雷锋精神 (lei feng jing shen): The Lei Feng spirit

Lei Feng, originally called Lei Zhengxing, was born on Dec 18, 1940. He was a model soldier of the People's Liberation Army who always helped others. He gave money to needy families, saved the lives of many ordinary people, washed his comrades' clothes and helped others in many other ways.

Lei Feng is said to have devoted his entire life to helping others. After Lei Feng died in 1962, Chairman Mao Zedong initiated a posthumous campaign, calling people to "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng". The spirit of Lei Feng has lived on among Chinese people, who know and respect him as a true good Samaritan.

March 5 has been observed as "Learn from Lei Feng Day" every year since 1963, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the "Learn from Lei Feng Day".

The Lei Feng spirit has influenced several generations of Chinese. And despite the changing social and economic norms, Lei Feng's spiritual legacy will continue to play a significant role in Chinese society, even though some people may consider material pursuit to be the be all and end all in life.

(China Daily 03/08/2013 page10)