"If you are a drop of water, do you nourish an inch of land? If you are a ray of sunlight, do you light up a bit of darkness? If you are the smallest screw, will you always stick to your position in life…" This is a paragraph in a diary written by Lei Feng on June 7, 1958. On March 5, 1963, Chairman Mao Zedong's inscription of "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng" was issued for the martyr. Lei Feng just had a life of fewer than 22 years, but his spirit has been influential to the Chinese people generation after generation.
Lei Feng, an immortal name, has been deeply engraved into the hearts of all Chinese people like a bright star. In his short life, Lei Feng was always willing to help others and serve the people wholeheartedly. Nowadays, Lei Feng's spirit also contains the spirit of dedication to one’s duties, the spirit of lucubration, the spirit of entrepreneurship with hard working and plain living, the spirit of patriotism even as an ordinary man, the spirit of dedication with love of no limit and the spirit of cooperation in helping others.
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. To protect the lives of the 1.4 billion people even if it was at the cost of huge expenses and economic loss, while bearing the stigma and slander of the so-called "Chinese virus", the Chinese people, made an all-out effort to fight against the virus and get the epidemic situation under control in time. China mobilized the military and civilian medical resources nationwide at the very beginning of the epidemic, and free treatment to the infected was also offered. In the face of the catastrophe, every Chinese has shown great care about the disaster-struck areas and contributed his own share to the victims therein. This is simply a reflection of the spirit of Lei Feng. On the other hand, when came to other countries were unfortunately trapped in the global epidemic, China, even in its own state of being recovering, looked beyond and headed to provide assistance with both manpower and materials.
In this arduous fight against the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, the Chinese military, adhering to the concept that "the virus knows no borders, and the pandemic does not distinguish between races", has successively provided COVID-19 vaccine assistance to the militaries of more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Lebanon, Hungary, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Bolivia, and provided masks, ventilators and other epidemic prevention materials to the militaries of 50 countries including Mozambique, Serbia, Cuba and Laos, having brought the spirit of Lei Feng to the international community.
Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese armed forces, and also the essence of Lei Feng spirit. The strong vitality of Lei Feng spirit comes from this.
There is a Lei Feng Museum, covering an area of about 100 square meters, in the barracks of the engineering detachment of Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali in Gao. The museum was completed in June 2017 by the fifth Chinese peacekeeping engineering detachment to Mali. Through 11 representative diaries and 9 stories of Lei Feng during his lifetime, the museum displays the touching deeds of Lei Feng and the formation of Lei Feng’s spirit with pictures and physical exhibits. Over the years, the Chinese peacekeepers have constantly repaired and improved the facilities in the museum, while also practicing Lei Feng's spirit in their missions.
So far, the Lei Feng Museum has received more than 800 visits by working staff and peacekeeping force officers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) from more than 10 countries including France, Germany, South Africa, the United States, Russia, Belgium, Ghana, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Senegal, Togo and Egypt, as well as visits from the local people.
"From you, I feel that Lei Feng's spirit is composed of responsibility, professionalism, diligence and kindness. You have earned the recognition and respect of MINUSMA and the local people with your actions."During his first visit to the Lei Feng Museum, Brigadier General Stephan Andersson, commander of MINUSMA's Sector East, wrote on the guest book of the museum.
Days before the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 29, 2022, Brigadier General Stephan Andersson (1st L), commander of the MINUSMA 's Sector East, visits the Lei Feng Museum of the Chinese Peacekeeping Engineering Detachment to Mali.
Love is boundless and life is supreme. The Peace Ark, a hospital ship of the Chinese PLA Navy, like an indefatigable dove of peace with olive branches in its mouth, has sailed to countries in need of medical assistance to convey peace and friendship.
Over the past 14 years since its commission, the Peace Ark hospital ship has headed overseas nine times to carry out the ”Harmonious Mission”, with its track extending to more than 40 countries and regions.
On November 12, 2010,in Chittagong, Bangladesh, the medical team of the Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark, which was carrying out the Harmony Mission-2010 mission, was asked for help by Bangladesh Naval General Hospital，where a high-risk woman with congenital heart disease was about to give birth. Immediately, the hospital ship sent a medical team consisting of experts in obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, pediatrics, and anesthesiology to Bangladesh Naval General Hospital to provide assistance. A caesarean section was successfully performed on the high-risk woman. The mother delivered a baby girl. Her father named her Chin, which means China in Bengali, to show his gratitude to the Chinese military doctors and to keep China in the child's memory.
A Chinese naval taskforce arrives in Chittagong, Bangladesh, the fifth stop of its visits to 20 countries on May 23, 2017. The picture shows the moment when Chin kisses Sheng Ruifang, a military doctor in the medical team of the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark.
Today, the spirit of Lei Feng has been an integral part of the national spirit of the Chinese people and inspired countless people to achieve extraordinary achievements in ordinary work and life.
"Lei Feng is a role model of the times, and the spirit of Lei Feng is eternal. To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we need more role models of our times", President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in an important instruction on further carrying out the activities of learning from Lei Feng, a late ordinary soldier and a household icon in China celebrated for selflessly helping others. The year 2023 marks the 60th year since revolutionaries of the older generation, including Mao Zedong, wrote inscriptions for comrade Lei Feng. Over the six decades, on the land of China, people listen to his stories, read his diary, learning from Lei Feng has become a broad ideological consensus and action consciousness. Time goes by, Lei Feng is always in our hearts; with the change of times, the spirit of Lei Feng is timeless.