President Xi Jinping has called for carrying forward the Lei Feng spirit, which embodies the pursuit of lofty ideals and high moral standards, to enable it to "shine more brightly" in the new era.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in an important instruction on further carrying out activities to learn from Lei Feng, a late ordinary soldier and a household icon in China who is remembered for selflessly helping others.
On March 5, 1963, People's Daily published an article by Chairman Mao Zedong titled "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng". It was a tribute to the young People's Liberation Army soldier who died in an accident in 1962 at the age of 22. Since Mao's tribute, March 5 has been observed as Lei Feng Day, which is marked by various voluntary acts of serving others.
Xi said in the instruction that over the past six decades, the Lei Feng spirit has been nurturing the outlook of generations of Chinese people. It has been proved that whatever changes take place as time goes by, the Lei Feng spirit will never be outdated, he said.
Xi stressed the need to gain an in-depth understanding of the Lei Feng spirit on the new journey, better leverage the role of Party members and officials, strengthen support for volunteer services and keep developing and expanding the groups of volunteers who learn from Lei Feng, so that learning from Lei Feng will constantly be a popular practice among the general public, particularly among young people and children.
Xi called for carrying out activities to learn from Lei Feng in everyday life and to enable the Lei Feng spirit to become a mighty power for the building of a modern socialist country in all respects as well as comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi's instruction was delivered at a symposium in Beijing on Thursday. Participants in the symposium called for carrying forward the Lei Feng spirit from one generation to another.
Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the symposium.