The revival of Kuliang's cultural legacy, however, would not have been possible without the unlikely dedication of a three-person team — among them, Guo Qing.

Guo, a Kuliang native in his 30s, made a puzzling decision in 2018 to set aside his family's catering business to systematically research Kuliang's history.

The trigger was a touch of competitive spirit.

"I was chatting with some officials of the management committee and realized they knew more about Kuliang than I did," Guo recalls with a laugh.

"I thought to myself, 'That won't do. I need to know more than them.'"

His research method was grassroots yet extraordinarily effective: using the Fuzhou dialect to unlock the memories of the elderly.

"My advantage is being a local, and I can chat with anyone easily,"Guo explains.

What he salvaged from the elders were warm, human details absent from the archives.

His uncle remembered foreigners giving children biscuits in tin boxes that were later treasured as pencil cases.

Another old villager recalled using homemade water pistols to squirt passing "golden-haired boys" before running away. There were even tales of playful fights on the tennis court.

"They're all fond memories," Guo summarizes.