Zhong Kui, the mythological demon-killer, wears a mask in a work by painter Xu Pengfei. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu Pengfei, renowned painter and a member of the Chinese Artists Association, has also made many comics for the campaign. "I consider comic works newsworthy, ideological, humorous and artful. They have to be a product of one's own mind."

Xu, who is in his 70s, has lent satire and humor to his work and hammered home the importance of doing the right thing at the moment. In one of his works, a bat is missing from a painting and ends up on a plate.

"I wanted to remind people the animal was an auspicious symbol in the past, not poisonous," Xu says. "It might trigger public thinking and interest, and lead to deeper education."

Xu has kept an eye on the news since the coronavirus outbreak and expressed his opinion through art.

"I have the confidence that the epidemic will end soon, because our country has experience in handling epidemic (SARS)," he says.