HEFEI — A group of Chinese university students are using art to pay tribute to fallen war heroes, creating portraits for their families free of charge.

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

Born in 1920 in Hebei province, Song Lianheng participated in the Chinese revolution in 1946 and died in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953). That was the extent of the information Duan Hongrun, a student at Anhui Normal University in Anhui province, was able to ascertain before he began to draw Song's portrait.

The art major was troubled by a lack of visual references, but then he managed to find an old blurry photo of Song's nephew, which he used as a reference. He also studied historical documents to make sure he drew the clothing that would have been worn by Chinese People's Volunteers like Song at the time.

The result is a vivid portrait of a man, eyes full of thoughts of his loved ones and the firmness of a soldier, which gradually took shape with repeated alterations based on suggestions from Song's family members.

The fallen hero's younger sister, who is now 86, said the finished portrait resembled her brother, and that he had finally returned home after so many years. Such recognition from the late soldier's family made Duan feel that his two weeks' of efforts had paid off.

"It is as though the hero is looking at me, and when I look at his portrait, it's like we are having a conversation across time. I will remember him forever," he 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 — physical appearance, personality traits and accomplishments — from their relatives, the project aims to create portraits of heroes and allow more families to get a glimpse of their lost loved ones.

Early one morning last month, Anhui Normal University student Wei Ziyang brought a composite portrait he had made to Hefei, 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 since the TV series The Age of Awakeningfirst aired in 2021. A road in Hefei has been named after the revolutionary forefathers in commemoration.

"They never had a photo taken together when they were alive, so I decided to make a composite portrait and donate it to a school along the road," Wei said, holding the framed portrait.

According to university faculty member Wang Wei, the free portrait initiative is a heartwarming tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their country and allows the students involved to use their artistic skills not only to honor heroes, but also to help their families and relatives find comfort and closure.

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