"On the night before she passed away, I was right here."

Standing in the bedroom of Soong Ching Ling's former residence in Beijing on Aug 26,84-year-old US scholar Sharon Crain was transported back to 1981, the year when she met the honorary president of the People's Republic of China for the first time.

Crain was a close friend of Helen Foster Snow, the author of Inside Red China and former wife of the renowned journalist Edgar Snow, in her later years and also a friend of Soong. During her recent visit to China from Aug 22 to Sept 17, she visited Soong's residence with Soong's family to donate copies of her correspondence with the late leader.

The friendship between Crain and Soong began through the introduction of Helen Snow, a Utah-born journalist. "When Helen introduced me to Soong, she called her a 'friend', not an important leader," Crain recalled. "We remained friends and kept in touch through letters over the years."

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Those letters, written in English, were exchanged long before the age of computers or mobile phones. They revealed a more private side of Soong.

In the letters, Soong shared stories about her life and her children. Crain also remembered how Soong wrote to her about the death of her dear housekeeper, sharing her sadness.

"My description of her from the letters would be, first word, compassionate — very compassionate and very appreciative," said Crain in a recent interview in Beijing.

"She cared about the leaders. She cared about the common people, especially the women and the children." Shortly before Soong's death in May 1981, she wrote to Crain apologizing for a delayed reply because she had been bedridden. "Even when she was very weak, she still cared about others," Crain added.

She also admired how Soong took the time to write English — a gesture Crain saw as a way of welcoming others from around the world. "Her handwriting was very beautiful," Crain said.

Crain regards these letters as precious gifts, adding that she plans to organize and donate the full set of original letters in the future.

During her visit, Crain also came across an electric coffee percolator that Soong had given to the Snows as a wedding gift in December 1932. Helen Snow treasured the coffee pot and preserved it with great care. It is now on display in the former residence of Soong Ching Ling.

Crain had later brought it back to China on behalf of the Snow family. Seeing it again in the former residence was "very beautiful", she said.

Crain's connection with China dates back to the 1970s.

As a graduate of Duke University in Chinese studies, she first visited China in 1977, driven by a desire to see the country beyond books and news reports.

A pivotal encounter came in 1979, when she met Helen Snow. Snow asked Crain to help publish 30 book manuscripts she had written about China. "In the last 20 years of her life, we formed a deep friendship," Crain recalled. "She was both a mentor and a guide, opening the door for me to understand the real China."

From Helen Snow, Crain learned the stories of Soong's bravery and compassion.

Helen had told her how Soong helped Edgar Snow make the long, dangerous journey to Yan'an, Shaanxi province in Northwest China, to interview leaders of the Communist Party of China in 1936, and Helen herself the following year in 1937.

"Helen was really touching history," Crain said. "But it was also with the help of her dear friend Soong Ching Ling."

Over the past five decades, Crain has dedicated herself to China-US educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

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She has served as a visiting professor at Shaanxi Normal University and authored Witness to Change: After Mao to Now. In 2007, she received the Sanqin Friendship Award from the Shaanxi provincial government for her contributions.

On Aug 31, Crain traveled to Yan'an, where she donated two historical artifacts to the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall — a pen that Soong had given to Helen Snow, and Crain's own letters to Soong.

Crain's visit and donations are part of a series of events marking her five-decade commitment to fostering understanding between the Chinese and American people. For her, the bridge of China-US people-to-people exchange is not built of concrete, but of individual planks.

"Soong Ching Ling, Helen and I are all planks of this bridge," she said. "We must all become planks on this bridge, and each plank must be strong enough. It is everyone's responsibility to keep building these bridges, and pass on this legacy to the younger generations."

Contact the writers at sunmeng@chinadaily.com.cn