A student poses for a photo with Jeffrey Greene (right) (Photo taken by reporter Gao Wushuang).

The school presented Jeffrey Greene (left) with a cultural and creative gift featuring distinctive Yunnan features (Photo taken by reporter Gao Wushuang).

Jeffrey Greene (right) shares the stories of Chinese and American pilots at the Kunming Flying Tigers Museum (Photo taken by reporter Gao Wushuang).

On June 25, the "Flying Tigers Bond—Plaque Awarding Ceremony & Dialogue for the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program" was held in Kunming. Jeffrey Greene, president of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, presented plaques to Mengzi No.1 High School, Dali No.1 High School, Xishuangbanna No.1 Middle School, Baoshan No.1 Middle School, and Lushui No.1 Middle School. Before the ceremony, Greene donned a commemorative Flying Tigers leather jacket and presented jackets to the principals of the "Flying Tigers Friendship Schools." "We are all members of the Flying Tigers family now," he said with a smile.

Founded in 1998, the SinoAmerican Aviation Heritage Foundation has spent nearly three decades promoting friendship and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. So far, seven schools in Yunnan have joined the Flying Tigers Friendship Schools network. Wang Yu, Executive Vice President of the Yunnan Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said she hopes to see more exchanges between teachers and students, academic exchanges, and cultural programs between the two sides—opportunities for young Americans and Chinese to get to know each other, learn from one another, and build lasting friendships, all while keeping the Flying Tigers spirit alive for generations to come.

"The Flying Tigers story began in Yunnan, which makes this place especially meaningful," Greene said. He has returned to Yunnan many times to keep that story alive..

In 2023, President Xi Jinping, in a reply letter to Greene and Flying Tigers veterans Moyer and McMullen, he noted that the sound and steady development of China-U.S. relations relations in the new era requires the participation and support of a new generation of Flying Tigers. He expressed his hope that the Flying Tigers spirit would be passed down from generation to generation by the peoples of the two countries. The same year, Greene, Moyer, McMullen, and descendants of Flying Tigers veterans traveled to several Chinese cities to revisit the shared history and renew their friendship. In Kunming, the veterans and local children sang "Auld Lang Syne" together, a song that transcended time and borders, and moving everyone present.

Greene said the Flying Tigers represent a precious spiritual legacy, one built on genuine friendship, fearless spirit of sacrifice, and the power of unity, and it must be carried forward. "The history of the Flying Tigers reminds us that even in humanity's darkest hours, people can still set aside fear and choose compassion,  rise above self-preservation and hold fast to what is right," he said.

Greene recalled the faces of the Flying Tigers veterans he accompanied on their visits to China years ago. They all wore the same expression. He was puzzled at first, but it soon became clear: it was pride. "They saw their own legacy in today's China and understood that what they did back then had helped shape the country's development," Greene said. He observed that many Europeans and Americans are now largely unfamiliar with the Flying Tigers story. The Flying Tigers Friendship Schools and Youth Leadership Program, he explained, is designed to introduce young people in China and the United States to that history through cultural, artistic, sports, and other exchange activities, and to help them appreciate the meaning of courage, kindness, and justice.

He believes that as two major countries in the world, the United States and China can and should step up their cooperation, with broad scope for collaboration in agriculture, science, business, aerospace, and beyond. And what he wants to convey to the younger generation in both countries, he said, is a message of peace, cooperation, and unity.

"To me, the Flying Tigers spirit means stepping up when it counts, cherishing peace, and embracing unity and friendship," said Qiao Jinyang, a student at Baoshan No.1 Middle School. She said that when she visited museums and historical sites before, she had heard about the Flying Tigers, but it always felt like a grand and distant piece of history. Through this exchange, she came to realize that many of the Flying Tigers pilots were around her age when they came to China. She was deeply moved by the story of how the Chinese and American peoples fought side by side in those years. "Our generation must take up the torch of the Flying Tigers spirit and serve as a bridge of friendship of friendship between China and the United States," she said.

Liu Deqing, a student at Dali No.1 High School, shared similar sentiments. He said the sacrifices made by those who came before him had brought peace to his hometown, which made him all the more appreciative of life today. With his school now designated as a Flying Tigers Friendship School, he said, there will be more opportunities for international exchanges in the future. He looks forward to making American friends, introducing them to Dali's history, sharing China's latest tech products, and having conversations about what life is like today.

As the event came to a close, school representatives exchanged souvenirs with Greene. Dali No.1 High School presented a tie-dye artwork featuring the theme of "water," symbolizing the hope that China-U.S. friendship, like a river, would flow on and on, from generation to generation. To the strains of "Auld Lang Syne," everyone clasped one another's hands.

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(Editors: Evan, Doe, Diana)