Every morning Chen Guangju wipes off the memories of fallen comrades.

"Most of them died in their 20s for the country, so people should not forget them," said Chen, the 87-year-old caretaker of a shrine in Weifang, Shandong province.

Always clad in an outdated green soldier's uniform, Chen cleans each of the 527 tablets - one for every soldier from the city who died in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation (1946-49).

"They deserve a sound posthumous living environment," Chen said.

He also cleans every corner of the shrine and takes care of the flowers he plants in the yard.

However, injuries from the wars have begun to torture him and slow his pace when he works.

"Two years ago, I could climb the shelf and clean each of the tablets, but now I have found myself unable to do that," Chen said, pointing at the highest tablets on a shelf four meters high.

Chen is now almost deaf and has weak eyesight, but he still has a clear mind and a big voice.

Born a farmer's son, Chen joined the People's Liberation Army in 1948 at the age of 24.