Elderly painter captures romance of lifelong love

Over the past decade, Wang Shuhong has created more than 250 paintings recording simple, romantic moments in her life with her romantic companion — a friend since childhood who is now her husband.

Wang, a retired teacher living in Changchun, Jilin province, began painting in 2013 after breaking her ankle.

"I had to stay in bed for several months," she said. "To kill  time, I got the idea of painting, which I have been interested in since I was young."

"At the beginning, I could only copy some pictures," she said. "One day, my husband gave me some advice: He said I should try to create my own works, such as painting our life together over the decades. He encouraged me and gave me lots of good ideas."

Wang was born in Yushu, Jilin, on Oct 10, 1945. The man who would become her husband, Liang Wanrong, was born next door on the same day. They spent their early days together in the same primary school and high school.

After graduation in 1964, Wang continued to study at Yushu Normal School, a secondary college that was closed in 2000. Liang was admitted to the Chinese language and literature department at Jilin University in Changchun.