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

That trust was not just spoken. Qi Chengtao, guardian of the building, found a century-old handwritten document inside a preserved Bible.

A local dying couple entrusted their cattle and farmland to Victor Plymire, asking the gospel hall to raise their child. The agreement stated that if the child grew up to be self-sufficient, the property would be donated to the gospel hall. If not, it would remain with the child. On the back, Victor had noted the items in English, including yaks and barley.

"The document shows both the trust the local people placed in Victor Plymire and the integrity of the Plymire family, who kept this document for decades," Huo explained.

From scattered details gathered during these interviews, I pieced together a portrait of David Plymire: a man whose bond with Huangyuan ran so deep that he was never forgotten and who spent decades giving back.

No wonder Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning cited his story while discussing ties between China and the US.

People-to-people friendship holds the key to state-to-state relations, Mao said, likening the exchanges between the Chinese and US people to "small streams that ultimately converge to form the vast river of China-US friendship."

During my reporting, I came across a video that ended with a text message David sent to a friend in Huangyuan, which moved me to tears. Now 95 and physically unable to travel, he typed these words: "I have always, and always will, consider that place to be my real home. They will be dear members of my family, and I will never forget them."