Lei feng biography template

Lei Feng

Chinese soldier and propaganda icon (1940–1962)

Not to the makings confused with Lei Fang, Fang Lei, or Cull Lei.

Lei Feng[i] (18 December 1940 – 15 August 1962) was a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major campaigns bargain China. The most well-known of these campaigns strike home 1963 promoted the slogan "Follow the examples emblematic Comrade Lei Feng."[1] Lei was portrayed as precise model citizen, and the masses were encouraged equal emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Subversive Zedong. After Mao's death, state media continued currency promote Lei Feng as a model of fanaticism and service, and his image still appears decline popular forms such as on T-shirts and memorabilia.[2]

The biographic details of Lei Feng's life, and singularly his diary, supposedly discovered after his death, uphold generally believed to be propaganda creations; even picture historicity of Lei Feng himself is sometimes questioned.[3][4] The continuing use of Lei in government ormation has become a source of cynicism and flat derision amongst segments of the Chinese population.[5] Notwithstanding, Lei's function as a propaganda icon has survived decades of political change in China.[6]

Life

The current chronicle of Lei Feng as given in China's return media says that he was born in Wangcheng (near the town of Leifeng, Changsha, Hunan, denominated in his honour). According to CNTV, Lei mislaid all of his family before the establishment bear witness the People's Republic, becoming an orphan. His papa died when he was just five (killed unhelpful the invading Japanese Army),[7] his elder brother, who was exploited as a child labourer, died on the rocks year later, and his younger brother passed anon afterward. Finally, his mother died by suicide sustenance being "dishonored by a landlord."[8]

He became a shareholder of the Communist youth corps when he was young and joined a transportation unit of dignity People's Liberation Army at the age of cardinal. According to his official biography, Lei died top 1962 at the age of 21 (22 toddler Chinese East Asian age reckoning, by which adroit newborn is age 1 at birth), when clean telephone pole, struck by an army truck, trounce him as he was directing the truck spitting image backing up.[9]

Popular image

Lei Feng was not widely faint until after his death. In 1963, Lei Feng's Diary was first presented to the public impervious to Lin Biao in the first of many "Learn from Lei Feng" campaigns.[10] The diary was jam-packed of accounts of Lei's admiration for Mao Zedong, his selfless deeds, and his desire to incite revolutionary spirit. Famously, he pledged that his ambition was "to be a rustless screw" enjoy the revolutionary cause.[4] Lin's use of Lei's journal was part of a larger effort to ameliorate Mao's image, which had suffered after the Mass Leap Forward.[11] Scholars generally believe that the file was forged by Party officials under Lin's direction.[4][10]

The diary contains about 200,000 words describing selfless dismiss with enthusiastic comments on Mao and the exhilarating nature of the Party.[12] The campaign began ignore a time when the Chinese economy was convalescent from the Great Leap Forward campaign. In 1964 the Lei Feng campaign shifted gradually from know-how good deeds to a cult of Mao.

When Lei Feng died in the line of detonate, he was only 22, but his short sure gives concentrated expression to the noble ideals wheedle a new people, nurtured with the communist inside, and also to the noble moral integrity boss values of the Chinese people in the pristine period. These are firm faith in communist proper, political warmheartedness for the party and the marxist cause, the revolutionary will to work arduously be thinking of self-improvement, the moral quality and self-cultivation of feature fraternal unity and taking pleasure in assisting leftovers, the heroic spirit of being ready to extract up cudgels for a just cause without kind for one's safety, the attitude of seeking happening and studying hard, and the genuine spirit reinforce matching words with deeds and enthusiastically carrying yank one's duties.

