Lei Feng
Encyclopedia
Lei Feng (December 18, 1940 – August 15, 1962) was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army
in the People's Republic of China
. After his death, Lei was characterised as a selfless and modest person who was devoted to the Communist Party, Chairman Mao Zedong
, and the people of China. In the posthumous "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习) campaign, initiated by Mao in 1963, Lei became the symbol of nationwide propaganda; the youth of the country were encouraged to follow his example.
After Mao's death, Lei Feng remained a cultural icon
symbolizing selflessness, modesty, and dedication; his name entered daily speech and his imagery appeared on t-shirts and memorabilia. Owing to relaxation of political controls, Lei Feng's life became more openly questioned by scholars and the public in the post-Mao era.
(near the town of Leifeng
, Changsha, Hunan, named in his honour), Lei was orphaned at an early age and raised under the wings of the Communist Party. He became a member in the Communist youth corps when he was young and joined a transportation unit of the People's Liberation Army at the age of twenty. According to his official biography, Lei died in 1962 at the age of 22, when a telephone pole, struck by an army truck, hit him while he was directing the truck in backing up.
. The Diary was composed as part of a broader propaganda effort to improve Mao's image, which had suffered after the Great Leap Forward
. The diary contained about 200,000 words describing selfless thoughts with enthusiastic comments on Mao and the inspiring nature of the party. Photographs of Lei Feng doing good deeds for the working people were published. Susan Sontag
, in her 1977 essay The Image World published in the collection On Photography
, cited the photographs that were exhibited showing Lei Feng doing good deeds for the working people as examples of photographs "that depict scenes in which, clearly, no photograher could have been present" and that "[i]n China, what makes an image true is that it is good for people to see it." The campaign began at a time when the Chinese economy was recovering from the Great Leap Forward
campaign. During 1964 the Lei Feng campaign shifted gradually from doing good deeds to a cult of Mao.
, Zhou Enlai
, and Jiang Zemin
. His cultural importance is still reproduced and reinforced by the media and cultural apparatus of the Chinese party-state, including emphasizing the importance of moral character during Mao's era. Lei Feng's prominence in school textbooks has since declined, although he remains part of the national curriculum. The term "活雷锋/Huó Léi Fēng" (literally "living Lei Feng") has become a noun (or adjective) for anyone who is seen as selfless, or anyone who goes out of their way to help others.
Lei Feng is an icon who continues to resonate in mainland China. 5 March has become the official "Learn from Lei Feng Day". This day involves various community and school events where people go to clean up parks, schools, and other community locations. Local news on that day usually has footage from these events.
Lei Feng is especially honoured in Changsha, Hunan
, and in Fushun
, Liaoning
. The Lei Feng Memorial Hall (in his birthplace, now named for him, Leifeng
) and Lei Feng statue are located in Changsha. The local hospital carries his name. There is also a Lei Feng Memorial Hall, with a museum, in Fushun. Lei Feng's military unit was based in Fushun, and it was here where he met his death. His tomb is located on the memorial grounds. To commemorate Lei Feng, the city of Fushun named several landmarks in honor of him. There is a Lei Feng Road, a Lei Feng Elementary School, a Lei Feng Middle School and a Leifeng bank office.
Lei Feng's story continues to be referenced in popular culture. A popular song by Jilin
singer Xue Cun (雪村) is called "All Northeasterners are Living Lei Fengs" (东北人都是活雷锋; Dōngběi Rén Dōu Shì Huó Léi Fēng) A 1995 release, originally notable only for its use of Northeastern Mandarin
, it shot to nationwide fame when it was combined with kitsch
animations on the Internet
in 2001. In March 2006, a Chinese organization released a game titled Learn From Lei Feng Online
in which the player has to do good deeds, fight spies, and collect parts of Mao Zedong's collection. If the player wins, he or she gets to meet Chairman Mao in the game.
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. After his death, Lei was characterised as a selfless and modest person who was devoted to the Communist Party, Chairman Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, and the people of China. In the posthumous "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习) campaign, initiated by Mao in 1963, Lei became the symbol of nationwide propaganda; the youth of the country were encouraged to follow his example.
After Mao's death, Lei Feng remained a cultural icon
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
symbolizing selflessness, modesty, and dedication; his name entered daily speech and his imagery appeared on t-shirts and memorabilia. Owing to relaxation of political controls, Lei Feng's life became more openly questioned by scholars and the public in the post-Mao era.
Early life
Born in Wangcheng, HunanHunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
(near the town of Leifeng
Leifeng
Léifēng is a town in Wàngchéng District, Chángshā, Húnán, China. The town has an area of and a population of 28,014 , over 90% of whom are engaged in agriculture...
, Changsha, Hunan, named in his honour), Lei was orphaned at an early age and raised under the wings of the Communist Party. He became a member in the Communist youth corps when he was young and joined a transportation unit of the People's Liberation Army at the age of twenty. According to his official biography, Lei died in 1962 at the age of 22, when a telephone pole, struck by an army truck, hit him while he was directing the truck in backing up.
