Lost war film finds new life

History lives on

At the screening in Los Angeles, descendants of Li Ling-Ai and Rey Scott gathered to honor their fore-bearers' legacies.

"My aunt was raised in America but was a child of the East," Gerianne Chum Lee, Li's niece, told China Daily. "She never abandoned her Chinese roots."

Kebler Andrew Lee, Li's great-great nephew, credited her influence for his own journey to teach English in Nanjing. "She believed in bringing the Chinese and American worlds together, and I'm proud to carry that forward," he said.

Stefanie Lee, Li's great-grandniece, recalled meeting her as a child. "She was larger than life. This movie is a powerful inspiration for future generations," she said.

Rey Scott's son, Mark Kennet Scott, reflected on how the film created cross-cultural understanding during wartime. "From my father's movie, you can see how well Americans and Chinese empathized with each other. Despite today's political tensions, the people can still maintain the empathy and hardworking spirit that once united them," he told China Daily.

Mark Scott, who had watched Kukan in a schoolroom in the 1960s, remembered the impact: "No one knew much about China. But after watching the film, everyone had a million questions."