AROUND the corner from Zhongshan Xilu, just beside the building housing the Shanghai Intermediate People's Court, several seemingly abandoned villas stand quietly, surrounded by a ring of bricks.

There is nothing special about these buildings except for the sound of gunfire overheard by passersby through the wall sometimes. People might easily be concerned wandering through such a half-deserted area and hearing the sound of guns being discharged, but the truth of the matter is far less disturbing.

The villas are actually a film making location used by the Shanghai Film Group Corporation.

Almost 50 years ago, this area was inhabited by local celebrities and other affluent people. Among these prosperous residents, there was one well-known couple who have greatly influenced modern history. They were General Claire Lee Chennault and Anna Chan (Chen Xiangmei), the founder of the "Flying Tigers" squadron and his wife, as they are better known among Chinese.

Chennault first met Anna Chan in 1944. The couple were confronted by misunderstanding and prejudice when they fell in love, partly because Chennault was much older than Anna, and also because of their different religious and cultural backgrounds. But the general was a determined man, both as a military commander and as a lover. He finally married Anna on December 21, 1947, two years after China's "War of Resistance against Japan" (1937-45) had ended.

The new couple held their wedding ceremony in a villa in Meihua Village, which was the former name of the film-making location mentioned above. Not many friends and relatives were informed because the couple didn't want to host a high-profile occasion, even though they were considered heroes both in China and America. But journalists did find out about the event and reported on the wedding in the next day's newspaper.

Chiang Kai-shek - leader of the Kuomingtang - and his wife, Soong Meiling, wrote to the couple and sent them presents to congratulate them on their union.

According to the description in Anna's memoir, since Chennault had been the head of the newly founded Civil Aviation Company at the time, he had invested every penny of his wealth in the company and could not afford to buy a luxury mansion for the wedding ceremony. A friend of Chennault's provided timely help by lending the villa for their wedding ceremony and honeymoon.

The couple's honeymoon lasted for about 20 days, but most of this time was spent at the Civil Aviation Company. Every day they went to the office together, hand in hand, to turn the burdensome duties into sweet honeymoon deeds. Their special honeymoon lasted until the middle of January, 1948, when they left the villa in Meihua Village and moved to their new residence.