Chinese people in Chongqing have been commemorating a U.S. General for over 30 years and named a museum after him, the Stilwell Museum, the only one in China dedicated to a foreign military figure.

Joseph Stilwell, the four-star general in the U.S. Army who worked in China five times from 1911 to 1944, fought side by side with the Chinese against the Japanese invasion and defeated Fascism.

His former residence in Chongqing became the Stilwell Museum in 1991. On August 8, 2023, the descendants of Joseph Stilwell planted a friendship tree there to commemorate the general’s 140th birthday.

His most notable work in China includes collecting intelligence on the Japanese invasion from 1935 to 1939 when serving in the U.S. embassy in China, and then as a high-ranking U.S. general from 1942 to 1944 leading the U.S. forces to fight the Japanese in China and Myanmar in World War II.

When fighting the Fascists, he also trained Chinese soldiers to fight with the Americans in Myanmar. He said he had confidence in the then poorly equipped Chinese army.

Under General Stilwell’s training and reforms, the Chinese army defeated the advanced Japanese invaders in several key battles. When General Stilwell died in 1946, the Chinese general and the founder of the Chinese Red Army Zhu De said that not only had the U.S. lost a great general, but the Chinese people had lost a great friend, whose contributions will remain remembered.

After nearly 70 years, the friendship stands between the descendants of Joseph Stilwell and the Chinese people. The Stilwell Scholarship has helped many Chinese scholars and researchers to study in the U.S.

Stilwell’s grandchildren visited China at a very young age, and they developed a deep bond with Chongqing and close friendships with the grandchildren of Chinese general Zhu De.

This year, they bring their children to Chongqing again to learn about their great-grandfather, General Stilwell, and plant new trees of friendship between China and the United States.

The Stilwell family believes that young people should have an open mind about the differences between countries and cultures, such as the U.S. and China.

General Stilwell set an example in relations between the people of the two countries, and his story continues to inspire those who want to promote China-U.S. collaboration, Qiu Wenxing, an official from China’s Foreign Ministry said in the commemoration event.

According to former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Chas W. Freeman, General Stilwell personifies all the Americans who did their best to help China when it most needed help. He believed General Stilwell would share the pride of Chongqing. Once the wartime capital of China, Chongqing, is now a world-class modern metropolis, he said Chongqing will continue to inspire people to foster renewed cooperation between China and the U.S. in the face of challenges.

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