鈥淲hy did I need to come here before July 1?鈥� Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People鈥檚 Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, asked me at the end of a full-day, 12-hour tour around a small, isolated city in northwest China鈥檚 Gansu Province. 鈥淚 am here to remember, to be grateful, and to learn.鈥� We鈥檙e in Shandan, and the president is here to learn about a foreign man named Rewi Alley.

New Zealander Rewi Alley first stepped foot on China鈥檚 mainland when he reached Shanghai back in 1927. His path would ultimately lead him here to Shandan, a small city even most Chinese people have never heard of before. He lived here for around a decade, and made a huge impression as an integral part of this country鈥檚 revolutionary history.

After such a long day accompanying the president around Shandan, I wasn鈥檛 feeling very confident that he would have the time or energy to squeeze in an interview. It was almost 9pm. I suggested just asking him a few quick questions downstairs in the hotel lobby after getting off our bus. 鈥淣o, come to my room,鈥� he smiled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much more comfortable there!鈥�

Our quick interview turned into more than an hour, as President Lin鈥檚 staff anxiously sat by waiting to complete other work.

This is the second stop of a six-day tour, first to China鈥檚 鈥渞evolutionary capital,鈥� Yan鈥檃n in Shaanxi Province, and then here to trace the steps of Alley. It鈥檚 nearly July 1, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

鈥淚鈥檓 here to learn鈥� is probably the single sentence Lin uttered the most during the six-day visit, which a Shanghai Daily team, including myself and my colleague Andy Boreham, was invited to come along. He is sincere and modest.

At every visit, Lin listened carefully to the introductions of the commentators, shared his feelings, asked for more details, and took photos with his mobile phone to record some more historical data to study later.

Sometimes he doesn鈥檛 sleep until one or two in the morning, he told me, because there is just so much information he wants to absorb on a daily basis.

On April 9, 2020, Lin, former Chinese ambassador to South Africa, became President of the Chinese People鈥檚 Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an important and highly regarded role in an association charged with building and maintaining friendship and ties with foreign countries and foreign people. Lin, who has been a diplomat for more than 30 years, is now engaged in non-governmental diplomacy. In a China Southern Daily interview, he admitted that he 鈥渕ust run and study.鈥� This is his first 鈥渞evolutionary鈥� trip he鈥檚 embarked on since he took office.

In Yan鈥檃n, the association hosted an international forum named 鈥淪nows in the new era,鈥� inviting more than 200 friends from home and abroad to discuss the legacy of American journalist and writer Edgar Snow, a journalist who introduced the world to 鈥渢he real鈥� Mao Zedong and the Chinese revolution with his important 1937 book, 鈥淩ed Star Over China.鈥�

鈥淵an鈥檃n is the starting point and gathering place for the Communist Party of China to move from weak to strong, and finally to victory,鈥� Lin said. 鈥淪o this time I came here with my team and international friends to study.鈥�

Looking back on the Party鈥檚 one hundred years, Lin thinks the international status of China in the world had improved significantly. While imagining what it must have been like seven or eight decades ago, Lin admired foreign friends like Israel Epstein who decided to give up their comforts and stay on in Yan鈥檃n to help with the revolution, despite such difficult conditions. 鈥淚 think highly of them,鈥� he smiled.

Fight for fairness

In Lin鈥檚 thinking, the key reason for them to stay was their compassion and sense of justice, as well as their lofty ideals. 鈥淭hey came to pursue truth and fight for fairness and justice in the world.鈥�

The main point of the forum, he told me, was to call on more 鈥渇oreign friends鈥� to become the Snows of the new era, to understand China from different parts of history, and to introduce a comprehensive, real and three-dimensional China to the world objectively and fairly. 鈥淛ust like Andy鈥檚 documentary.鈥�

As a columnist and filmmaker from New Zealand, Shanghai Daily鈥檚 Andy Boreham began in-depth study of Rewi Alley during the outbreak of COVID-19 a year ago.

He began to film a documentary, 鈥淔inding Rewi Alley,鈥� recording and tracing the Alley鈥檚 footprints across six decades in China, from the first-person perspective. Lin views Andy鈥檚 work as important in passing on the legacy of a man who made such a huge impact in China.

As a result, Andy was invited to speak at the Yan鈥檃n forum, and was the only 鈥渇oreign friend鈥� to be invited to accompany Lin to the second stop in Gansu to visit the place where Alley鈥檚 ashes have been scattered. It was Andy鈥檚 third visit.

鈥淵our documentary let us see the brilliant life of Alley,鈥� Lin gushed while shaking and holding Andy鈥檚 hand. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very touching. I鈥檓 very moved after watching it.鈥�

Lin said he could imagine how hard it was for Alley to found a school in China as a foreigner during those times, and Alley also had to persuade others. Finally, there were 27 foreign teachers here. 鈥淎lley having his ashes scattered here shows his feelings for this place,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lthough life was very hard, I think he was very happy. As he said, 鈥榯his was the happiest decade of my life.鈥欌��

鈥淚 think the theme is very good. In the current tense international situation, this film is a positive energy entry point, telling not only the story of China, but also the story of internationalism, which is very worthy of recognition,鈥� Lin said of Andy鈥檚 work. 鈥淭he film you made is also very meaningful 鈥� it not only expresses our memory and gratitude for the international progressive people represented by Alley, but also a great education for our Communists nowadays in the new era.鈥�

But Lin urged Andy to continue, and said so many of Alley鈥檚 stories and so much of his life could be added to the documentary as it stands today.

鈥淚 think the documentary ends on a comma,鈥� Lin explained. 鈥淎fter I came to visit Shandan today, we built such a large memorial hall for Alley. The Bailie School covers such a large area, and if I remember correctly, it is 200 mu (13.33 hectares), which means that our CPC and Chinese government highly value the historic contribution of Alley.鈥�

鈥淲e are a grateful nation, and we never forget those international friends who have made great contributions to the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people in different periods,鈥� Lin added.

Lin suggested Andy continue telling Alley鈥檚 story in a new episode about his life in Beijing. After leaving Shandan, Alley spent the last 30 years of his life in the capital, living in the Chinese People鈥檚 Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries from 1953 to 1987.

鈥淚f we can participate in your film, or even as a collaborator, I will be very happy,鈥� Lin said.

Lin mentioned that President Xi Jinping proposed 鈥渃arrying forward the spirit of Rewi Alley鈥� after he visited Shandan in August 2019. Lin said: 鈥淭his time I came here mainly to learn how to better 鈥榗arry forward the spirit of Rewi Alley.鈥欌��

鈥淚n the 1930s and 1940s, when we were in difficulties, international progressives came to help us. Now that China has achieved development, we need to carry forward the spirit of internationalism,鈥� Lin added.

鈥淚 think the spirit of internationalism should be international. We should arouse international progressives to understand and support each other and 鈥榖uild a community of shared future for mankind鈥� as Xi said. This is to let all people live a better life and make the world more peaceful.鈥