Elyn MacInnis, founder of Friends of Kuliang, returned to China to retrace the remarkable story of her late father-in-law, honoring the enduring wartime friendship between the Chinese and U.S. people.
Established in 2016, Friends of Kuliang brings together descendants of American families whose ancestors lived harmoniously alongside Chinese residents in Kuliang, a historic summer retreat in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, beginning in the 1880s.
MacInnis's father-in-law, Donald MacInnis, was a U.S. Army Air Forces lieutenant who came to China in 1940 to serve with the legendary Flying Tigers -- a group of American pilots who fought alongside the Chinese people during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. He later taught generations of students in east China's Fuzhou.
In 2018, Donald became the first American whose name was inscribed on Fuzhou's Memorial Wall, joining the Chinese soldiers whom he fought alongside all those years ago.
"He was the eyes on the ground for the Flying Tigers. When Japanese forces moved south, he would use a telescope to report where they were heading and how many there were. So his job was not safe. The person before him was killed by the Japanese," Elyn MacInnis said in an interview in 2023.
Early this month, Elyn paid tribute to her father-in-law at the memorial wall. She also shared touching family stories that span more than 80 years.
During her stay, she came across a statue of a Chinese woman carrying a baby in a shoulder pole, noting that the statue has special meaning for her family.
"And the baby is my husband, because when he first came to Kuliang, a 'Kuliang mama' brought him up the mountain. And so he grew up getting carried by a Chinese mother," she said.
Donald MacInnis's son Peter MacInnis was born in Fuzhou. Later, Peter and Elyn named their two daughters "Ai Zhong" and "Ai Hua," that together mean love China.
Through the Friends of Kuliang, they have brought together more American families who once lived in Kuliang, helping their children and grandchildren retrace their ancestors' footsteps and return to China to experience this shared history firsthand.
Founder of Friends of Kuliang retraces wartime friendship between China, U.S.
