From sorties over Yunnan in southwestern China to the Doolittle Raiders’ escapes through Zhejiang province, a new photo exhibition in Shanghai revisits the wartime alliance between China and the U.S.

Titled “Friendship: Forged in Blood and Fire,” the show marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, spotlighting the Flying Tigers, the rescue of pilots involved in the Doolittle Raid, and the complex legacy of Anna Chennault — a key figure in U.S.-China relations and wife of Flying Tigers commander General Claire Lee Chennault.

The exhibit, which opened in late June, features rarely seen archival photographs and personal relics: Flying Tigers sprinting to their planes under threat of Japanese air raids, Chinese villagers preparing American fighter jets for takeoff, and portraits of the Chennaults, whose lives became entwined with China’s wartime history and postwar diplomacy.

“The legacy, I feel, must be passed down to younger generations,” said Melinda Liu, daughter of Honorary Doolittle Raider Tung-Sheng Liu, who helped rescue downed U.S. airmen in 1942.

Liu has since organized exhibitions, led visits by raiders’ descendants, and launched English-language programs for students in Zhejiang. “Such efforts underscore the grassroots cooperation between Chinese and Americans during the war — but they also help the youth of both countries today understand the other.”

Below is a selection of archival photos.