Brushstrokes bring Red Army martyrs' portraits for families

This photo shows the studio of a volunteer team focusing on painting portraits of martyrs, at the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 25, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs.

Since November 2021, the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University has formed a team to carry out a series of volunteer services focused on drawing portraits of martyrs. Up to now, hundreds of students have participated in these activities, jointly drawing more than 600 portraits of martyrs, which have become an important way for their families to express feelings of longing.

Across time and space, the youthful faces of those who had fallen on the battlefield were finally seen again by their families back home.

Tucked in the Dabie Mountains, Jinzhai county contributed tens of thousands of people to the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led revolution in the first half of the 20th century. A total of 12 main units of the Red Army originated from here.

Now, the Anhui Normal University project to paint portraits of Red Army martyrs is giving some families a long-awaited face to go with the stories passed down for generations. Usually the volunteer team would first contact the relatives of martyrs and then study photographs of the martyrs' descendants to determine basic facial contours. They would then revise the portraits repeatedly, drawing on family descriptions of the martyrs' eyes, expressions and habitual looks, until these relatives feel the likeness is right.

For teachers and students of the team, painting portraits of martyrs is not merely a simple sketch creation but also an immersive study tour of revolutionary history. The brows and eyes rendered by the artists' brushes have captured the youthful appearance of the martyrs and also provided a place for the remembrance to rest. The past events recounted by the relatives of the martyrs are a testament to the enduring revolutionary legacy of the Dabie Mountains from generation to generation. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Xu Shijia sheds tears when mentioning his grandfather Xu Qixin, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 28, 2026. Members of the volunteer team drew the portrait of his grandfather. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Wang Wei (1st L), counselor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University, arrives with members of a volunteer team in Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 26, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Members of the volunteer team learn about the life stories of Red Army soldiers who took part in the Long March at the revolutionary martyrs cemetery in Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 28, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Hu Xunxiu, grandson of Red Army martyr Hu Jiufu, mourns with members of the volunteer team at a memorial square of the Red Army in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 27, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Xu Shijia sheds tears when mentioning his grandfather Xu Qixin, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 28, 2026. Members of the volunteer team drew the portrait of his grandfather. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Zhang Zhenyang creates a portrait of Hu Jiufu, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 26, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Wang Chenhuan creates a portrait of Xu Qixin, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, at Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 25, 2026. Wang Wei (rear), a counselor at the Academy of Fine Arts of the university, instructs the drawing. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Xu Shijia touches the portrait of his grandfather Xu Qixin, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 28, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Wang Chenhuan creates a portrait of Xu Qixin, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, at Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 25, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Members of the volunteer team hand over the portrait of Red Army martyr Hu Jiufu to his grandson Hu Xunxiu (front) in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 27, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Members of the volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University prepare to hand over a finished portrait of Hu Jiufu, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, to his descendant in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 27, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Hu Xunxiu (1st L), grandson of martyr Hu Jiufu, holds the portrait of his grandfather created by members of the volunteer team at a memorial square of the Red Army in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 27, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Han Xu (L) and Zhang Zhenyang create a portrait of Hu Jiufu, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 26, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Hu Xunxiu (3rd L), grandson of Red Army martyr Hu Jiufu, discusses details of the portrait of his grandfather with members of the volunteer team in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 26, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)

Members of the volunteer team prepare to create a portrait of Hu Jiufu, a Red Army martyr who took part in the Long March, in Baojiyan Village of Tangjiahui Town, Jinzhai County of east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 26, 2026. During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a volunteer team from the Academy of Fine Arts of Anhui Normal University was busy in Jinzhai County of Lu'an City in east China's Anhui Province, drawing portraits of Red Army martyrs who participated in the Long March, the historic military maneuver in modern Chinese history, and presented them to the families of the martyrs. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)