by Xinhua Writers Wang Xiaopeng, Shen Anni and Yao Yuan

BEIJING/FUZHOU, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- On a memorial wall bearing over 8,000 names in east China, 73-year-old Elyn MacInnis quickly found Mu Airen, the Chinese name of Donald MacInnis. She gave the name a gentle wipe, as if greeting an old friend.

The wall in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, honors heroes who once fought here in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, including those from across the Pacific.

Donald MacInnis, Elyn's late father-in-law, was one of them. His bond with China, notably, has been kept alive for three generations in an American family and is remembered in China as a testimony to the China-U.S. friendship forged during World War II.

"Don has always loved China, and especially Fujian," said Elyn, her eyes brightening as she recalled her father-in-law.

In 1940, roughly three years into China's whole-of-nation resistance against Japanese aggression, 20-year-old Donald journeyed alone to the country to teach English at a Fuzhou middle school for a year. He later joined the U.S. 14th Air Force, known as "Flying Tigers" in China, serving as a "coast watcher."

His scouting efforts served as "eyes" for the Flying Tigers. Whenever he and his Chinese comrades spotted Japanese supply ships approaching, they would radio coordinates to the Kunming command in southwest China, alerting them about the opportunity for bomber strikes.

China and the United States fought the Japanese fascists together in the war, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire. More than 2,000 Flying Tigers airmen sacrificed their lives during the war. The Chinese people also provided American pilots with assistance at all costs. More than 200 pilots in distress were rescued, with thousands of Chinese people giving their lives during the rescue operations.

"He understood the risks, but was not so afraid," Elyn said, while revealing that Donald often recounted how profoundly the Chinese people's united resilience had moved him. "Their collective strength touched his soul."

KULIANG HILLS BOND

After the war, Donald returned to the United States. In 1947, upon learning that Fujian Union University needed foreign teachers, he returned to Fuzhou with his wife and son and worked there for a few years. Then in early 2000s, he once again worked in Fujian as a volunteer in a local college.

Donald's legacy has lived on through the people he inspired. "Teacher Mu's spirit of internationalism and selfless dedication has guided me throughout my life," reflected 101-year-old Chen Shiming, one of Donald's students in China.

Through the tireless efforts of Chen, Mu Airen became the first foreign name engraved on the memorial wall in 2018 -- joining the Chinese soldiers whom he fought alongside all those years ago.

Donald's love of China has been passed down to Peter MacInnis, his second son and Elyn's husband. Peter was born in Fuzhou during Donald's stay there after the WWII, and was brought to Kuliang -- then a summer retreat for the city's foreign community nestled in the mountains east of the city -- when he was just a month old.

Peter and Elyn met as graduate students at Harvard University and later fell in love and got married. Hoping someday to go to China, Elyn added Chinese to her other studies. More than ten years later they moved to Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu Province, with their two daughters, and that was the start of their 30 years' stay in China.

In 2015, Elyn and Peter brought Donald's ashes to Fuzhou and scattered them into the Minjiang River, fulfilling the old man's final wish.

During that trip, Elyn explored Kuliang, and that led her to uncover many stories from Kuliang's American community -- such as Dr. Harold Brewster's teaching of life-saving surgical techniques.

To preserve these memories, Elyn founded "Friends of Kuliang" in 2016, uniting about 50 descendants of Kuliang's American families. Their reunion reached a climax at Fuzhou's 2023 "Bond with Kuliang" Forum, where Elyn declared: "These moving stories represent generations of friendship. Now it's our turn to tend the flame of friendship that has long connected our two peoples."

Her efforts earned recognition in China. She was named among "Touching China's 2023 Persons of the Year" and honored with the Friendship Envoy Award at the Orchid Awards in July this year.

The Orchid Awards were established to honor international friends who have contributed to fostering cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

"I have spent much of my life building bridges between our nations. The bridges are not made of steel or stone. They are built from warm, kindhearted people, and the stories of their lives in China that I have had the privilege to share," she said.

FRIENDSHIP FLAME MAINTAINED

Today, the MacInnis legacy flourishes in its third generation. Elyn's daughters Ai Zhong and Ai Hua -- both names meaning "loving China" in Chinese -- speak fluent Chinese thanks to their years of education in Chinese schools. Ai Hua even pioneered as one of China's first bilingual TV hosts.

The sisters now live in the United States. Ai Hua oversees dual-degree programs at a U.S. university, including collaborations with Chinese universities. She utilizes her Chinese language skills to communicate with and provide assistance to Chinese students enrolled in these programs.

This family's decades-long bond mirrors a hopeful future for China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges. The foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people and the source of strength lies in the friendship between their peoples.

China has announced its plan to invite 50,000 American youth to visit and study here in the course of five years, hoping that through firsthand experience, they can discover a real China while contributing to China-U.S. friendship.

"True connection is everything," Elyn said. "We only really understand each other when we've spent some time together."

Now settled in Rhode Island, Elyn stays connected with her Chinese friends via WeChat and makes time to see them whenever she visits China. In recent years, she likes sharing her views on the verses of famous Chinese writer Bing Xin, who was born in Fuzhou and pursued studies in the United States when she was young.

Inspired by a renowned line, she concluded acceptance of her Orchid Award by saying: "When we walk along the path of friendship, the flowers bloom."  ■