{"id":81153,"date":"2026-05-24T23:11:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T06:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=81153"},"modified":"2026-05-24T23:11:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T06:11:56","slug":"four-generations-carry-forward-china-u-s-friendship-descendants-of-general-stilwell-share-a-century-long-legacy-in-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=81153","title":{"rendered":"Four Generations Carry Forward China-U.S. Friendship: Descendants of General Stilwell Share a Century-Long Legacy in Southern California"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAPost\/Costa Mesa, California (May 23, 2026)<\/strong> \u2014 The 2026 Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) Annual Meeting, co-hosted by the Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) and the Long U.S.-China Institute at University of California, Irvine<\/span><\/span>, was held on May 23 in Costa Mesa, Southern California. During the event, OYCF announced the recipients of the Stilwell Fellowship, highlighting the deep, four-generation connection between the family of World War II American general Joseph Stilwell<\/span><\/span> and China.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ceremony was hosted by OYCF Chairwoman Ma Junling, who introduced Huang Kaimeng, the first recipient of the Stilwell Scholarship in 1995. Huang has remained actively involved in supporting and continuing the scholarship program over the years. Beginning in 2024, part of the Stilwell Scholarship program was transferred to OYCF to support research and public projects related to U.S.-China relations.<\/span><\/p>\n

A short documentary titled The Stilwell Legacy: A Century of Friendship with China<\/em> was screened during the event. The film recounted General Stilwell\u2019s years in China, noting that his children were born in China, had Chinese names, and spoke Chinese fluently. Although war once interrupted the family\u2019s direct ties with China, successive generations of the Stilwell family have continued their emotional and cultural connection with the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

In her remarks, Huang Kaimeng recalled her decades-long relationship with the Stilwell family. She explained that in the 1980s, General Stilwell\u2019s daughters established scholarships for Chinese students studying abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were already in their seventies at the time,\u201d Huang said. \u201cTo support Chinese students, they organized fundraising trips, sold paintings, and even sold their own homes. They simply hoped that young Chinese students traveling far from home could feel warmth and support in a foreign country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Huang said the Stilwell family has continued traveling between China and the United States for decades in an effort to preserve and repair the shared historical memory forged during World War II.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, Stilwell is not only a historical figure, but also a symbol,\u201d she said. \u201cHe represents genuine understanding and respect between people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She added that younger generations today should continue promoting people-to-people exchanges. \u201cOnly when human connections continue can the emotional memory of history survive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

General Stilwell\u2019s great-granddaughter Susan Cole<\/span><\/span> then delivered a keynote speech. She said it was a great honor to represent her family at the forum and noted that OYCF\u2019s mission of promoting exchange and cooperation between overseas Chinese communities and China closely aligns with the values her family has upheld for generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Photo caption: Susan Cole. Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/span><\/p>\n

Susan Cole reflected on General Stilwell\u2019s service during World War II as Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek and Commander of U.S. Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater. She emphasized his deep study of Chinese culture and his fluency in Mandarin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo define him simply as an American general would not fully capture who he was,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat truly distinguished him was his character and his respect for the Chinese people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Quoting from General Stilwell\u2019s diaries, she said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have faith in Chinese soldiers and Chinese people: fundamentally great\u2026 honest, frugal, industrious, cheerful, independent, tolerant, friendly, and courteous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cole noted that these words were not diplomatic rhetoric, but deeply held convictions. \u201cAt a time when many underestimated China, he never doubted the strength and resilience of the Chinese people,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking about the Stilwell Road, Cole described it as more than an engineering achievement\u2014it symbolized the shared sacrifices and cooperation between China and the United States during wartime.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, my daughter and I retraced parts of the Stilwell Road,\u201d she said. \u201cIt deeply reminded us what that history represents: when trust replaces doubt and shared purpose overcomes hardship, people are capable of truly extraordinary things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She also said that generations of the Stilwell family have continued this legacy through scholarships, cultural exchanges, museum collaborations, and people-to-people connections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf my great-grandfather were alive today,\u201d she said, \u201cI believe he would strongly support OYCF and the Stilwell Fellowship, because they represent knowledge exchange, cross-cultural understanding, and genuine cooperation between people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing younger scholars and professionals, Cole encouraged them not to view one another through stereotypes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe future will not be shaped by governments alone,\u201d she said. \u201cIt will also be shaped by individuals willing to cross borders, build trust, and sincerely engage with one another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The event also announced the recipients of the 2026 Stilwell Fellowship. Yale University<\/span><\/span> doctoral student Junyi Han and historian and collector Zou Dehuai received this year\u2019s fellowship support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their proposal aims to bring the exhibition Between Allies and Neighbors: Wartime Everyday Sino-American Encounters<\/em> from China to Yale University in the United States. Through historical photographs and artifacts, the exhibition will explore everyday interactions and shared wartime experiences between Chinese and Americans from the 19th century through the 1940s.<\/span><\/p>\n

The selection committee stated that the project presents China-Burma-India Theater history from a human perspective and meaningfully complements General Stilwell\u2019s wartime legacy. The committee also noted that the exhibition helps revive the importance of people-to-people exchange amid today\u2019s geopolitical tensions.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Photo caption: Susan Cole with family members, Huang Kaimeng (right 3), and Ma Junling (right 2). Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/span><\/p>\n

According to public records, General Stilwell was born in Florida in 1883 and traveled to China five times during his lifetime. During World War II, he led Chinese and American Allied forces in the Burma campaign, supported the \u201cHump\u201d airlift operation, promoted the construction of the Stilwell Road, and facilitated the U.S. Army Observation Group\u2019s visit to Yan\u2019an.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping<\/span><\/span> wrote in a reply letter to members of the Stilwell family: \u201cGeneral Stilwell was an old friend of the Chinese people. He made positive contributions to China\u2019s liberation and progress, as well as to the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. The Chinese people will never forget this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(By Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LAPost\/Costa Mesa, California (May 23, 2026)...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81153"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81155,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81153\/revisions\/81155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}