Student volunteers help elderly couples turn back the clock

No opportunity

The project was inspired by Yu's regret at not having a good photo of his grandfather, who died in 2010.The family searched hard but was unable to find a quality shot. In desperation, Yu resorted to using the photo on his grandfather's ID card as a portrait.

In 2014, Yu led students applying to launch a volunteer service project, and came up with the idea of taking good photographs for the elderly free of charge.

"When these couples were young, there was no opportunity to take wedding photos. We can help them by taking special shots to bring back good memories of their younger days," Yu said.

Initially, he found it difficult to acquire wedding dresses and photographic equipment. However, one of his former classmates, who owned a wedding photography company in Wuhan, donated more than 70 secondhand wedding dresses to the project.

Yu formed the first team, which consisted of 15 volunteers.

The project, which has grown over the years, now comprises 13 groups with a total of 590 volunteers. They have worked in 356 communities and rural areas across 43 cities in 13 provinces nationwide, gaining recognition and appreciation for their work.

In 2021, the project won the silver prize at the sixth Chinese Youth Volunteer Service Project Competition.

However, working with elderly couples for photo shoots is not always easy.