Decades of friendship: American devotes decades to helping county in remote province

Following the story of Chinese sand control pioneer Yin Yuzhen and her American friend Ronald Sakolsky working together to combat desertification moved Chinese readers, another American's longstanding ties to a county in Northwest China's Qinghai Province has also drawn attention.

David Victor Plymire stands next to the CT machine he donated to Huangyuan county, Northwest China's Qinghai Province. (File photos: Xinhua)

"A person can only have one hometown in life," said 95-year-old David Victor Plymire, "Huangyuan is my hometown, my only one."

Plymire was born in New York but can speak Huangyuan dialect.

He moved to Huangyuan as an infant in 1932 and lived there for 17 years.

He left at 18 and stayed away for 38 years.

When he returned to Huangyuan in 1987, former neighbors recognized him the moment he spoke.

A childhood photo of David Victor Plymire

What Plymire saw troubled him: Residents had to travel dozens of kilometers to Xining, the provincial capital, even for basic medical examinations.

Since 1988, Plymire has traveled more than 20 times between China and the US, donating 31 pieces of medical equipment worth 6 million yuan with help from friends, family and charitable organizations.

He also provided financial aid for local education and arranged training programs in the US for the county's English teachers.

The Plymires' connection with Huangyuan spans two generations.

His father, Victor G. Plymire, spent nearly 30 years in Huangyuan; David Plymire later donated hundreds of his father's photographs to local archives.

In accordance with her final wishes, his sister Mary Ann Plymire was laid to rest on a hillside in Huangyuan.

Plymire's story is part of Huangyuan County People's Hospital's institutional history, a must-learn lesson for every new staff member.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning cited Plymire's story at a press briefing in Beijing on October 13.

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

Due to his age, Plymire is no longer able to make long-distance trips.

But every Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival, he calls friends in Huangyuan.

"You are always on my mind," he said on the phone in Huangyuan dialect.

(Compiled by Li Bowen and intern Sun Meiyin)