STORY: American researcher dedicated to Sino-foreign cultural exchanges in China's Fuzhou
DATELINE: June 27, 2022
LENGTH: 0:03:10
LOCATION: FUZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Elyn MacInnis in China
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ELYN MACINNIS, Consultant, Chinese and Western Culture Research Association of Guling
2. file footages of Milton Gardner living in Guling
3. file footages of Mrs Gardner visiting China in 1992
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ELYN MACINNIS, Consultant, Chinese and Western Culture Research Association of Guling

STORYLINE:

An American researcher has devoted herself for years to studying the rich history of Sino-foreign cultural exchanges in Guling, in the suburbs of China's Fuzhou.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ELYN MACINNIS, Consultant, Chinese and Western Culture Research Association of Guling, Fuzhou
"Mu Yanling is my Chinese name. I came from the United States. This is a picture taken in July 1948, when my husband was only two months old. His father had visited China many times and lived in Guling for a period of time. In 2005, my father-in-law left a will, saying he would leave some of his ashes in China's Fuzhou, and told his family to return to find his roots in Guling. In 2015, according to his will, we took half of the ashes to Fuzhou and scattered them into the Minjiang River. It was my second visit to Fuzhou and my first visit to Guling. I finally understood why my father-in-law loved Guling so much.

Later I have visited Guling multiple times to engage in research and facilitate cross-cultural communication between Chinese and Western cultures in the area. During the research process, I learned more about the stories of Guling."

The story of an American couple's touching journey to find Guling is well-known among the local community.

In 1992, a Chinese newspaper covered a story of an American couple who tried in vain to locate Guling, where the husband Milton Gardner had spent nine years of his childhood before returning to the United States in 1911.

Since diplomatic ties were established between China and the United States in 1979, Gardner had been longing to revisit his childhood home, but he never made the trip due to failing health.

With help from the Chinese government, Mrs. Gardner fulfilled her husband's wish by visiting Guling in 1992.   

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ELYN MACINNIS, Consultant, Chinese and Western Culture Research Association of Guling
"This is Yixia Villa. This is where Mrs. Gardner fulfilled her husband's wish around 30 years ago.
Fuzhou is an open, inclusive and international city. I'm looking for new stories about Guling and at the same time, I've also personally experienced the changes taking place here. In recent years, many more Guling stories have emerged, enriching our memories, and giving rise to fresh channels for cultural exchanges. Guling has become a shining name card of Fuzhou's foreign cultural exchanges."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Fuzhou, China.
(XHTV)