Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow/Chongqing, May 5 (Xinhua) — The Yangtze River flows swiftly in Wanzhou District of Chongqing Municipality, southwest China, not far from the Three Gorges Dam. There is a quiet cemetery in the picturesque Xishan Park. Under the shade of pine and cypress trees, a white dove of peace spreads its wings on a marble tombstone, preparing to take off, while a fighter jet pierces the sky.
The monument is engraved with an inscription in Russian and Chinese: “Here lie the ashes of the commander of the Soviet volunteer air squadron, who died heroically in the war of the Chinese people against the Japanese invaders, Grigory Akimovich Kulishenko /1903-1939/. July 7, 1958.” A bronze bust of the hero is installed in front of the tombstone.
“When the war of resistance against the Japanese invaders was going on, Soviet Air Force Captain G. Kulishenko arrived in China to fight side by side with the Chinese people. “I am experiencing the misfortune of the Chinese workers as if I were experiencing the misfortune of my homeland,” he said with feeling. The pilot died heroically on Chinese soil. The Chinese people have not forgotten the hero, and ordinary Chinese people – mother and son – have been guarding his grave for more than half a century,” – during his visit to Russia in 2013, Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping told the story of G. Kulishenko with deep emotion, speaking at MGIMO.
Today, tall and majestic camphor trees grow around G. Kulishenko’s tombstone, planted by Chinese cemetery guardians many years ago.
“IT IS OUR DUTY”
After the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered the phase of a conflict of attrition, Kulishenko and his colleagues led two squadrons of DB-3 heavy bombers (the pilots affectionately called them “Dasha”) to Chengdu. Liu Qun, who worked as a translator for Kulishenko at the time, wrote an article in which he recalled that this “heavenly warrior” had a simple face and a strong build, “slightly black hair, the color of the eyes like those of the Chinese, thick eyebrows and tall stature” and was somewhat similar to a Shandong resident (a resident of Shandong, one of the provinces of China – Xinhua note).
In addition to carrying out air strikes against the Japanese army, Kulishenko also had the important task of training Chinese pilots. Liu Qun says that before each flight, he would explain to each Chinese pilot the daily flight program, the aircraft control method, etc. Before sitting in the front cockpit, he would watch the other pilots sit in the control cabin and press the brake. Kulishenko also gave detailed comments after landing and sometimes flew three or four flights in a row as an instructor to correct mistakes. “I never saw him show the slightest impatience or fear of difficulties in front of the young pilots who were learning to fly,” Liu Qun writes.
On October 14, 1939, G. Kulishenko, leading a bomber group of the volunteer air force to aid China, raided the Japanese airfield in Hankou, causing heavy losses to the Japanese army. On the way back, he was intercepted by the enemy. The Soviet pilot received gunshot wounds to the chest and left shoulder. The enemy also hit one of the engines of his bomber. In order to protect the planes and people on the ground, G. Kulishenko refused to jump with a parachute and decided to make an emergency landing on the Yangtze in the Chenjiaba area of Wanxian County /now Wanzhou District of Chongqing – Xinhua note/. Two of his comrades swam to the shore, but the wounded Kulishenko was carried away by the current, and he died a heroic death.
Upon learning of this, the residents of Wanxian, without any agreement, set out to search along the river and 20 days later found the pilot’s body more than 10 kilometers from the crash site. They held a memorial service and a funeral according to Chinese custom.
In 1958, the Wanxian County People’s Government built a special cemetery for G. Kulishenko and ceremoniously reburied him. For more than 60 years, Chinese woman Tan Zhonghui took over as the grave’s caretaker, and her son Wei Yingxiang continued the work. “This is our duty, gratitude, and the conscience inherent in the Chinese people,” Wei Yingxiang said. He told reporters that his greatest wish is to ensure that the heroes buried in a foreign country are not alone, and that their heroic deeds and stories of friendship are passed down from generation to generation.
“THE PEACE MEDAL” – “THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE AWARDS FOR ME”
Nikolai Chuikov, the grandson of Soviet Marshal Vasily Chuikov, emotionally told journalists that he had heard many stories similar to that of Captain G. Kulishenko, and the Chinese people have always had deep feelings for the Soviet heroes buried on Chinese soil. According to him, the Soviet Union helped China fight the Japanese invaders, and China resolutely supported the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. The friendship that arose during the World Anti-Fascist War is a common heritage of both sides, our interlocutor is sure.
Marshal Vasily Chuikov had close ties to China. He had studied Chinese, was familiar with China’s national characteristics, and visited the country four times. From late 1940 to March 1942, he served as the chief Soviet military adviser in China. The Marshal was directly involved in developing the war plan against Japan and maintained close contacts with the commanders of the Eighth Army and the New Fourth Army, which operated under the CPC.
On the main battlefield of World War II in Asia, the Chinese people and army fought tenaciously against Japanese aggression, destroyed and tied up a large number of Japanese aggressor forces. With the sacrifice of 35 million lives, they finally won a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and made a great contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
N. Chuikov, 65, heard many stories about China from his grandfather as a child. For many years, he has been devoted to promoting good relations between Russia and China and is currently the deputy chairman of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society. He has a medal that means a lot. In May 2015, during a visit to Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with representatives of Russian veterans and presented them with commemorative medals. N. Chuikov was among them.
He called the Peace Medal the most valuable award for himself, as it was presented personally by the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Our interlocutor said that he is proud of the medal, which inspires him to work harder.
“The Chinese and Russian peoples have cemented a deep friendship with their blood and lives, laying a solid foundation for Chinese-Russian relations and friendship between the two peoples for generations,” Xi Jinping’s words at the meeting with veterans made a particularly deep impression on N. Chuikov. “This is also an important reason why relations between Russia and China remain at a high level,” he said.
In September 2015, he was invited to China to attend the commemorative celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The grand military parade was amazing, and China impressed him with its national strength and pace of development, he said.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Xi Jinping said: “Let us firmly remember the great truth of history: Justice wins! Peace wins! The people win!”
It was unforgettable! – said N. Chuikov. – This is the voice of China, conveying to the world the need to adhere to justice, protect peace and cooperate.
UNDERSTAND HISTORY AND PASS ON FRIENDSHIP FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
The fallen heroes “will never be forgotten by the Russian people, the Chinese people and the peoples of the world,” wrote Chinese President Xi Jinping in an opinion piece published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta 10 years ago, on the eve of his participation in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and his visit to the Russian Federation.
Where they once shared a common hatred of the enemy and fought against aggression, the history of China and Russia fighting side by side touches people even in peacetime. Every Qingming Festival, Chinese people lay flowers at memorial sites in Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Changchun and elsewhere to show that they have not forgotten. The names of more than 200 Soviet pilot heroes who died resisting Japanese occupation are engraved on a monument in the Nanjing Pilots’ Memorial Hall. During this year’s festival, an elementary school student wrote in childish handwriting, “I want to be a pilot when I grow up,” while an 89-year-old man left a wish, “Peace in the world.”
“Thank you, Grandpa, for the Victory!” — read the banners on the streets of Moscow in May. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. For Natalia Khryukina, chairwoman of the Association of Descendants of Volunteer Pilots Who Fought in China in 1937-40, the upcoming May 9 will have a special memorable significance.
Her father, Timofey Khryukin, was a bomber squadron commander in the Soviet Air Force volunteer squadron that helped China. He flew combat aircraft, fighting the Japanese in the skies over Nanjing, Wuhan, and other places. Returning to the USSR, he fought valiantly in the Great Patriotic War.
N. Khryukina said that her father described China’s terrain as difficult, with high mountains and numerous gorges. Flying a bomber in such conditions was a difficult test and valuable experience for Soviet pilots of that time. “When my father returned home and went to fight in the North, his Chinese experience was very useful to him,” she recalls.
According to our interlocutor, her generation grew up listening to songs such as “Russians and Chinese are brothers forever.” The friendship established by the Russian and Chinese peoples who fought side by side is still being passed down from generation to generation without weakening, N. Khryukina emphasized. With close interaction and under the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries, Russian-Chinese relations maintain a high level of development, she said.
In recent years, N. Khryukina has been collecting historical materials, organizing exchange events in primary and secondary schools, and inviting Chinese teenagers to communicate with their Russian peers. This gives young people the opportunity to understand the history of their ancestors’ persistent struggle, to understand the origins of friendship between Russia and China and to continue to pass it on from generation to generation, she is sure. –0–