Mechanics' passports on display. [Photo by Wang Kaihao/China Daily]

At the Beijing exhibition, which marks the 80th anniversary of that action and will run through Dec 1, more than 100 old photos, manuscripts, and the mechanics' personal belongings are displayed to honor these overseas Chinese people's contributions to their home country in that war.

Qi Degui, deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Museum of China, hailed the volunteers' deeds 80 years ago as one of the most influential and best-organized patriotic actions in the last century's history of overseas Chinese. He said their spirit will continue to urge today's Chinese people living at home and abroad to jointly contribute to the nation's revival. In 2018, first-hand files and documents recording this history, which are housed by the Yunnan Provincial Archives, were inscribed by UNESCO onto the list of the Memory of the World Regional Register for Asia/Pacific.