Snow wrote on the book: "To Anna Louise, Glory on your 77th! And many more to you－For auld lang syne－Ed. St. Cergue, June 17/63."

The friendship between Snow and Strong seems to have started in 1937, possibly even earlier. In February 1941, Snow returned to the US, where he cooperated with Strong to create a film script that told the story of a young nurse named Anna during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

"What's special about Red China Today is that, in the book, Snow mentioned Strong was the first US journalist that went to the Tibet autonomous region after the riot was put down in 1959, when she was 73. And based on this trip, she published the book When Serfs Stand Up in Tibet," Liu says.

"Snow and Strong, one risked his life to go to Shaanbei (northern Shaanxi) to interview members of the Communist Party of China in 1936, and the other took it upon herself to visit the plateau at the age of 73. Their adventurous spirit is the basis for their friendship－they risked their lives to be able to help the world understand China through their reports."

Contact the writer at yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn