Guling Love Continues New Chapter People | China and the United States | Guling

"I hope everyone will pass on and carry forward the story of Guling and the love of Guling, so that the friendship between the Chinese and American people will thrive and grow like the thousand-year-old cedar on Guling." President Xi Jinping emphasized in a congratulatory letter to the "Guling Edge" Sino-US Non-governmental Friendship Forum held in Fuzhou on the 28th.

The friendship between nations lies in mutual affinity between the people.

On June 28th, Fuzhou Xiaojasmine Choir performed "Seeking Dreams in Guling" at the 2023 "Guling Edge" China US Folk Friendship Forum.

The touching story of Guling

"In 1992, I invited Mrs. Gardner to visit Guling and helped her fulfill her husband's dream of returning to her homeland. More than 30 years have passed, the 'Friends of Guling' and friendly people from all walks of life in both countries have dug deep into Guling's history, actively spread Guling culture, and made unremitting efforts to deepen mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples." President Xi Jinping recalled this "Guling Edge" in his congratulatory letter ".

This is the scenery of Guling in Jin'an District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, captured on June 28th.

Guling is a well-known summer resort located north of Gushan in Fuzhou City. It was once a summer destination for a large number of foreign immigrants in China, but this period of time has been shrouded in history for a long time.

In 1901, still in his infancy, Gardner came to Fuzhou with his parents and lived there for ten years. The family lived in Guling every summer. In the decades after returning to the United States, Gardner's greatest wish was to visit China again, but unfortunately, he was unable to fulfill his wish until his death in 1986. Before his death, Gardner kept murmuring "Guling" in his mouth, full of nostalgia for his childhood hometown.

Mu Yanling, a member of the "Friends of Guling" and a researcher of Guling history and culture, said that President Xi Jinping's decision to invite Mrs. Gardner to visit China more than 30 years ago was "deeply wise and far-sighted." The spread of the Guling story is important for promoting people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China. significance.

"I believe that there are still many touching stories like this between the people of China and the United States. We should further strengthen exchanges between the people of China and the United States, and cultivate the most solid public opinion foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the United States." Sincere words have aroused strong reactions from various sectors of both countries, and the Guling Story has taken to the international stage.

In 2016, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wrote to the visiting student delegation of Lincoln Middle School in the United States, and once again mentioned the Guling story, "As you heard the'Guling story' in Fuzhou, the friendship between the people of China and the United States has a long history".

"I am very touched." Luca Belon, an old friend of President Xi Jinping and a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Friendship Committee, said when attending the forum that President Xi Jinping is so concerned about and personally promotes people-to-people friendship, which will greatly enhance the friendship, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and China.

Folk Friendship Across Mountains and Seas

In his congratulatory letter, President Xi Jinping mentioned a number of "friends of Guling"-Mr. Lynn, 103 years old, who took many photos of Guling, and Dr. Fu Yihua, who left his last words "I love the Chinese people", scattered some of his ashes on Mr. Mu Airen in Minjiang River.

As more and more dusty memories of Guling are lifted, the protagonists of Guling stories have expanded from the original Gardner family to include the Bai Lingwei family, Mu Airen family, Ke Zhiren family, Pu Tianshou family, and others.

Before attending the "Gulingyuan" China US Folk Friendship Forum in China, Mu Yanling once again went to a small town in southern Connecticut with reporters to visit Mr. Lynn and brought him dumplings filled with pork and cabbage. The centenarian with beautiful cheeks and white hair and beards recalls his childhood in Guling and naturally switches to fluent Fuzhou dialect, his eyes sparkling with vivid light.

Lynn is the youngest son of Bailingwei, born in Fuzhou. When he was young, he used Kodak cameras to capture scenes of Guling Old Street, shops, and children playing. The old man still treasures several thick photo albums in his home.

In a small town in southern Connecticut, USA, Lynn showed reporters his childhood photos of drum ridges at home.

Mu Airen, the father-in-law of Mu Yanling, once taught in Fuzhou and later served as a member of the American Flying Tigers to support China's resistance against Japan. After the war, he stayed at Fujian Union Medical College to teach English for more than ten years. His youngest son, MuPeter, was born in Fuzhou. In 2015, Mu Peter and Mu Yanling came to Fuzhou and scattered some of their ashes into the Minjiang River according to their father's last wish.

It was after that trip to Guling that they ran around and began to explore the history and culture of Guling. Building a website, researching archival materials, and collaborating deeply with Chinese scholars, this couple has done a lot of work. They have excavated and collected over 1000 written materials, pictures, and physical objects related to Guling, and found more "friends of Guling". More Guling stories have emerged from the dust of history and entered people's vision.

In October 2018, "Friend of Guling" Mu Yanling paid tribute to her father-in-law Mu Airen in front of the Anti Japanese Martyrs Memorial Wall in Sanshan Cemetery, Fuzhou.

Pu Tianshou once served as the director of Fuzhou Union Medical College Hospital, and his four children have all lived in Fuzhou. In 2017, his second daughter Pu Meizhu's video of reciting ballads in fluent Fuzhou dialect was highly praised by netizens. Dr. Fuyihua has been working in Shaowu, Fujian for 40 years and has trained multiple pharmacists for the local area.

Each Guling story has its own unique plot, but together it carries the profound friendship between these American friends and the Chinese people. Ke Zhiren's granddaughter, Bi Lehua, passionately said on the forum that China is the beloved home of her grandparents and the place where her ancestors grew up. Now that she has come here, she has also fallen in love with China and the Chinese people.

The tree of endless friendship

"The experience of the'Friends of Guling' once again proves that the people of China and the United States can build a deep friendship across the differences in systems, cultures, and languages." President Xi Jinping stressed in his congratulatory letter.

The story of Guling has vitality that transcends time and geography. Continuing to explore and study this historical and cultural heritage is of great significance in telling the story of Guling to both Chinese and foreign people.

"We are all inheritors of this heritage," said Mu Yanling. The story of Guling proves that people from different countries and cultures can seek common ground while reserving differences, and friendly relationships can be passed down from generation to generation.

The "Millennium Cryptomeria" mentioned by President Xi Jinping in his congratulatory letter is a witness to the inheritance of Guling's love.

Li Gardner is Mr. Gardner's nephew. Returning to Guling this time, he told three stories about trees: at the beginning of the last century, Mr. Gardner, who was a child, often played with his friends climbing the millennium old "Willow King" in Guling; In 1992, Mrs. Gardner took a piece of bark with her when she finished her visit to Guling; In 2018, when Li and his brother came to Guling, they specially hugged this old tree to reminisce about the "roots of Guling" in their family.

On June 27th, some members of "Friends of Guling" and individuals from various sectors of China and the United States visited and visited Sanfang and Qixiang in Nanhou Street, Fuzhou.

The Guling story of the Pu Tianshou family also continues to write a new chapter. This is the first time that the younger generation of the family, Katie Barber, has come to China. She was deeply attracted by numerous stories of Guling along the way and was moved by the enthusiasm and friendship of the Chinese people. "I used to always listen to my elders tell their stories. When I came to Guling to see them myself, I had my own story. I will remember these stories in my heart and tell them to my next generation," Barber said.

"Peace, friendship, and love" is the condensed and refined spirit of "Friends of Guling". One vivid and approachable person after another, one warm and moving thing after another, has built bridges of hearts one after another, bringing the people of China and the United States closer together. As Luca Belong said, the friendship between the peoples of the United States and China is truly tangible and solid.

The foundation of the development of national relations lies in the people of both countries.May the branches of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples flourish and never cease!