1990, Kang Jinmei held a solo exhibition in the National Museum, and Zhang Aiping, the former Minister of National Defense, came to watch it, and wrote an inscription for her, "Gold begins with sand and stones, and plum blossoms are especially fragrant with frost and snow." This is a great affirmation and encouragement to Kang Jinmei. From then on, Kang Jinmei and Zhang Aiping became friends. "General Zhang has never forgotten the poor in his life," Kang Jinmei said emotionally. "He once encouraged me in my most difficult time, so now I want to help more people with a brush." She took out 6.5438+0.6 million yuan from selling paintings to build Hope Primary School in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, an anti-Japanese base, and auctioned her works for charity for more than 20 years. Zhang Aiping often tells Kang Jinmei the legendary stories of herself and her comrades-in-arms, and Kang Jinmei was moved by these heroes who went through the bullets, and started her "red creation" from then on. Over the years, she painted many portraits of anti-Japanese heroes.

On August 1st Army Day, 2006, a long historical scroll "The Heroic Story of the New Fourth Army" drawn by Kang Jinmei and her husband Huang Jiaming was exhibited in Shanghai Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower, which won a lot of praise. More than 120 new fourth army combat heroes on the picture scroll are vivid and heroic. Kang Jinmei said that this is the most meaningful work in her painting career. At the beginning of the creation of Heroes, a colleague advised her that you are now at the age when painters can create the most wealth, and it is not worth spending too much time, money and energy on a Heroes. Also remind Kang Jinmei that such a long volume of figure painting has not been tried in China, so don't take the risk. In the face of persuasion and doubt, Kang Jinmei is unwavering: "I want the hero to hang the scroll forever." In 2004, Kang Jinmei and her husband Huang Jiaming (associate professor of the Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University) officially started the creation of Heroes. In order to concentrate on their creation, Kang Jinmei and his wife rejected the painter's painting contract; After losing the income from selling paintings, the couple ate lunch for more than a year in order to save living expenses. However, she is willing to pay for the paint and paper for the scroll of Hero. "The heroic spectrum will not change color after being preserved for one or two hundred years."

During the two years of writing Hero, Kang Jinmei has been to Yancheng once, Sihong twice and Beijing six times in order to collect materials. "I have carefully read the information of every hero." Kang Jinmei said, "When I picked up the brush, I even felt that these war heroes were standing in front of me." Kang Jinmei and Huang Jiaming, painters, said that the creation process of The Tale of Heroes has been cared for and encouraged by leaders such as Liu Yandong, former deputy director of the Central Committee and deputy director of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee, Qian Weichang, former vice chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, president of Shanghai University, and veterans of the New Fourth Army. The descendants of the New Fourth Army, such as Chen, Liu Yanhuai, Deng Huaisheng and others, gave them help and support. Zhang zhen wrote an inscription for this masterpiece of Chinese painting, March of the Volunteers, Liu Yandong wrote "Danqing Serves the Country", Xia Zhengnong wrote "march of the volunteers-100 Heroes of the New Fourth Army" and Qian Weichang wrote "100 Heroes of the New Fourth Army". Speaking of the future, Kang Jinmei is very firm: "Painting is my life, and I will continue on this road of red creation!" Kang Jinmei's oil painting masterpiece "Oriental Garden of Eden" appeared, which is another poetic and romantic work of New Oriental after "Dawn of the Forest", describing the integration and sublimation of man and nature.