The downside is that the elderly are often left behind, minding their shops. Those in their 60s can often be seen ploughing away in the fields, where children help with digging potatoes, breaking corn cobs or collecting wheat, she adds. That was why she decided to launch the free photo drive.

Yang and her team usually go to a village three times. The first time they get a general idea of the number of elderly people in need of a portrait photo, so they can prepare accordingly. Then they visit again to take the pictures.

Yang puts a lot of consideration into developing the films. She settled on the photo size of 30 centimeters, after considering the space of rural houses and the way their offspring might carry the photo in future funerals, as the ritual goes.