CHINA> Focus
Filling the need to help others
By Tan Yingzi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-05 08:11

"Volunteer work should become a part of our daily life, not just during major events or occasions," he said.

For Li and her friends, volunteerism was already a familiar concept before the Games.

She had set up a volunteer group in her freshman year, organizing regular activities at local orphanages and hospitals.

"I first learned about volunteerism through the media and as a college student, I really wanted to do something for society," Li said.

More than 400 fellow university students share her thoughts, with still more expressing interest in volunteer work after the May 12 quake. Ten students of Li's university had also driven to quake-hit regions to offer their services to help in quake relief.

"We young people are full of passion and idealism, and few care about any material benefits that come with volunteer work," Li said.

"Spiritual fulfillment and self-improvement are more important for us."

Li's enthusiasm for volunteer work is part of a long tradition of helping others in the country.

In 1945, Lei Feng, a People's Liberation Army soldier famous for helping others before he died in 1962, has become a model citizen. In one instance, Lei wore the same pair of socks for years, mending them when they were worn out, to save every penny he could for flood relief efforts.

Chairman Mao Zedong himself in 1963 called upon all Chinese to "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng".