DNA, AI raise martyrs from ashes

University course merges technology with archaeology, giving life to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Red Army's historic Long March, Wang Xin reports in Shanghai.

Deng Ping (1908-35), a senior commander who made great sacrifices in the fight for victory more than 90 years ago in Zunyi, Guizhou province, recently rose again to greet the world with a smile.

By merging artificial intelligence with archaeology, students and researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai restored the image of the famous 27-year-old martyr.

Deng was one of the highest-ranking commanders who sacrificed himself in the historic Long March (1934-36), which marks the 90th anniversary of its victory this year.

The Long March was the epic retreat by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China and a defining event in Chinese history. Filled with enduring spirit, it is an important chapter in the Chinese revolution's journey from setbacks to victory.

"As a senior Red Army commander who fell during the Long March, Deng Ping has no clear portrait that has survived to the present day, which the staff members at the Zunyi Red Army Martyrs Cemetery greatly regret," says Wen Shaoqing, an associate professor from the Molecular Archaeology Lab at Fudan University.