Lydia Trimble was an American Methodist missionary. In December 1889, at the age of 26, she came to China, starting a career in education and missionary work that spanned over 50 years in Fujian province. In 1891, she founded Yuzhen Girls' Junior High School (the predecessor of Fuqing No 2 High School), and in 1908, she established the South China Women's College (the predecessor of Fujian Hwa Nan Women's College). To trace Lydia's footsteps, her grandnephew Gordon Trimble and his wife Sonia Trimble came to Fuzhou after his retirement in 2005, where he worked as a teacher at Fujian Hwa Nan Women's College.

Gordon, born in 1944, holds a master's degree in economics from the University of Hawaii. He has taught at several universities, including the University of Hawaii and Chaminade University, and served two consecutive terms in the Hawaii State Senate from 2002 to 2008. Since 2005, Gordon has been teaching Applied English and Business English at Fujian Hwa Nan Women's College. From 1994 to 2020, he served as chairman of the Trimble Foundation, dedicated to educational exchanges and cooperation between American schools and China. He facilitated teacher exchanges between Fujian Normal University and the University of Puget Sound and established a sister school relationship between Fuqing No 2 High School and Hawaii Preparatory Academy.

Gordon was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Fuzhou" in 2019 and received the Fujian Friendship Award in 2009.