Lin Yuhui is at work. Lin is from East China's Shandong Province and is famous for his talent of accurately sketching people's portraits with access to little evidence. Photo: VCG

Xu Yonglong finally knew what his son looks like as a grown-up.

The farmer from Zoucheng, East China's Shandong Province had not seen his son since 2005, when the 2-year-old boy was kidnapped from Xu's home by two men.

After 14 years, Xu found 61-year old Lin Yuhui, who helped draw a sketch portrait of Xu's son based on his possible likeness as an adult. 

Lin is a retired police officer who used to work at the material evidence evaluation and study center of the Shandong Public Security Department.

He is famous for being able to sketch people's portraits with minimal evidence. 

In a talent show that aired on CCTV, Lin managed to draw a portrait out of three very blurred pictures with mosaics. His performance impressed Henry Chang-Yu Lee, the famous Chinese American detective.

In June 2017, Lin sketched the suspect that murdered Zhang Yingying based on three blurry video clips provided by US police.

In October 12, Lin drew the portrait of Meiyi, or Auntie Mei, who was a human trafficker involved in nine cases of child abduction. The picture went viral on the Chinese internet. 

The Double 100 Project

Lin recently drew attention of the public for drawing a new portrait of Meiyi.

Meiyi does not have information in the household system or a photo. Lin said that he drew the portrait through the description of an old man who lived with Meiyi for three years.

Lin received many clues after publishing the portrait, but has been unable to attain evidence of Meiyi's current whereabouts. 

Lin started a "Double 100 project" in late 2017 - drawing sketches for 100 abducted children and of 100 revolutionary martyrs for free, the Shandong TV reported.

Lin drew portraits of abducted children based on they likely have aged. His project is providing hope for parents and can help the public find the missing children.

Lin diligently works at his craft, sometimes drawing until late at night to complete a portrait. Among the 64 abducted children he has sketched, five have been found and reunited with their parents.

Recruited by the police

Lin's grandfather was a teacher and gifted traditional Chinese painter. When he was 5-years-old, Lin learned how to paint with his grandfather. He was instructed to copy two pictures every day.

Lin was interested in drawing and dreamed of becoming a painter.

After the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) when China's national college entrance examination, or gaokao, was restored, Lin wanted to achieve his dreams at art school. But he was not accepted by the Shandong University of Arts.

However, with his drawing talent, he was recruited by Jinan's traffic police team to handle publicity. In 1980, he officially became a police officer.He continued to practice drawing on the force.

After learning Henan police solved a relics theft case with simulation portrait technology, he decided to familiarize himself with their methods with the support of the Shandong police department.

Lin often went to the railway station to independently acquire simulation portrait skills. Over the course of several years, he drew more than 80,000 sketches with people of different face shapes and expressions.

Solving cases

In 2008, Lin solved his first case with his talent. In an arson case in Shandong that killed one person, Lin sketched the portrait of the suspect based on a witness' description and a video clip showing the suspect's back.

In one week, the suspect, who resembled Lin's portrait, was caught.

In 13 years, Lin had worked on more than 1,000 criminal cases.

In 2010, a young man killed a woman taxi driver and robbed 160 yuan ($22.7). 

Lin sketched the suspect with descriptions of two witnesses. The portrait was published in the villages near the crime scene.

The suspect saw the picture and attempted to commit suicide by drinking pesticide. The suspect said the portrait was so real that he was under great pressure.

Lin said the difficulties of simulation portrait are that you cannot see and touch. It is all based on oral descriptions sometimes. "A good portrait is a deduction novel."

In the Zhang Yingying case, the video that US police provided could only show a blurry side of the suspect in two frames.

He saw some basic features of the suspect and modified his original sketch several times before offering it to US police.

Three days later, the suspect was detained. The portrait is now collected by the Institute of Evidence Law and Forensic Science at the China University of Political Science and Law.

In early November, Lin opened a new portrait office, the Ziniu News reported.

The retired police officer is busier now than he was before retirement.

Global Times - Agencies
Newspaper headline: The Drawing Inspector