China-US friendship revisited

High in the hills above Fuzhou in Southeast China lies Kuliang, once a summer retreat where Chinese families and a small community of US citizens lived side by side more than a century ago.

Among them was Milton Gardner, a young boy from California who spent his childhood there and never forgot it after returning to the United States in 1911. Though he spoke of Kuliang throughout his life, he was never able to return.

In 1992, thanks to support from Xi Jinping, then-Fuzhou's Party chief and now Chinese president, Gardner's wife Elizabeth traveled to Kuliang to retrace her husband's early footsteps, fulfilling the wish Gardner had carried for decades.

That story, along with countless others, has shaped the shared lives of Chinese and US families in Kuliang and continues to resonate today.

Organized by the China International Communications Group, the world premiere of Dear Kuliang, a 50-minute Sino-US co-produced documentary, was held at Loyola Marymount University on Friday as part of the 21st Chinese American Film Festival and the Chinese American Television Festival in Los Angeles.

"These beautiful stories, known as the 'Kuliang Bond', have become a warm symbol of mutual understanding and a moving reflection of the genuine friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," said Guo Shaochun, Chinese Consul-General in Los Angeles, during the event.

As the first documentary to present the "Kuliang story" from an international perspective, Dear Kuliang's narrative follows Holly, a US high school student and descendant of the Carleton family, who travels to China to rediscover the world her ancestors once knew in Kuliang. The film intertwines her journey with archival materials and oral history, presenting the past and present in a dual-time structure.

The documentary's premiere was accompanied by a special screening and a Kuliang photo exhibition held at the university, drawing students, scholars and community members.

At the event, Eric Johnston, a Los Angeles educator and member of the Kuliang research team, reflected on the enduring meaning of the place.

"The history of the families that had gotten together during that time period is really very positive," Johnston told China Daily. "It's people making friendships, working and living together from different cultures. American families were living and working with Chinese families and doing things that were amazing."

Johnston's connection to Kuliang began through his friend Elyn Mac-Innis, whose husband's family had roots there. In 2016, he traveled with the family to Fuzhou to explore their heritage, where they discovered stories of collaboration and deep friendship across national and cultural boundaries.

"At a time when much of the world was divided by race and custom, the people of Kuliang shared one well, one water, one life," Johnston said. "When people speak of the spirit of Kuliang, they mean that sense of community where Chinese, American, and European families living side by side, building friendships across cultures."

Tradition carries on

Today, events like "Bond with Kuliang" continue this tradition, helping young people from the US visit China to learn firsthand about its history and culture. "That same spirit continues today, forming new friendships that echo the old ones," Johnston added.

The documentary also resonated strongly with audience members. Richard Anderson, an Oscar-winning sound effects editor, praised the film.

"It was a very charming film about an American woman tracking down her family history," Anderson said. "There are still Americans living there, carrying on the tradition of foreigners and Chinese people living together and getting along. I'd like to visit there."

More than just a documentary, Dear Kuliang revives a legacy of shared memories. Film producer Andre Morgan, a recipient of an Academy Award and a long-time advocate for US-China film collaboration, said the story fills an important gap for American audiences.

"I think it's a wonderful documentary. It's very well made, and it's an area that Americans don't know about the history of Chinese American relations," Morgan said. "We need to spend more time and effort finding ways to get these stories to the public in America, and especially to young people, because they don't get any education about the history of Sino-American relations."

The documentary will air beginning on Monday on major domestic and international platforms, including the History Channel and Southeast TV, as well as streaming and new media outlets.

renali@chinadailyusa.com