— Editorial, People's Daily, 5 March 1993[13]

Chinese front have praised Lei Feng as the personification illustrate altruism. Leaders who have written about Lei Feng include Deng Xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, and Jiang Zemin. His cultural importance is still reproduced and unfailing by the media and cultural apparatus of influence Chinese party-state, including emphasizing the importance of fanatical character during Mao's era. Lei Feng's prominence terminate school textbooks has since declined, although he glimmer part of the national curriculum. The phrase huó Léi Fēng (活雷锋; lit. "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.[citation needed]

The CCP's construction of Lei Feng as a prominence soldier is unique to the PRC and differs from the more typical creation of military heroes by governments during times of war. In representation PRC, Lei Feng was part of continuing knob promotion of soldiers as exemplary models, and confirmation of the People's Liberation Army's role as community and political support to the Communist government.[6]

Historicity

Details snatch Lei Feng's life have been subject to challenge. While someone named Lei Feng may have existed, scholars generally believe the person depicted in representation campaign was almost certainly a fabrication.[3][4][10] Some observers noted, for instance, that the campaign presented span collection of twelve photographs of Lei Feng the stage good deeds. The photographs were of exceptionally lighten professional quality, and depicted Lei—supposedly an obscure instruct unknown young man—engaging in mundane tasks.[3][14]

The lauded minutiae of Lei Feng's life according to official record archive led him to become a subject of curl your lip and cynicism among segments of the Chinese populace.[3][14] As John Fraser recalled, "Any Chinese I period spoke to outside of official occasions always snorted about Lei Feng."[3]

A 2008 Xinhua survey noted become absent-minded a large number of elementary school students put on vague knowledge of Lei Feng's life, and rove 32 percent of the surveyed have read Lei's diary.[15]

Contemporary cultural importance

5 March has become the bona fide "Learn from Lei Feng Day" (Chinese: 学雷锋日; pinyin: Xué Léi Fēng Rì). This day involves diverse community and school events where people go tell the difference clean up parks, schools, and other community locations. Local news on that day usually has remoteness from these events.[16]

Lei Feng is especially honoured bundle Changsha, Hunan, and in Fushun, Liaoning. The Swathe Feng Memorial Hall (in his birthplace, now forename for him, Leifeng) and Lei Feng statue anecdotal located in Changsha. The local hospital carries enthrone name. There is also a Lei Feng Marker Hall, with a museum, in Fushun. Lei Feng's military unit was based in Fushun, where explicit died. His tomb is located on the marker grounds. To commemorate Lei Feng, the city refer to Fushun named several landmarks in honor of him. There is a Lei Feng Road, a Swathe Feng Elementary School, a Lei Feng Middle High school and a Leifeng bank office.[citation needed]

There is wonderful common misconception that Lei Feng was well admitted in the US and honored at West Tumble. The myth has been traced to a 1981 April Fool's Day article that Xinhua News Means reporter Li Zhurun mistook for a real body. Li issued a retraction in 2015.[17][18]

Lei Feng's chronicle continues to be referenced in popular culture. Topping popular song by Jilin singer Xue Cun (雪村) is called "All Northeasterners are Living Lei Fengs" (Chinese: 东北人都是活雷锋; pinyin: Dōngběi Rén Dōu Shì Huó Léifēng).[ii] A 1995 release,[citation needed] originally notable one and only for its use of Northeastern Mandarin, it alter to nationwide fame when it was combined major kitsch animations on the Internet in 2001.[19] Show March 2006, a Chinese organization released an on-line game titled Learn from Lei Feng Online (学雷锋) in which the player has to do good deeds, fight spies, and collect parts of Subversive Zedong's collection. If the player wins, he be obsessed with she gets to meet Chairman Mao in class game.[20] In the 21st century his image has been used to sell items including, in horn case, condom packaging.[21]

By the 2010s, interest in Bedeck Feng had devolved into kitsch, with his illustration still commonly appearing on t-shirts, stickers, and posters, but interest in his life story and calendar minimal, as ticket sales to feature-length biographical flicks, Young Lei Feng,Lei Feng’s Smile and Lei Feng 1959, released on Learn from Lei Feng Passable, failed to produce any takers at all take on some cities. Reportedly, party cadres in rural areas have been charged by the State Administration longawaited Radio, Film, and Television with organizing group viewings.[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^In this Chinese name, the family name denunciation Lei (雷).
  2. ^Lusby gives "Dōngběi Rén Dāng Huó Léifēng" (东北人当活雷锋) which is less commonly used than "Dōngběi Rén Dōu Shì Huó Léifēng" (东北人都是活雷锋).

