Nestled in a residential community in Hangzhou is China's only privately run museum dedicated to China-US friendship during the Second World War. CGTN's Bi Ran tells us about the people committed to sustaining this memorial commemorating Chinese and American efforts in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. 

MAO WENJUAN, Volunteer "I usually arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 every day. I've been volunteering here for five years. This museum was founded by Fan Zhuhua and Pan Jie over 20 years ago."

From just two people in 1998 to a daily-operating volunteer team of 38 members today, this private museum has held nearly a dozen themed exhibitions. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger contributed archival materials, and three US presidents sent congratulatory letters.

FAN ZHUHUA, Co-founder, Hangzhou Sino-US Friendship Folk Museum "We have travelled to the United States eight times, investing all our savings in this museum. It's like raising a child. We've spent at least two million RMB by far."

The retired couple gathered materials from American libraries and also placed ads in local Chinese newspapers during their stay in the US.

PAN JIE, Co-founder, Hangzhou Sino-US Friendship Folk Museum "I'll check the Chinese version first because I don't understand English. Once I find the Chinese material, I'll ask the librarian to help me locate the corresponding English version based on it."

Occasionally, with the help of a distant relative living in the US, they became friends with Ms. Anna Chan Chennault, wife of General Claire Lee Chennault of the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers were an American volunteer fighter pilot group that assisted China in its fight against Japan during World War II.

FAN ZHUHUA, Co-founder, Hangzhou Sino-US Friendship Folk Museum "Ms. Anna Chan Chennault took us to the basement of her home. She had filled the entire basement with photographs of General Chennault's Flying Tigers and her efforts to promote friendship between China and the US. She also gave us signed copies of her books."

As preparation deepened, Fan Zhuhua came to know more about the stories of the Flying Tigers and the Hump Route, an airlift operation that transported vital supplies to China.

FAN ZHUHUA, Co-founder, Hangzhou Sino-US Friendship Folk Museum "Over a thousand planes crashed, and more than three thousand Flying Tigers members died. Whenever I think about this, I'm deeply moved—three thousand families. Such fine young men, forever lost in the valleys of the Himalayas. This is a friendship forged in blood and sacrifice—one that must never be forgotten."

In 2005, the couple brought the exhibition "Chinese and American Cooperation in the War Against Japanese Aggression" to Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, attracting visitors, including a veteran of the Flying Tigers. Now Fan is in her 70s, and Pan is in his 90s. The latest exhibitions commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan mainly rely on volunteers.

SUN JUN, Volunteer "It was by chance that I happened to pass by downstairs and discovered this museum. From these detailed historical archives, I could feel the founding couple's decades of unwavering dedication. That's how I transformed from a visitor into a volunteer."

The founding couple has recently found their successor, and this enduring story of China-American friendship will continue to be told. Bi Ran, CGTN.