Helen with Zhu De, 1937. [Photo/China Daily]

The most unique person

During 1972 and 1973, to finance a trip around the world, including China, Helen sold many of her antiques and memorabilia. But in order to maintain her independence and credibility, she never took any financial support for her trips to China.

In 1978, joined by a film crew from Hollywood, Helen started a documentary project to revisit the places that she had been to more than 40 years earlier.

"Helen Snow is the most unique person that I ever met in my life," said Tim Considine, producer of the film crew.

He has been recently visiting China to attend symposiums about the Snows in Xi'an and Beijing, to tell stories about his trip with Helen to China in 1978.

"She was so beautiful, lively, passionate, and talented," he said.

Considine accompanied Helen to meet Deng Xiaoping in 1979 when the leader visited the US.

"In the US, no one knew her. But in China people really cared about her. I saw her flower bloom in China. People and the leaders like Deng Xiaoping were kind to her. I was happy to see her come to life, happy in China," he said.

Based on the trips, she wrote and published An American Experience in China in Xi'an.

In 1984, her book My China Years was published in New York.

She continued to tell stories about China to the Western world.

Helen died in 1997.

"She will always be remembered for her profound love for the Chinese people, her understanding of China's history, and her lifelong dedication and significant contribution to promoting friendship and understanding between our two peoples. In these respects she was an early bridge-builder and role model for younger generations.

"Her name will go down in the annals of Sino-US friendship and will always live in our hearts," said former vice-premier Huang Hua, his wife He Liliang and colleagues of the China Society for People's Friendship Societies, in a tribute to her.

In Cedar City, Utah, her hometown, a bronze statue of Helen Snow has been put up to remember a remarkable woman.

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