As a “Baby Tiger,” the son of an American Flying Tigers pilot, Zhang Ning has spent all of his life as a Chinese person, living through the turmoil and triumph of a nation in constant transformation.
By Wang Yan
When this reporter first met Zhang Ning in his home in Beijing in April 2009, the 64-year-old man seemed more Chinese than American, the only difference was that his nose was not so Chinese, and his eyes were much paler than most. When he spoke, however, it was pure Mandarin with a strong Beijing accent. But Zhang Ning is indeed American.
His biological parents were American Flying Tigers, stationed in China during World War II. But he was brought up in China, by a Chinese general in a Chinese family.
It was his special identity, as a “Baby Tiger,” that has given Zhang Ning an extraordinary destiny.
Mystery of the Blond Hair
In late 1950s, when Zhang Ning was a little boy, his blond hair and blue eyes made him stand out from everyone else. He was nicknamed, “Xiao Huang Mao” (little golden hair) or “Xiao Yang Ren” (little westerner) by people around him. As a child, he once overheard somebody say that he was not his mother’s son, so he went directly to his mother for an explanation. His mother, Li Lianfang, explained to him, “When I was pregnant, I used to drink too much vinegar, so that’s why you were born with golden hair.”
During those days, his golden hair and pale complexion garnered comparisons to stars in the Soviet and Albanian films that were popular in China at the time. Zhang Ning felt flattered when people said he looked like a Russian or an Albanian.
Zhang was born on June 16, 1945, towards the end of the Second World War, which brought thousands of Allied soldiers to China. He was brought up in a Chinese family whose patriarch was a general during the war, and the family was considered part of the upper-middle class. Family members still call him “Xiaodi,” or “little brother,” with affection. He told this reporter that his childhood in Sichuan was happy, and his family was quite rich. “We had a garden, a tennis court, around 20 maids and four cars,” he said.
After the People’s Republic of China was founded, General Zhang Zhihe, his father, was appointed to the State Council in Beijing. So, in 1950, the family left Sichuan for the capital, where life was also as good for the Zhangs. Young Zhang Ning received the best education of the day, and was given free reign of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese equivalent to the American White House.
Everything seemed perfect for Zhang Ning until 1957, when his father was branded a “rightist” during the Anti- Rightist Campaign launched by the Party. General Zhang was sent to Sichuan for “reeducation,” and the political turmoil turned the family’s life upside down.
One day when Zhang Ning was 15, he stumbled upon his father’s diary, in which General Zhang wrote: “My son, Ning, was adopted from a hospital.” Zhang Ning could not believe what he saw; he burst into tears and ran into his mother’s arms, asking if he was really adopted. His mother held him and revealed the truth about his birth.
Searching for Roots
“Xiaodi, you were sent over to us on the day after your birth,” his mother, Li Lianfang, explained. “We didn’t mean to hurt you by keeping you in the dark during these past years; we just thought you were too young to know this. ”
From Li, Zhang learned that his parents were both Americans. His father was a renowned Flying Tiger, who died during a mission in Sichuan, and his mother was a nurse in the air force.
Zhang was born after his father’s plane went down, so his mother asked doctors to find a more suitable family who could adopt her son. Li said to Zhang Ning, “I heard that your mother went back to the US with the air force after the war. But since then, we haven’t heard anything about her.”
Though he knew that he was indeed American, he was unable to look for his biological parents because at that time, the political environment was quite intense. It was during the Korean War (1950 - 1953), and American soldiers were being depicted as cruel and merciless in their battles with the Chinese army. Zhang was frightened of what people would say if they found out he was American.