark of night at the end of its mission. "This was the point where American courage and technology reached its absolute limit," I said, "and the courage and loyalty of the Chinese people picked up the gauntlet." The crew of the B-25 had bailed out of the aircraft. Without any foreknowledge of the mission, and fully aware of the risk to themselves, every American serviceman was rescued, hidden from the Japanese, and assisted towards their eventual liberation. "And as a consequence," I added, "at least 250,000 Chinese civilians were later executed by the Japanese, their villages burned to the ground." In China, every school student learns about this history. 

My wife, Erin, was probably the most astute diplomat in attendance. If U.S./China relations suddenly takes a seemingly mysterious turn for the better, it'll be thanks to her. There was hardly a point over the course of twelve hours when she wasn't happily engaging somebody, be they Major General in the People's Liberation Army or our own Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. There is no awkward formality with her, and her camera was at the ready the whole day. 

Over the course of the conference, within the formality of my speech as well as person-to-person, we felt that it was relevant to emphasize the importance of art as a means of telling important stories that, in turn, may be used to create positive relationships. Show don't just tell; we probably uttered a hundred times. The fact that I took pains to add an actual aluminum piece of B-25B 'Whiskey Pete' to my artwork seemed to be especially appreciated by the attendees. "I'm touching this piece of history," I explained, while my hand was upon the shred of metal, "From the deck of the Hornet, over Tokyo, into the darkness of China until it hit the ground, I'm connected to that moment." People in both China and the United States, especially young people, should have an opportunity to share that connection. Perhaps there would be less of a need for quiet conferences if we all did. 

I wish to thank my dear friend of many years, Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, for his continued support and efforts to include me and my work in the interests of a noble vision bother here in the United States and in the People's Republic of China. There will be more stories like this to share in the future!