China-U.S. Co-produced Documentary Dear Kuliang World Premiere in Los Angeles, Illuminating a Century of Friendship Through Film
LAPost / Los Angeles (November 7, 2025) — As one of the major highlights of the 21st China-U.S. Film and TV Festival, the special event “Capture the Moments of Friendship: a Cinematic Record of China-US Relations” was held in Los Angeles on November 7. During the event, the China-U.S. co-produced documentary Dear Kuliang celebrated its World Premiere and U.S screening, held at both Loyola Marymount University and the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles. The screenings drew local university students and faculty, film professionals, and representatives of cultural and friendship organizations.
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
The event was guided by China’s State Council Information Office, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, and jointly organized by the China International Communications Group (CICG), Shaanxi Tourism Group, Beijing Normal University, and the Helen Foster Snow Foundation.
In his remarks, Consul General Guo Shaochun described the “Kuliang friendship” as a symbol of the deep emotional bond between the Chinese and American peoples and a reflection of sincere connections that transcend time. “Today’s young generation is using film as a bridge for understanding,” Guo said. “Through authenticity and creativity, they are allowing the world to see a genuine China and writing a new chapter of China-U.S. friendship.”
（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
Dear Kuliang is jointly produced by China Review Studio, Fujian Media Group, and the Information Office of Fuzhou Municipal Government.
The documentary follows the journey of Holly B, a relative of the Carleton family, who was inspired by her grandmother’s stories about Dr. Mary Carleton and Mary Sing-Gieu Carleton. Determined to trace her family’s roots, Holly travels alone to China, where she meets a local Chinese girl, Zhou Tianyi. Together, they retrace the Carleton family’s footsteps in Kuliang (known historically as Drum Mountain), a hillside retreat overlooking Fuzhou that once served as a summer haven for foreigners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through their journey, Dear Kuliang intertwines past and present, illuminating how people-to-people connections transcend time and geography.
The film’s historical backdrop is set in Kuliang, Fuzhou, a place renowned for its unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures. In the mid-19th century, Fuzhou—one of China’s earliest treaty ports—attracted missionaries, merchants, and diplomats from around the world. Owing to its cool climate, Kuliang became a popular summer resort for expatriates. By 1935, the area had developed into a thriving international community with homes, churches, hospitals, and post offices.
According to Fujian Daily and Fuzhou Architecture Heritage, Dr. Mary Carleton, a graduate of the College of Medicine at Syracuse University, arrived in China in 1887 under the Methodist Episcopal Church. She worked at She worked at Magaw Memorial Hospital in Fuzhou， together with another hospital-Foochow Mission Hospital-integrated to form what is now known as today’s Fujian Medical University Union Hospital—before dedicating her life to medical service in Minqing County (then known as Mintsing) preaching tour with missionary Dr. Nathan Sites, Carleton left her position in Fuzhou to establish a small clinic in Bandong Village, where she served local patients for over three decades.
Historical records indicate that Carleton initially worked with one assistant, a female preacher named Mao, treating over 2,000 patients annually. In 1897, she expanded the clinic to include men’s and women’s wards, pediatrics, and an outpatient department. Her successor, Dr. Ruth V. Hemenway, described Carleton’s impact in her memoir A Memoir of Revolutionary China, 1924–1941: “People came from near and far—some carried by relatives, others walking for days—hoping for relief, and most of them found it.”
In 1925, Carleton returned to the United States for health reasons after nearly thirty years of service in China. Before her departure, she trained Dr. Hemenway to continue her work, ensuring that the hospital’s legacy would endure. During her years in China, Kuliang was one of Carleton’s few retreats — she owned a small hillside home there. Though the house no longer stands, a weathered boundary stone inscribed with “Lan Jie,” meaning “Carleton’s house boundary,” still marks the site where it once stood.
Chen Fang（Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)
Chen Fang, head of China Review Studio, stated that Dear Kuliang represents “a profound cross-cultural collaboration that uses the language of film to rediscover empathy and shared humanity.” Producer Zhang Yuehan added, “We hope this documentary helps audiences around the world feel the warmth and strength that come from genuine people-to-people exchanges.”
Los Angeles film critics responded enthusiastically, describing Dear Kuliang as “a documentary masterpiece of emotional depth and historical insight.” One review noted that “the film’s poetic storytelling and world-class production capture the enduring power of human connection across borders and generations.” Another wrote, “This is not merely a documentary, but a heartfelt letter of friendship across a century—conveying trust, understanding, and the timeless hope for peaceful coexistence.”
Dear Kuliang will soon be broadcast on the History Channel Asia, Southeast TV, and Tencent Video, allowing audiences worldwide to experience this remarkable story of historical legacy, friendship, and human connection that continues to unite China and the United States.
