Zhang Zhaohong: Outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta 2

Zhang Zhaohong: Outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta 2 Guan Chongqiong, the first chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation and the first chairman of the Phoenix Longgang Office (2) Zhang Zhaohong Guan Chongqiong had a...

Zhang Zhaohong: Outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta 2 Notes Guan Chongqiong, the first chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation and the first chairman of the Phoenix Longgang Office (2) Zhang Zhaohong Guan Chongqiong has a happy family. They love each other harmoniously and raise 11 children. Under their words and deeds, their children have become talented and have made positive contributions to society and the overseas Chinese community. Photos of Kwan Chongqiong's eldest son William K. Toy and second son Gray Toy during their military service. William k. Toy, enlisted in the Army in 1940. Received pre-war training in Oklahoma and Texas, sent to Panama in 1942, and then to China via North Africa and the Persian Gulf. Returned to India to train Chinese troops from 1943 to 1944. Afterwards, he returned to the combat headquarters in northern Burma and fought against Japanese forces in northern and central Burma. Kwan Wei-li has outstanding military exploits and has won five medals, including the Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Great War Victory Medal. Kwan has been serving in the military for 20 years and was promoted to colonel. He is the highest-ranked Chinese person in the state. He teaches military training for high school students in schools in the state and has also served as an overseas leader in the Veterans Association. Nursing Guan ( Gray Toy, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. As a special forces soldier, he was a bombsight and flight control specialist. In January 1943, Guan entered the famous Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio to study aircraft instrumentation-navigation-bombsights and automatic flight control. Assigned to the North African Theater in 1943. Returned to the motherland in September, served in the 14th Air Force (Flying Tigers) of the Chinese and American Air Forces, and became a member of the 20th Bomb Group. Together with the Chinese military and civilians, she won 5 medals, including the European-Middle East Theater Medal and the Atlantic-Pacific Theater Medal. She was the mother of two sons. The two brothers served the country and were baptized by the flames of World War II and received many medals. In the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, China's situation was very serious. All the old fighter planes purchased from different countries were unable to compete with Japanese military aircraft, and the pilots suffered heavy losses. After the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States declared war on Japan, and China and the United States became allies. The United States trained Chinese pilots, and the training location was in Arizona. During the interview, Guan Chongqiong's daughter showed us a lot of information, one of which was the "Photograph of the Second Batch of Chinese Air Force Graduates in the United States" in the 31st year of the Republic of China (1942)5 On March 15th, that era was the most difficult time for the Chinese nation to fight against the Japanese invaders. These pilots who came to the United States for training joined the "Flying Tigers" after returning to China and became the main force of the air force that destroyed Japanese fighter planes and ground facilities. Tell us that because my father was a local celebrity and took practical actions to support the anti-Japanese and national salvation, the air force members who came all the way from the motherland often spent their holidays at their home after training. The Guan family became a gathering place for these soldiers. The Guan family cared deeply for these flying warriors. Guan Chongqiong and his wife entertained them personally, and the Guan family had several beautiful daughters, which made the scene even more warm and cordial. Some soldiers also gave them some photos related to the Anti-Japanese War, allowing people to see the historical footage of Song Meiling’s visit to the United States on August 15, 1945. These photos have not been made public. On the same day, Japan unconditionally surrendered, and the whole world rejoiced. The soldiers and civilians in Phoenix also held a grand parade. As a family member of the military, Guan Chongqiong's family cheered the end of World War II. This photo was taken when their family participated in the parade. The caravan was covered with red, white and blue ribbons, and his father Guan Chongqiong. Joan was driving the car, her mother was sitting in the front seat, and her daughter was sitting in the front and back of the car. They were all dressed up, beaming with joy, and waving the national flags of China and the United States. These photos provided valuable information on the anti-Japanese and patriotic history of the Chinese in Phoenix. Guan Chongqiong's nephew Guan Rongye, Guan Chongqiong's grandnephew Guan Zongshi, Guan Chongqiong's granddaughter Patti Toy is a Chinese business lady. Guan Chongqiong (front, second from left) is the founding president of Fengfeng City Longgang. Today, the Guan family has grown to 200 or 300 people, and they are spread all over the United States and all over the world. They are talented people in all walks of life. In their genealogy, I saw some familiar names, including Chongqiong’s nephew Guan Rongye, who was a paratrooper in the US Airborne Division in World War II and participated in the Battle of Normandy. Guan Rongye is the father of Guan Zongren, the president of the local World Longgang Association. Guan Zongshi is also a U.S. Navy man who has won four medals. Guan Zongshi is also a sports expert and has extraordinary skills in billiards. He once won the U.S. Navy West Coast Billiards Finals for two consecutive years in 1972. This honor is impressive to Patti Toy, the granddaughter of Chinese-American soldiers. She was the first golden flower in Longgang. She won the title of Miss Chinese Businesswoman in Phoenix City in 1974. I went to the Guan family three times to record and take photos of many precious historical materials. They also gave me a plate from the "Chongqiong Tower" 60 years ago as a souvenir, which made me overjoyed! During the interview, I mentioned that in October this year, the 21st Longgang American Association will be held in Phoenix. We sincerely invite the distinguished guests of the Guan family to attend the meeting. As the descendants of Guan Chongqiong, the founding president of Fengfengcheng Longgang Association, they and Guan Zongren are the president. The relationship is very close, so the family meeting approved the sponsorship of 10,000 yuan for the wedding ceremony. This kind of fraternity and family affection moved all the members of the Longgang Office in Fengfeng City and expressed their highest respect and heartfelt gratitude to the Guan family! The first time I visited Guan Chongqiong’s daughter, Guan Xiuyu (SHIRLEY TOY), she was eighty years old and still raising money for the charity sale for the homeless.