A 1912 photo taken at the house of missionary A. W. Billing in Guling, which was known as Kuliang at the time. Billing's children are at center stage. China Daily

"In this beautiful place they shared love with the people here and were loved in return. And this love was so deep that it has reverberated through the generations, and we have been called back to this place our family once called home," she added.

The grandparents of Andrea Kathryn Condit founded a middle school in Minqing, Fujian, in the early 1900s.

Condit said that throughout the trip, she wanted to learn a great deal more about the life of her great-grandmother, who came to China alone as a single woman at age 26 and then taught at a girls' school in Fuzhou.

"The signs that pointed to different places, like the cultural center, the swimming pool and the church, are well-preserved. We are very grateful that the government has preserved the history we share with the local people," she said.

Dean Raymond Billing, grandson of Arthur W. Billing, a Methodist missionary who lived in Guling from 1900 to the 1940s, said Xi had made great efforts to help the visitors trace their ancestors' Chinese roots.

"There used to be so many Westerners here, there was real connection. Xi has restored that connection. Before that it was hard to travel here. Some people in my family thought about it, but you could not do it," he said.

After discovering that the house his grandfather built was still standing, Billing said it was "amazing". His family and the current owner of the villa feature in a photo taken in front of the house.

Lin Yinan, an expert in Guling culture at East China University of Science and Technology, said the county was the first home of many Westerners who were born there, and as a result, they regarded the place as their hometown.

"This is their homesickness, and the seven families are looking for their family roots here," he said, adding that people-to-people exchanges have played an important role in boosting bilateral relations.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.

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