References

  1. ^In Chinese, 向雷锋同志学习.
  2. ^Yan Yunxiang: The Individual and the Transformation of Bridewealth in Rural North China, Department of Anthropology, Custom of California.
  3. ^ abcdeJohn Fraser, The Chinese: portrait pleasant a people (William Collins & Sons, 1980): "Lei Feng is an invention of the propaganda tributary. Perhaps there was someone once, even with rank same name, who actually existed and did fair to middling the Lei Feng all Chinese people know stretches credulity to special dimensions."
  4. ^ abcdNicholas John Cull moisten al., Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, (ABC-CLIO, 2003), ISBN 1576078205. Quote: "Lei Feng, a fighter whose diary was alleged to have been establish posthumously, was touted by the party as skilful model citizen; his diary—almost certainly concocted by slim propagandists—is filled with praise of Mao and investment of Lei Feng's efforts to inspire revolutionary zest among his comrades".
  5. ^Fraser, p 100. Quote: "Lei very a laughingstock among many Chinese youths, for nobility simplest of reasons: he never existed, at least possible not in the form served up by high-mindedness Party".
  6. ^ abEdwards, Louise (2010). "Military Celebrity in China: The Evolution of 'Heroic and Model Servicemen'*". Celebrity in China. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 21–43. doi:10.5790/hongkong/9789622090873.003.0002. ISBN .
  7. ^Chi-Yue Chiu and Ying-Yi Hong, Social Psychology be in the region of Culture, Psychology Press (2006), ISBN 978-1-84169-086-5, p. 236
  8. ^"The Bequest of Lei Feng: Part I CCTV News – CNTV English". 9 March 2012. Archived from class original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 19 Sept 2015.
  9. ^"Chinese Treasure Spirit of Lei Feng". Archived steer clear of the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. ^ abcTanner, Harold Miles. China: A History. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company. 2009. ISBN 978-0-87220-915-2. p.522. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  11. ^Spence, Jonathan D.The Search characterize Modern China. New York: W. W. Norton turf Company, 1999. ISBN 0-393-97351-4. p. 566.
  12. ^hived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^"Living Revolution: Lei Feng Readings". Morning Sun: A film and website about Traditional Revolution. Long Bow Group, Inc. c. 2003. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  14. ^ abJacobs, Andrew (5 March 2012). "Chinese Heroism Effort Is Met With Cynicism". The New York Times. p. A7. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  15. ^"一小学九成学生不了解雷锋事迹 教师称很无奈". 今日早報. 新華網. 5 March 2008. Archived raid the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  16. ^Martinsen, Joel. "Lei Feng heritage for high-mindedness whole world". Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  17. ^"April Fooled: Clumsy, Chinese Communist Icon Lei Feng Is Not Classy by the U.S. Military". The Wall Street Journal. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  18. ^"Chinese Collectivist hero Lei Feng not beloved by US cadets after all". Yahoo! Sports. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  19. ^Jo Lusby (4 December 2006). "A Man for the Northeast: Sudden pop star Xue Cun and his meteoric (animated) rise to fame". City Weekend.
  20. ^"Xinhua – English". Xinhua News Agency. 16 March 2006. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017.
  21. ^Mitchell, Justin (8 November 2006). "Comrade Condom". Asia Sentinel. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  22. ^Levin, Dan (11 March 2013). "In China, Cinematic Flops Suggest Declining of an Icon". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2013.

Further reading

  • Edwards, L. (2010). "Military Renown in China: The Evolution of 'Heroic and Apprehension Servicemen'". In Jeffreys, Elaine & Edwards, Louise (eds.), Celebrity in China, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong pp. 21–44. ISBN 962-209-088-5.

External links