David Kerr (3rd L) exchange ideas with students at the former headquarters of the Dongjiang Column in Tuyang Village, Dapeng New Area, on Aug. 29. Photos from Shenzhen Technology University’s School of Foreign Languages unless otherwise stated

Students from Shenzhen Technology University’s School of Marxism (College of Humanities and Social Sciences) and School of Foreign Languages, together with students from SZTU Affiliated High School and Guangzu Middle School in Pingshan District, performed a bilingual drama at the former headquarters of the Dongjiang Column in Tuyang Village, Dapeng New Area, on Aug. 29. The production highlighted an 81-year bond between the family of a rescued American airman and the people of Shenzhen.

On Feb. 11, 1944, during a U.S. air raid on the Japanese-controlled Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong, “Flying Tiger” Lieutenant Donald W. Kerr’s fighter was attacked by Japanese forces. He bailed out and landed on a mountainside, where guerrillas from the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independence Brigade — part of the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People’s Guerrilla Force Against Japanese Aggression — rescued him. After hiding in a series of places for 48 days, including several in Shenzhen, Lt. Kerr safely returned to his base in Guilin, Guangxi.

Scenes from the drama.

Records show that Chinese soldiers and civilians rescued hundreds of downed Allied airmen during the war, and that thousands of Chinese lost their lives in these efforts. The Dongjiang Column’s rescue of Lt. Kerr is counted among at least 89 successful recoveries of foreigners carried out by the unit during World War II.

Eighteen students created the drama after researching historical archives at museums in Pingshan and Dapeng. They vividly portrayed guerrilla figures such as Li Shi, Liu Heizai and Li Siu-wah, and used AI-generated background videos to recreate scenes from 1944. AI was also used to refine the script so the dialogue better matched the period. Costumes incorporated 300-year-old Hakka bamboo hats, a national intangible cultural heritage item, to promote both revolutionary memory and regional cultural traditions.

David Kerr (5th L, second row) and students give a thumbs-up after the performance in Dapeng on Aug. 29. Photo by Liu Xudong

David Kerr, son of Lt. Kerr, attended the performance. After the show, students and audience members retraced part of the rescue route, deepening their understanding of the history.

David and his family first visited Shenzhen in 2008 on what he called a journey of gratitude to honor his father’s wish to thank the Dongjiang Column. Since then he has returned regularly to renew friendships, retrace his father’s escape route, and help keep this history alive.