Model soldier remains icon in China 60 years after death

SHENYANG, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Celebrated for selflessly helping others and being called a role model of an era, Lei Feng, an ordinary Chinese soldier with an extraordinary soul, remains a national folk hero for generations of Chinese, 60 years after his death at age 22.

Until his untimely demise in 1962, the famous model soldier served in an army regiment in the city of Fushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province, where the memorial hall dedicated to him is located.

Devoting almost all of his spare time and money to helping others, Lei had become an icon of altruism long before he died in an accident when he aided a fellow soldier to direct a truck.

"Leading a frugal lifestyle, Lei spent all the money he saved to help victims of calamities and his comrades-in-arms whose families were facing problems," said Ren Guangyou, curator of Lei Feng Memorial Hall. He added that Lei quietly did good deeds for people in need.

In his diary compiled and published posthumously, Lei said human beings are mortal while the pursuit of serving the people is never-ending. He was determined to spare his life for the people wholeheartedly.

One year after his death, Chairman Mao Zedong called on the nation to learn from Lei Feng and follow Lei's example.

For generations of Chinese, the spirit of Lei Feng remains a rallying point for society and public service, which has surpassed the meaning of being good Samaritans and has been China's moral symbol of selfless dedication. With a personal touch, people learn from Lei's spirit and practice to turn it into actions in ordinary life and work.

"When I was a child, my mother often read stories about Lei Feng to me, and we were both moved to tears. Since then, I had vowed to become a well-doer like Lei Feng," said Lu Guobin, a faculty member of the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts.

And Lu proved to be a man of his word. Over the years, he made grants and funded more than 300 students with financial problems, spending over one million yuan (about 148,346 U.S. dollars). Besides, he helped support nearly 100 elderly and disabled people in more than ten provincial-level regions of China.

Across the country, several institutions, organizations, and social groups, ranging from schools and factory workshops to buses and trains, are named after Lei Feng.

Liaoning Province, where Lei worked, served, and was buried, has seven memorial venues themed with Lei Feng and over 6.41 million volunteers serving the society in his name.

During the college entrance exam this year, a Lei Feng volunteering team composed of over 200 taxi drivers and some 100 driving instructors volunteered to shuttle candidates from their dwelling places to examination sites in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning Province.

All the volunteering taxi drivers tied a blue ribbon around the side mirrors of their cars so candidates could quickly recognize them.

Li Yueyou, one of the taxi drivers, said that many volunteers, including himself, began to give examination candidates a lift free of charge a few years ago. He witnessed the number of volunteers expand from a dozen to 253.

"All the members are excellent selective drivers, who are required to provide thoughtful services in daily work," Zhao Yuhai, another team member, said proudly, enjoying his 25th year of volunteering.

In 1963, the Ministry of National Defense approved the naming of the "Lei Feng" squad, in which Lei Feng served. So far, it has received over 470,000 letters in different languages, shapes, and styles from people globally, seeking help or praising Lei Feng's kindness.

Among the senders was a British lady surnamed Bruno. She read the story of Lei Feng at a library in London and wrote to the squad for more information, expressing her wish to establish contact with them and join hands to spread the spirit of Lei Feng worldwide.

Sixty years after Lei Feng's death, more and more people worldwide paid tribute to Lei Feng and other everyday heroes, realizing that everyone can learn from the Lei Feng spirit and show their concern and love everywhere.