Fall of quake hero sends a warning sign

The disaster has put me through the mill and made me more profoundly understand the power of friendship, the value of kinship and the sense of responsibility to become a useful person to society." This is what Lei Chunian, then 15 years old, said six years ago in a report on his heroic deed during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Six years later, Lei, now 21, was standing trial at a court in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on charges of fraud and forgery. On Monday, prosecutors charged him with swindling more than 460,000 yuan ($75,210) from 21 people, including his former girlfriend, and forging government department and company seals. Prosecutors say Lei may face at least 10 years' imprisonment.

It is sad that the "sudden honors" bestowed on Lei failed to help him take the path to a meaningful and useful life, and instead pushed him toward self-degeneration.

Lei had gained a "little hero" status for his courage. He had ignored the threat to his own life to rush into his shaking classroom to save seven classmates when the magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Sichuan in May 2008. His fate took a U-turn after his heroic story was widely reported by the media. He was invited to different parts of the country to narrate his heroic deed and even chosen as a torchbearer for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He got enrolled in a reputable senior high school in Chengdu without having to take any examination and pay any charge, although his academic scores were ordinary. He was even provided a monthly allowance of 200 yuan ($32.7) by the school.

As a teenager who displayed unusual courage to rescue others during a deadly quake, Lei deserved the awards and honors bestowed on him. At a time when the general moral level is believed to have retrogressed and people have become increasingly indifferent to others, Lei's deed did set a moral example for other youths and society as a whole to follow. He generated a kind of positive energy that permeated the layers of society.