Zheng Weiyong (left) presents a fragment of the Number 1 aircraft as a gift to Cole, a crew member during the Doolittle Raid, at the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio on Nov 9, 2013. [Photo/app.qz123.com]

Zheng Weiyong, an employee at the Quzhou Branch of the Bank of China, has spent the last 20 years researching and retracing the remarkable journey of the Doolittle Raid pilots' landing and rescue in China.

Maintaining close ties with the Doolittle Raiders' Children's Association in the United States, Zheng has contributed a wealth of visual and textual materials, including photographs, artifacts, and narratives in both Chinese and English, to the Memorial Hall to the Doolittle Raid in Quzhou, which opened to the public on October 25, 2018.

Thanks to Zheng's unwavering efforts, the locations of the 15 planes landing in China have gradually been confirmed, along with the precise landing positions of most of the crew members. Furthermore, his investigations have brought to light more details about the rescues, shedding new light on the heroic efforts of Chinese civilians in aiding the US soldiers.

In addition to his research, Zheng has authored two books  — Extraordinary Rescue: Quzhou and the Doolittle Raid and Landing in China, both of which provide invaluable insights into this historic event.

Zheng's dedication and passion for this subject have not only enriched the historical understanding of the Doolittle Raid but have also sparked interest among descendants of the Doolittle Raiders, particularly his sharing of rescued raiders' photos in the air-raid shelter in Quzhou on the Doolittle Raid forum.

As a testament to the impact of his work, the Doolittle Raiders' descendants association has made multiple visits to Quzhou, including during the opening ceremony of the Memorial Hall, where 24 descendants of the raiders were present. The descendants also had the opportunity to visit various landing sites, deepening their connection to the historic event.

Zheng's contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has been invited four times to attend commemorative events for the 70th and 75th anniversaries of the Doolittle Raid, underscoring the enduring cross-border friendship that has been fostered through his work, serving as a bridge of Sino-American friendship.

The Doolittle Raid, which took place on April 18, 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, saw 16 B-25 bombers execute a daring assault on Japan. Due to communication problems and fuel shortages, among other challenges, Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle and his fellow pilots were forced to bail out or crash-land in China during their return journey, where they received selfless assistance from the people of Quzhou.