Soldier remembered as icon of altruism

Fushun, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, is where Lei Feng -- the late Chinese icon of altruism, served and was buried.

Lei joined the People's Liberation Army in 1960 and was known for devoting almost all of his spare time and money to selflessly helping others.

"If you were a water drop, would you like to provide any moisture for the fields; If you were a ray of sunshine, would you like to light up a portion of the dark; If you were a grain of rice, would you like to feed a life?" read a diary of Lei's.

In 1962, Lei died in an accident when he helped a fellow soldier direct a truck. He was only 22.

A year later, Chairman Mao Zedong called on the entire nation to follow Lei's example. Lei's legacy lives on.

In 2018, during an inspection to Fushun, Xi visited Lei's memorial and laid a flower basket before his tomb. Commemorating this Chinese icon of altruism, Xi stressed the need to pass on the Lei Feng spirit from generation to generation.

"We will be invincible" if each and every Chinese person, CPC member and CPC organization can practice the Lei Feng spirit and become "a shining cog which never rusts" in their own roles, Xi said.