Members of a China-US exchange group visit an exhibition hall, dedicated to Edward Bliss, in Shaowu, Fujian province, on June 28. [Photo by Wang Xiaoyun/For China Daily]

Bliss passed away peacefully in his sleep on Jan 22, 1960. But his story has been passed down from generation to generation in Shaowu and Kuliang.

Bliss's youngest son, Edward Bliss Jr., has compiled his father's letters and conversations into a book titled Beyond The Stone Arches.

"China was my father's life," Edward Jr.wrote in the book's preface. The Chinese translation of the book was published by the Central Compilation and Translation Press in 2015.

But before that, in 2001, nearly 70 years after Bliss departed from China, his grandchildren traveled from the US to Shaowu to visit the places their grandfather had lived and worked in during his 40 years in China.

Shaowu residents still refer to Bliss as "Mr Fu" with respect and awe, and many edifices in Shaowu and Kuliang remind people of Bliss. For instance, when you enter the Shaowu No 4 Middle School, the first thing you see is the former residence of Bliss and May — a beautiful Western-style building the couple built in 1906.

The two large banyan trees in front of this building appear vibrant with lush green leaves. "My grandfather and grandmother devoted almost their entire life to building a profound friendship with the Chinese people," said Anne, Bliss's granddaughter.

"More than a century has passed, and the world has undergone radical changes. What hasn't changed is that people can still have true friendship… with each other," Anne told the local media in Fujian earlier this year. Indeed, she spoke the truth, just like her granddad.