The Claire Chennault and Flying Tigers Memorial Hall (Zhijiang Flying Tigers Memorial Hall)

The Claire Chennault and Flying Tigers Memorial Hall (Zhijiang Flying Tigers Memorial Hall)

The Zhijiang Flying Tigers Memorial Hall is located to the east of Zhijiang Airport, about 2 kilometers from the county seat of Zhijiang. It is currently the only specialized memorial hall in China that comprehensively reflects the history of Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers he led in their mission to aid China during the War of Resistance against Japan.

The memorial hall mainly consists of the former site of the Sino-American air force command tower during the war, the former site of the Sino-American air force combined unit club, and the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall. The Flying Tigers Memorial Hall is designed in the shape of a circular structure resembling two airplanes. The exhibition area is divided into sections such as “Claire Chennault’s First Arrival in Zhijiang,” “The American Volunteer Group,” “The 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG),” “The 14th Air Force of the U.S. Army,” “Fighting and Standing Together Against the Japanese Invaders,” “Peace, Friendship, and Tomorrow,” and “Exhibition Room for Chinese Members of the Flying Tigers.” The exhibits include a large number of combat and daily-use items once used by the Flying Tigers. The display techniques employed are advanced, vividly recreating the glorious achievements of the Flying Tigers in resisting the Japanese bombings of Zhijiang and fighting bravely against the enemy.

The former site of the Sino-American air force command tower was built in October 1938. It is a small brick building in a “T” shape, consisting of three floors. During World War II, this served as the airport's radio command center, telegraph center, code room, intelligence room, operations room, and command room. Claire Chennault, commander of the United States Army Air Forces in China, along with Chinese air force commanders such as Zhang Tingmeng, the commander of Zhijiang Air Force, directed thousands of battles from here.

The former site of the Sino-American air force combined unit club was built in April 1944. Covering an area of 450 square meters, it features a brick-and-wood structure with a cement floor and walls coated with a honeycomb-patterned plaster. The structure is solid and aesthetically pleasing. The center of the club is a dance hall, with rest bars at both ends. At the entrance on the southwest side, on the lower right, there is an inscribed bluestone foundation stone measuring 37 cm in width and 54 cm in height. It bears bilingual inscriptions in Chinese and English reading “Sino-American Air Force Combined Unit Club,” “April, 33rd Year of the Republic of China,” and “Erected by Gao Zhengming, Commander of the 9th Air Force Station.” This is a national first-class cultural relic.

Admission Fee

Admission fee: 32 RMB

Location

Inside Zhijiang Airport, Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province