A college teacher in China recently sketched 333 graduating students and a counselor to make up for the fact they were unable to pose for a graduation photo or attend their commencement ceremony together due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Luo Li, a teacher at Dalian University of Technology in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning province, spent 22 days drawing the special “group photo” based on the portrait photos and his memories of the 333 senior students of the Faculty of Vehicle Engineering and Mechanics of Dalian University of Technology.

(Photo/Microblog account of Dalian University of Technology)

The long scroll became a precious gift for the class of 2020 from the faculty, who said it made their graduation unforgettable.

They were deeply impressed by the painting the first time they saw it, according to the students in the picture, explaining that Luo accurately depicted the facial features of every student in his work.

Sun Mingbo, one of the students in the picture, said he looked for himself as soon as he saw the painting, and felt surprised, excited, and deeply touched when he eventually found his portrait.

It’s obvious that Luo drew everyone in the picture very diligently, Sun said.

Although he was not able to return to school before graduation, the painting will help me remember my schoolmates, said student Jiang Yingrui.

After giving the painting to graduating students, Luo continued to print the portraits he sketched on bookmarks, and now intends to make a customized souvenir for each student.

(Photo/cctv.com)

Luo had been a counselor to these students for three months before he was transferred to another campus. However, Luo and his students had many memorable moments during this short period of time.

Luo only sketched the counselor who succeeded him, and didn’t include himself in the painting, as he thought what he did for these students was far from enough.

Luo said he doesn’t seek any reward for the special graduation gifts, for “as long as we care about our students sincerely and they treat us like friends, then it’s worth it.”