Inspired by a childhood friend

Zhou Lingzhao, 99, remembers a dog from long ago as he designs stamps, released on Friday, for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Lin Qi reports.

Graphic designer and muralist Zhou Lingzhao, 99, still remembers his best friend from childhood, a dog his family had in his native village in Central China's Hunan province.

"The black dog often accompanied me when I went into town," says Zhou, a retired professor from Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts. "He protected me from wild dogs."