Chongqing salutes General Stilwell's lasting legacy

Stories about the late United States Army General Joseph Stilwell have never been forgotten in Chongqing, and new chapters have been added to the saga.

On Tuesday, to commemorate 140 years since Stilwell's birth on March 19, 1883, the city held a series of events fondly remembering the hero who fought side by side with the Chinese people during the latter part of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

In front of Stilwell's former residence, a three-story cliff house near the Jialing River, his great-granddaughters Susan Mai Easterbrook Cole and Nancy Easterbrook Millward planted an osmanthus tree, which symbolizes friendship, loftiness and peace, together with Liu Ning and Liu Yinna, the great-grandson and great-granddaughter, respectively, of Chinese People's Liberation Army Commander-in-Chief Zhu De.

Although the two military leaders never met, they admired and respected each other, forming a deep cross-national friendship while resisting Japan's aggression. Their descendants have continued the friendship over the years.

Chongqing served as the nation's temporary capital during the war. The general's residence in the city was converted into a museum dedicated to his service that opened to the public in 1994.