The number of skilled volunteers has soared in the past decade, but growth remains slow. Li Lei reports from Gu'an, Hebei.

On the morning of Oct 17, retired reporter Wang Zhiyong set out from Gu'an, a small town in Hebei province, to visit a nearby nursing home. It was the Chongyang Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, when China's senior population is feted.

The 62-year-old took his camera, a color printer and some costumes for a photo shoot. Two other photographers and six beauticians traveled with him to provide the home's 34 elderly residents - many of them childless and on State benefits - with portraits as gifts.

"Many had rarely been photographed before," said Wang, head of a team of 90 amateur photographers who use their skills to create meaningful images.

In the nursing home's compound, the photographers dressed the residents in red scarves or jaunty hats, while Wang told jokes and made amusing gestures to ensure they were smiling when the photos were taken.

"I had a strong sense of fulfillment when I printed the portraits, put them in frames, gave them to the seniors and saw them overwhelmed by surprise," Wang said, adding that the joy prompted by the portraits far outweighed the cost of 10 yuan ($1.45) per photo.

Wang is one of a growing number of volunteers who use the skills they have acquired through their work or hobbies to provide voluntary services.

According to experts, the relatively new trend can ameliorate social problems such as loneliness, and help the volunteers achieve a sense of satisfaction.

Legal provision

Dec 1 marked the first anniversary of the Voluntary Service Ordinance, China's first legal provision dedicated to safeguarding the rights of people involved in voluntary work and establishing standards in a field that has expanded rapidly in the past decade.