'Magical Pen' has gone, but his spirit remains

A man in his 60s, medium height, and a little thin. That was all Zhang Xin needed to know when he was composing the portrait of the suspect who caused an explosion in Linfen, Shanxi province, in 2014.

Known as the "Magical Pen", Zhang was a senior sergeant of criminal investigation at the Shanghai Railway Public Security Bureau and an expert in facial composites. Over a career of more than 30 years, he helped solve more than 800 cases by sketching suspects' faces based on vague descriptions.

The bureau announced Zhang had died in a post on social media on Oct 21. He was 58 years old, and the cause of death was given as extreme exhaustion.