Across China: Chinese students create free portraits for families of fallen heroes

Li Chenyu, a student at Anhui Normal University, creats portraits of a fallen hero's family in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, March 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

HEFEI, April 15 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese university students is using art to pay tribute to fallen war heroes, creating portraits for their families free of charge.

The portraits are made based on research and descriptions from those close to the subjects, and they help families reconnect with their loved ones and keep their memories alive.

Born in 1920 in north China's Hebei Province, Song Lianheng participated in China's revolution in 1946 and died in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

That was all the information Duan Hongrun, a student at Anhui Normal University in east China's Anhui Province, could ascertain before he started to draw a portrait of Song.

The drawing major was perturbed at first. He later managed to find a blurry old photo of the hero's nephew for reference, and he studied many historical materials to determine the clothing that would have been worn by Chinese People's Volunteers like Song.

A vivid portrait of a man with eyes full of thoughts of his loved ones and the firmness of a soldier gradually came into being, with repeated alterations based on the suggestions of Song's family members.

Song's younger sister, 86, said the finished portrait was quite like her brother, and that the fallen hero had finally returned home after so many years. With the recognition of the late soldier's family, Duan felt that his efforts over two weeks had paid off.

"It seems as though the hero is looking at me and, when I look at the portrait, we are having a conversation across time. I will remember his appearance forever," Duan said.

Duan is one of a number of volunteers who have joined the "Portraits for War Heroes" project, which was launched by Anhui Normal University in November 2021.

By collecting information about each individual -- details including physical appearance, personality traits and accomplishments -- from their families and relatives, the project aims to create portraits of heroes and help more families realize their dream of reuniting with their loved ones.

On an early morning three days before the Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, Anhui Normal University student Wei Ziyang brought a composite portrait he had made to Hefei, the capital of Anhui.

Chen Yannian and Chen Qiaonian, siblings who sacrificed their lives for the Communist Party of China in 1927 and 1928, respectively, have become better known to the Chinese people since the TV series "The Age of Awakening" first aired in 2021. A road in Hefei has been named after them to commemorate the revolutionary forefathers.

"The two never had a photo taken together when they were alive, so I decided to make a composite portrait for them and donate it to a local school along the road," Wei said as he held the framed portrait.

The initiative to create free portraits for the families of fallen heroes is a heartwarming tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their country. The students involved are utilizing their artistic skills not only to honor the heroes but also to help their families and relatives find comfort and closure, according to university faculty member Wang Wei.

The project was awarded the gold medal in the China youth volunteer service project competition in 2022. More than 200 students from Anhui Normal University have so far taken part in the project, completing 96 portraits to date.

Yu Jiarui, a student at Anhui Normal University, takes a photo of a fallen hero's portrait that he has created in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, March 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)