Shared Sino-US history can help shape future

After Japan launched the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 during World War II, the United States retaliated with a massive air raid, known as the "Doolittle Raid", on Japan in April 1942. The daring operation ended with several dozen crew members from 16 US bombers parachuting into Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui and Fujian provinces in China, where they were heroically rescued by Chinese civilians and soldiers. In retaliation to the "Doolittle Raid" and the assistance provided by the Chinese people for the US soldiers, the Japanese military launched a brutal attack on Zhejiang and Jiangxi a month later, killing about 250,000 Chinese civilians, and bombing the airport in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, after most rescued US pilots were escorted away from the city. What happened in Quzhou all those years ago was beyond public diplomacy; unwittingly, Chinese people and the US airmen were crafting a shared historical perspective and building fortresses of peace. Let's hope the "Doolittle Raid" inspires some filmmaker to make a feature film someday, establish a theme park, and create a museum dedicated to this shared Sino-US history.