Journey to a remote Chinese county that a US citizen calls home

XINING -- A US citizen calls a remote Chinese county his hometown. Why does he feel this way, and why did locals establish an exhibition hall in his honor decades after he left and a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson praise him by name?

With these questions in my mind, I traveled to Huangyuan county in Northwest China's Qinghai province to learn more about a man named David V. Plymire.

Before the trip, I did take the time to do some basic homework. Born in the United States in 1931, Plymire was taken to Huangyuan by his parents when he was less than 1 year old. He grew up playing with local children until he left for the US at age 18.

On the road to Huangyuan, a colleague of mine who had reported on his story shared some anecdotes with me.

When Plymire returned to Huangyuan years after leaving, a taxi driver recognized him via his Huangyuan dialect and refused to charge him for the trip. At a scenic area, staff members insisted on waiving the entrance fee for him, while herders treated him with large bowls of yogurt. Locals even draped traditional Tibetan robes over his shoulders and took photos of him sitting on yaks — all free of charge.

Such tales further aroused my curiosity about the bond between this American and the small county.