Lei Feng as propaganda
While alive, Lei Feng was not a widely known person. According to state media, Lei Feng's life subsequently received attention from senior Chinese leaders. A campaign in his name began in 1963 with the publication of an illustrated diary purported to be his. Although it was presented to the public as being genuine, the Diary of Lei Feng was a work of propaganda composed after Lei's death, under the direction of Lin BiaoLin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
. The Diary was composed as part of a broader propaganda effort to improve Mao's image, which had suffered after the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
. The diary contained about 200,000 words describing selfless thoughts with enthusiastic comments on Mao and the inspiring nature of the party. Photographs of Lei Feng doing good deeds for the working people were published. Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
, in her 1977 essay The Image World published in the collection On Photography
On Photography
On Photography is a 1977 collection of essays by Susan Sontag. It originally appeared as a series of essays in the New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977.-Contents:...
, cited the photographs that were exhibited showing Lei Feng doing good deeds for the working people as examples of photographs "that depict scenes in which, clearly, no photograher could have been present" and that "[i]n China, what makes an image true is that it is good for people to see it." The campaign began at a time when the Chinese economy was recovering from the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
campaign. During 1964 the Lei Feng campaign shifted gradually from doing good deeds to a cult of Mao.
Lei Feng as an icon
Chinese leaders have praised Lei Feng as the personification of altruism. Leaders who have written about Lei Feng include Deng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
, and Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
. His cultural importance is still reproduced and reinforced by the media and cultural apparatus of the Chinese party-state, including emphasizing the importance of moral character during Mao's era. Lei Feng's prominence in school textbooks has since declined, although he remains part of the national curriculum. The term "活雷锋/Huó Léi Fēng" (literally "living Lei Feng") has become a noun (or adjective) for anyone who is seen as selfless, or anyone who goes out of their way to help others.
Lei Feng as Celebrity
The CCP's construction of Lei Feng as a celebrity soldier is unique to the PRC and differs from the more typical creation of military heroes by governments during times of war. In the PRC, Lei Feng was part of continuing public promotion of soldiers as exemplary models, and evidence of the People's Liberation Army's role as social and political support to the Communist Government.Cultural importance
Lei Feng is especially honoured in Changsha, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, and in Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
. The Lei Feng Memorial Hall (in his birthplace, now named for him, Leifeng
Leifeng
Léifēng is a town in Wàngchéng District, Chángshā, Húnán, China. The town has an area of and a population of 28,014 , over 90% of whom are engaged in agriculture...
) and Lei Feng statue are located in Changsha. The local hospital carries his name. There is also a Lei Feng Memorial Hall, with a museum, in Fushun. Lei Feng's military unit was based in Fushun, and it was here where he met his death. His tomb is located on the memorial grounds. To commemorate Lei Feng, the city of Fushun named several landmarks in honor of him. There is a Lei Feng Road, a Lei Feng Elementary School, a Lei Feng Middle School and a Leifeng bank office.
Lei Feng's story continues to be referenced in popular culture. A popular song by Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
singer Xue Cun (雪村) is called "All Northeasterners are Living Lei Fengs" (东北人都是活雷锋; Dōngběi Rén Dōu Shì Huó Léi Fēng) A 1995 release, originally notable only for its use of Northeastern Mandarin
Northeastern Mandarin
Northeastern Mandarin is the dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in what historically was Manchuria. It is very similar to the Beijing dialect upon which Standard Chinese is based.-Geographical spread:...
, it shot to nationwide fame when it was combined with kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
animations on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in 2001. In March 2006, a Chinese organization released a game titled Learn From Lei Feng Online
Learn From Lei Feng Online
Learn From Lei Feng Online is a video game believed to be released by a Chinese game developer, where the player assumes the role of Lei Feng. The ultimate goal of the game is to meet Chairman Mao and get his autograph. To do this, Lei will have to do a variety of charitable acts such as mending...
in which the player has to do good deeds, fight spies, and collect parts of Mao Zedong's collection. If the player wins, he or she gets to meet Chairman Mao in the game.
See also
- Alexey Stakhanov
- Pavlik MorozovPavlik MorozovPavel Trofimovich Morozov , better known by the diminutive Pavlik, was a Soviet youth praised by the Soviet press as a martyr. His story, dated to 1932, is that of a 13-year old boy who denounced his father to the authorities and was in turn killed by his family. His story was a subject of reading,...
- Herbert NorkusHerbert NorkusHerbert Norkus was a Hitler Youth member who was killed by German Communists. He became a role model and martyr for the Hitler Youth and was widely used in Nazi propaganda, most prominently as the subject of novel and movie Hitler Youth Quex.- Background :Born to a working class family in the...
- Zhang SideZhang SideZhang Side was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army.He was born in Yilong County, Sichuan Province and served as a soldier of the People's Liberation Army of the Second United Front during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He joined the military in December 1933 serving in a variety of posts and...
- Dong CunruiDong CunruiDong Cunrui was a Chinese Communist soldier in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War who blew himself up in order to destroy a Kuomintang bunker guarding to approach to an important bridge in Longhua County. Under heavy fire, he reached the bunker, but there was no place to...
- Horst WesselHorst WesselHorst Ludwig Wessel was a German Nazi activist who was made a posthumous hero of the Nazi movement following his violent death in 1930...
- List of campaigns of the Communist Party of China
Further reading
- Edwards, L. (2010) ‘Military Celebrity in China: The Evolution of 'Heroic and Model Servicemen' in Jeffreys, Elaine. & Edwards, Louise (eds.), Celebrity in China, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong pp. 21–44. ISBN 9622090885
External links
- Lei Feng T-Shirt Design
- Lei Feng Museum Website in Fushun, Liaoning (Chinese)
- Lei Feng - chineseposters.net, International Institute of Social History
- Modern art depiction of Lei Feng
