Thirteen cartoonists from SW China’s Chongqing picked up their paintbrushes recently to create cartoon portraits of 18 local medical workers who have gone to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, to help tackle the epidemic.

“These doctors and nurses at the frontline said they wouldn’t return until the outbreak ended, and that patients would recover as long as they continued to fight. We were deeply moved and decided to do something for them," said Huang Yongzhi, president of the Chongqing Cartoon Association and also the initiator of this activity. From Feb 3, a total of 13 cartoonists began to draw cartoon portraits of 18 medical staff from Chongqing University Cancer Hospital.

Unable to see these medical workers in person, the cartoonists collected photos of them. "We began to draw before looking at details of the photos and asked the hospital about the personality and characteristics of each person," Huang said. "The 18 portraits, though different in technique, manner and posture, all show their positive energy, which is the core of our works."

On Feb 5, all portraits were sent to the medical staff. “What nice work! It looks exactly like me.” “The portrait warms my heart,” said some workers, praising the efforts made by Huang and other cartoonists.