Ancient lotus seeds buried underground for thousands of years can sprout and bloom once replanted. Similarly, the seeds of education sown a century ago continue to nurture the friendship between Chinese and American youth over time.

In 1994, Fuzhou and Tacoma, USA, became sister cities, and Fujian Hwa Nan Women's College established a sister-school relationship with the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. As part of this collaboration, the University of Puget Sound has been sending outstanding graduates to teach English at Hwa Nan Women’s College for the past 30 years.

Despite being separated by the Pacific Ocean, these two schools have been connected through an enduring bridge of cooperation, built by the Trimble family—four generations dedicated to Sino-American educational exchange, also known as the “Kuliang Visitors.”

In December 1889, Lydia Trimble, at the age of 26, traveled thousands of miles to Fujian. She went on to establish four women’s schools and dedicated her life to education in the region, passing away at 78 in Lixuelou, Hwa Nan. Her work pioneered modern higher education for women in Fujian.

The early faculty of these schools consisted mainly of educators from China and the U.S. Over the years, generations of faculty—regardless of nationality or gender—have continued this mission, advocating for women’s education and enlightenment.

A century later, in the 1980s, the third generation of the Trimble family, Robert Trimble, returned to Fujian, his second home. Like bluebirds carrying twigs across the ocean, the Trimble family has traveled between China and the U.S., rekindling this historic bond.

In 2005, after retiring, Gordon Trimble, the son of Robert Trimble, and his wife Sonia Trimble, volunteered to teach at Hwa Nan Women’s College. They also established a scholarship fund to support student and faculty exchanges, further promoting Sino-American cultural and educational exchange. Since 2008, the Trimble family foundation has sponsored five groups—nearly 100 students and faculty—from the University of Puget Sound to visit Fujian, as well as multiple groups of Hwa Nan students to study in the U.S. In recognition of his contributions to Sino-American civil exchange, Gordon Trimble received Fujian Province’s "Friendship Award" in 2009 and was honored as a "Fuzhou Honorary Citizen" in 2020.

This year, the exchanges between the two schools continue:

· January: The University of Puget Sound’s president and delegation visited Hwa Nan Women’s College to discuss English teaching assignments, faculty exchanges, and the Asian Scholars Program.

· June: A delegation from Hwa Nan Women’s College traveled to the U.S. to attend the 30th-anniversary celebration of the "Trimble-Hwa Nan Volunteer Teacher Program." They presented scarves with the school emblem to teacher representatives.

· July: At the invitation of Hwa Nan faculty and students, the University of Puget Sound delegation visited Guling, tracing the origins of their historic friendship. Professor Douglas Stowe, an Asian cultural scholar, noted that both Hwa Nan Women’s College and the University of Puget Sound have a "Trimble Hall," symbolizing their shared commitment to education.

· September: Hwa Nan Women’s College welcomed its 20th volunteer teacher from the University of Puget Sound, Cecilia Cobbs, who now teaches English at the college.

"If friends stay connected, distance does not matter." The bond of "Guling Yuan" continues to forge new friendships.

During the 2024 "Guling Yuan" U.S.-China Youth Exchange Week, over 200 American and nearly 300 Chinese youth gathered in Fuzhou, fostering heart-to-heart communication beneath the ancient millennia-old cypress trees, creating new stories of friendship.

During the event, Zheng Lin Shujie, a teacher from Minjiang University’s School of Music, and Erin Genapp, the Executive Director of Tacoma’s Refugee Choir, collaborated on a special musical performance. Despite never having met before, they co-arranged a new rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow through online exchanges.

The night before the welcome banquet, they met for the first time and, after just 30 minutes of rehearsal, performed with surprising harmony. On June 25, they took the stage together, encouraging each other with their eyes and delivering an emotional first performance, receiving warm applause from the audience. Their musical bond soon became a lasting friendship.

On December 26, the U.S.-China Youth Exchange Camp inauguration ceremony was held in Guling. With Guling as the center of this youth gathering, the enduring friendship between China and the United States will continue to grow, just like the thousand-year-old cypress trees of Guling—strong, resilient, and everlasting.