Picture book honoring medics in COVID-19 fight published

Shanghai Scientific and Technological Literature Press recently published the picture book Nixing de Tianshi (Angels in Harm’s Way) in honor of the heroes and heroines of our time—the medical workers who have been fighting COVID-19 and trying their best to save every patient’s life while risking their own.

Fourteen painters represented the unforgettable moments of the medical workers since late January — a mother saying goodbye to her daughter at the airport before leaving for the frontier, the simple dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, and putting on protective gear including suits, masks, gloves and goggles.

Chen Chao, chief librarian of Shanghai Library, says that this book is a loyal and vivid record of the heroic actions of medical workers.

Ji Ping, one of the painters, said when he started thinking about illustrations for the book, the first figure who came to him was Zhang Wenhong, an infectious disease specialist from Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital who has won favor among the Chinese public for popularizing knowledge about COVID-19 in a humorous and intelligible way.

Zhang is the major figure, but this is not a portrait of an individual. It represents in the style of Chinese paintings countless brave warriors in white fighting at the frontier regardless of their own safety, Ji says.

Qian Zhen, the designer of the book, said that warm pink was chosen as the theme color for the book because most of the stories were about the former epicenter Wuhan.

Pink conveyed people’s blessings to Wuhan, which lifted the lockdown when the air turned warm and flowers bloomed, Qian said.