A sisterhood forged in Kuliang endures through decades

In November 1941, two families — one Chinese and one American — living in Fuzhou, a city in southeastern China's Fujian province, were blessed with baby girls on the same day.

The new parents, friends and fellow teachers at the local Anglo-Chinese College, read a special meaning into the timing of their daughters' births. To celebrate the girls' shared birthday and the school's 60th anniversary, they named the babies after the school's Chinese name, Yinghua Middle School.

Thus, the Chinese girl became Li Yiying, and the American girl, Gail Harris, received her Chinese name — Bi Lehua.

"We are like twins. I was born six hours before Gail," Li recalled. "Every year, we celebrated our birthdays at Gail's home, singing 'happy birthday' and sharing a large homemade cake."

During summers, Harris' family would invite Li and her family to their villa in Kuliang, a mountain retreat on the outskirts of Fuzhou, which once attracted hundreds of foreigners from over 20 countries. An international community began to grow in the late 19th century after Fuzhou's opening as a trading port, as many foreigners would move to Kuliang in the summers to escape the city's subtropical heat, and lived among the local residents for decades.

The two girls spent their days in the hills of Kuliang catching fish in the creek, swinging from trees and sharing sweets. "To this day, I still remember those carefree, happy times," Li said.

However, that idyllic chapter ended in 1948 when Harris' family returned to the United States.

"I left China when I was 7 years old, and we were very sad," Harris said. "I didn't really think about whether I was ever going to go back."

Despite being separated by time and distance, the two families initially managed to stay in touch for some time through letters. However, with the passing of the older generation, even that faint link was lost, and the two girls lost contact for decades, their childhood friendship preserved only in faded photographs.

It was not until 2014 that Li and Harris reunited at an event in Fuzhou. Even after decades of being away, Harris remembered the Fuzhou dialect, allowing the women to greet each other and catch up in the local tongue.

"It was very exciting. It felt almost unreal to reconnect because I never thought I would see her again. But she has always been a part of my heart and my life," Harris said.

She told Li that her entire family fondly remembered their time in Fuzhou, a place they regarded as their hometown. "Now," Harris said, speaking in the local dialect, "I have come home."

Since that reunion, the two "sisters" have met on four occasions, always in Fuzhou. Together, they have pored through old photographs, retraced their steps in Kuliang, exchanged meaningful gifts and explored sites around Fuzhou. Li introduced her younger family members to Harris, weaving new threads into a friendship that now spans generations.

Li told Harris in their latest video call that she plans to visit the United States soon. "If the trip works out, we will come to see you in Tennessee," Li assured her friend.

The rekindled bond is more than a private miracle — it opens a window to a broader chapter of Kuliang's history. With research continuing to uncover historical records and descendants of Kuliang's foreign residents coming back to trace their family histories, the deep bonds once formed there between local and foreign families have come back to life.

The bonds did not form instantly."You have to have time together, you have to listen and you have to build trust," said Elyn MacInnis, a descendant of an American family that has a long history with Kuliang. "They learned how to live together ... with humility and respect for both sides, both cultures. They cared for each other in very ordinary ways," she added.

To help revive and sustain these connections, MacInnis initiated the Kuliang Friends group, which brings together descendants of families from the US who once lived in the mountain village.

"Kuliang reminds us that friendship across cultures is fragile yet it's also very powerful. It's worth the effort to protect," she added.

Looking ahead, MacInnis emphasized that for Kuliang's legacy to continue growing, it needs both "roots and shoots". The roots lie in remembering the Kuliang families and honoring the full history of their lives, while "the new growth comes from inviting younger generations to take part — to be friends, to form their own relationships and to carry that spirit forward in ways that make sense for our time", she explained.

MacInnis cited China's initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans over five years to visit as a meaningful step, saying that it is a delight to "see groups of young people coming over and getting to know and love the culture".

Their experiences of sharing everyday life and building trust together over time, even within the designated two-week visit, may affect them for the rest of their lives, she said.

"It's a reminder," she added, "that lasting relationships are possible — and may not take as long as we think."

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn