The former residence of Edward Bliss and May Bortz on the Shaowu No 4 Middle School campus. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Strong bond with Kuliang

Kuliang, a summer retreat on the outskirts of Fuzhou, has been a popular tourist destination for both locals and foreigners for over a century.

The town, which turns emerald green in summer, had a special place in Bliss's life, even though he spent most of his time in Shaowu, because it is in Kuliang that he met the love of his life and spent some wonderful time with his family.

In the summer of 1901, while on a vacation in Kuliang, Bliss met a young American woman. Her name was May Bortz.

To win May's heart, Bliss persuaded his close associates to fund the construction of a tennis court in Kuliang. Then he invited May to play tennis with him. Perhaps their love blossomed on the tennis court, and became one of the most romantic tales of Kuliang.

The two got married on Sept 22, 1902, following which May accompanied Bliss to Shaowu, where she worked as a teacher at a girls' high school and taught English at a boys' school.

In 1932, as times changed, Bliss left Shaowu and returned to the US. Although he could not return to China, he continued to love the country and its people till the end.

May too returned to the US, and in their later years, the couple lived in Boston, where Bliss's family gave them a room facing the west on the second floor. Bliss spent the rest of his life feeling happy, thinking the west-facing room brought him closer to China across the Pacific.