A delegation from California's Pepperdine University visits the Guilin Flying Tigers Heritage Park on Thursday to learn about China-US cooperation during World War II. [Photo by Zhang Li/chinadaily.com.cn]

A group of students and faculty from Pepperdine University in California visited the Guilin Flying Tigers Heritage Park on Thursday to learn about World War II-era cooperation between China and the United States as part of a cultural exchange program in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Built on the site of the former Yangtang Airport, the park honors the US volunteer air unit that aided China during WWII. It is home to the world's only surviving Flying Tigers command post, the last C-47 transport plane to fly the Hump Route, with relics including a cave command post and General Claire Lee Chennault's observation stone.

A delegation from California's Pepperdine University visits the Guilin Flying Tigers Heritage Park on Thursday to learn about China-US cooperation during World War II. [Photo by Zhang Li/chinadaily.com.cn]

The park houses 537 artifacts collected from overseas, including service documents, cameras, military badges and uniforms.

Delegation organizer Ma Kuanchi, vice-president of the Flying Tigers Historical Organization, said the trip allowed young people from the US to see relics, hear wartime stories and gain a firsthand insight into China's development.

"Young people carry forward the Flying Tigers spirit," Ma said.

"More exchanges bridge gaps and build understanding."

A delegation from California's Pepperdine University visits the Guilin Flying Tigers Heritage Park on Thursday to learn about China-US cooperation during World War II. [Photo by Zhang Li/chinadaily.com.cn]

Pepperdine PhD candidate Merriweather Tashaka Sharif said the visit gave him the chance to learn firsthand about the Flying Tigers, reinforcing his belief that "different people can work together with the same cause".

On Friday, the delegation visited Guangxi Normal University for talks and a friendly basketball game.

A delegation from California's Pepperdine University visits the Guilin Flying Tigers Heritage Park on Thursday to learn about China-US cooperation during World War II. [Photo by Zhang Li/chinadaily.com.cn]