Photographer documents final days of centenarian war heroes

Photographer Rao Liming took photos of seven centenarian veterans in Hunan province who made significant contributions to the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and spent their later lives peacefully.

Born in 1907, Zhou Xiulian is from Xinmao village of Changsha, Hunan province. Her late husband, Yang Ping, was a student of the Huangpu Military Academy and died in Myanmar in June 1943 while fighting against Japanese invaders as a regimental commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. He was posthumously promoted to major-general divisional commander. Zhou accompanied her husband in many battles, riding a horse and carrying twin guns. She served as a mailroom administrator at an affiliated factory of the troop. Afterward, she escorted her husband's remains back to Changsha. Zhou passed away in March 2022. The photo was taken at Zhou's home on March 3, 2018.