by Xinhua writers Zhai Xiang and Mi Yingting

FUZHOU, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-one years have passed, yet Chen Meichun still vividly remembers her university English teacher Donald MacInnis, an elderly man from the United States who spoke the Fuzhou dialect fluently. The scene of their farewell remains etched in her memory.

At that time, Chen was studying at Wuyi University in east China's Fujian Province. MacInnis, then 84 years old, was about to return to the United States after a year of teaching. She and her classmates sang Auld Lang Syne for him. Overcome with emotion, MacInnis promised to return the following year. But he did not. In December of 2005, he passed away peacefully at home, holding in his hand a Christmas card signed by his students.

Recalling her first impression, Chen said, "He was exceptionally kind and gentle. Despite his senior age, he took teaching very seriously. He always arrived at the classroom earlier than we did, and after class, he would often teach us English songs."

As time went on, the students came to understand more about his remarkable life. He had crossed the Pacific to China many times; he had joined the anti-fascist war, fighting side by side with the Chinese people against Japanese aggression; and even his children and grandchildren spoke fluent Chinese, bound closely to this land.

To his students, he was a man who had lived through both war and peace, carrying countless stories and steadfast convictions. When he passed away, he also left behind his most enduring promise -- everlasting friendship.

MacInnis was born in 1920 in Wisconsin and later moved with his family to California. While in his junior year at UCLA, he happened to meet Sidney Chen, the principal of Fuzhou's Anglo-Chinese College (the predecessor of today's Affiliated High School to Fujian Normal University and Fuzhou Senior High School). Chen invited him to teach English, according to Mr. Jiang, a local history and culture scholar.

MacInnis accepted the invitation, a decision that changed his life.

A few months later, with a check of 300 U.S. dollars from his parents, he crossed the Pacific and arrived in China in 1940. Witnessing firsthand the suffering caused by the Japanese invasion and the Chinese people's resilience in resistance, MacInnis developed a profound affection for China and its people.

At that time, the Anglo-Chinese College had relocated inland due to the war. Conditions were harsh. MacInnis recalled in his later years that the place resembled "a European town 400 years ago -- no running water, no electricity, no cars."

Together, MacInnis and his students founded an English newspaper, The Tide. His students wrote news and essays, which they then transcribed in artistic fonts. MacInnis cherished this publication dearly. When his teaching year ended, he took the inaugural issue to the United States as a keepsake. Half a century later, he brought this treasured copy back to China and personally gave it to his favorite former student, Chen Shiming, now 101 years old.

In November 1941, MacInnis returned to the United States, graduating the following year. To come back to China, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force. After rigorous training, he was assigned to southern Fujian in 1945. He and his Chinese comrades monitored Japanese naval movements near Xiamen, sending radio reports to Kunming when enemy ships appeared, providing precise coordinates for subsequent air raids.

He later recalled how dangerous this mission was. A few thousand Japanese soldiers were stationed in Xiamen. He narrowly escaped death at their hands, while an American comrade was killed.

After World War II, MacInnis pursued graduate studies in international relations at Stanford University. He married Helen, who also had a great interest in China. In 1947, he brought Helen and their newborn son back to China, where he taught at Fukien Christian University (a predecessor of Fujian Normal University). Their second son, Peter MacInnis, was born in Fuzhou. Speaking of this decision, Donald MacInnis said he wanted his wife to meet his Chinese friends.

Elyn MacInnis, Donald's daughter-in-law, recalled first meeting him during the Christmas season of 1973, shortly after she met Peter at Harvard. "It was basically love at first sight. Peter was a Chinese boy. That's why I liked him."

Though she did not talk much with Donald on that first occasion, China soon became a recurring topic in family life, a shared source of connection and emotion.

From 1974 onward, Donald and Helen returned to the Chinese mainland many times to visit old friends. But brief trips could never satisfy his deep longing. In 2004, at the age of 84, he came back once more as a volunteer teacher at Wuyi University. He taught eight classes a week and accepted only living stipends.

"At Wuyi, when people called me a foreigner, I said I was an insider," Donald once said. He explained he had grown accustomed to the culture, climate, and customs in China, and longed to relive the joys of his youth.

Following his example, Peter and Elyn brought their two daughters to China in 1988. They lived and worked in multiple cities for 30 years.

Chen Meichun recalls Donald proudly showing photos of his two granddaughters. He explained their names: one was called Ai Zhong, the other Ai Hua, together meaning "Love China."

In 2015, ten years after his passing, Peter and Elyn fulfilled his will by bringing half of his ashes back to Fuzhou. In a simple yet solemn ceremony, they scattered them into the Minjiang River.

"The Minjiang River is Fuzhou's mother river. It ultimately flows to the sea, connecting with the Pacific, to the U.S., and beyond. So even though half of my father-in-law's ashes lie in the Minjiang River and half in America, they will eventually meet," Elyn said.

In 2018, Donald's name was inscribed on Fuzhou's memorial wall dedicated to heroes from the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Elyn gently made a rubbing of his name and brought this honor back to the U.S.

"Every year at Qingming Festival, I go to the Minjiang River where they scattered his ashes, or to the wall, to scatter flower petals or lay flowers in remembrance of Donald. This has become a ritual, just like remembering one of our own family members," said Jiang.

"The story of his work during the anti-fascist war and his work in China is a very touching and important story for our family. Our whole family is very proud of him and the work he did. He was a very important part of our lives," Elyn told Xinhua.

"Although we are Americans, we can also say we are Chinese," she said. ■