Zhu Fu, a 93-year-old veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, gives a salute. 

After the release of box office hit film Battle at Lake Changjin, Zhu Fu, a 93-year-old veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), which the film takes place in, found that a growing number of people were visiting her and were interested in hearing her story.

Born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province and now living on Pinghai Road in the provincial capital Hangzhou, Zhu was recognized with Second-Class Merit for her bravery during the war.

In January 1950, Zhu was recruited into the Chinese army as a literary soldier due to her talent in singing, dancing, and playing the accordion.

She was then sent to South China's Fujian province to receive medical service training and became a nurse in the army.

In August 1950, she was dispatched to the front of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and went through the well-known Battle at Lake Changjin.

Zhu recalled that they were placed in extreme weather conditions with the temperature dropping to -30 degrees Celcius due to an unprecedented cold wave and that they lacked sufficient snowsuits to help them fight against the cold.

"We had poor medical and hygiene conditions back then, and you would see many wounded soldiers unable to make it through to the next day," Zhu said. "The real battle was much more brutal than what the movie depicted."