Time frame

For the last visit, Yang and her team hang all the laminated or framed photos as if staging an exhibition in the village, so the elderly could see their own portraits. It is also the moment when Yang feels "rewarded". Some people hold her hands or insist on having her and her team members over for meals at home, while some others compare them to their own children in terms of the arrangement they make for taking photos.

Zhao Dan joined Yang's program in 2018. She helps with the elderly's looks and postures before the photo session.

"Yang is very optimistic, even in the face of setbacks," Zhao says. "Her positive energy has helped me to tide over difficulties in life."

Zhao has also taken her son to Yang's program, which she says has exerted a positive influence in his life. During Yang's interactions with the elderly, she herself has often been moved by their down-to-earth spirit.

"They are unperturbed by death, which positively moves and influences us, prompting us to carry on," Yang says.

"We can be like light, bringing a bit of warmth to others," she adds.