History Background of Stilwell Museum

Stilwell Museum is located at No.63, New Jialing Road, Yuzhong District of Chongqing. It was established in 1991 in memory of general Stilwell who made great contribution to the Anti-Fascist War. The Stilwell Museum is an important relic site of Chongqing as the wartime capital during the war.

History Background of Stilwell Museum

The Stilwell Museum was originally the temporary residence of Song Ziwen in Chongqing in the Republican period.

After the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, the American government decided to assist the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek in the economy, politics and military so that the Kuomintang could defend the Japanese Fascists.

On February 11th 1942, at the request of Chiang Kai-shek, General Joseph Warren Stilwell, a four-star U.S. Army general, acting under the orders of American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was sent to China to assume the position of Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater. On March 4th, general Stilwell arrived in Chongqing and began his work which last 2 years and 8 months in China.

General Stilwell resided here and dealt with the official business at that time. He devoted himself to Chinese Anti-Fascist War. Although there were some divergences between general Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek, they indeed cooperated very well and Stilwell made great efforts to helping Chinese people fight against the Japanese fascists. With the aid of General Stilwell, the Chinese people finally won the War of Resistance against the Japanese invaders. On October 21st, 1944, general Stilwell returned to the United States.

In October of 1991, in honor of the outstanding contributions made by general Stilwell to Chinese Anti-Fascist War, the Chongqing people's government decided to establish the "Stilwell Research Center" and build the Stilwell Museum in the former residence of Stilwell.

In May of 2002, the rebuilding work of Stilwell Museum was started and was finished in March of 2003. On March 19th 2003, the Stilwell Museum was open to the public. Now, the Stilwell Museum has become an important friendship bridge connecting the Chinese people and American people.