Lei Feng
Chinese soldier and propaganda icon (1940–1962) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lei Feng[lower-roman 1] (18 December 1940 – 15 August 1962) was a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted the slogan, "Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng."[1] Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao Zedong. After Mao's death, state media continued to promote Lei Feng as a model of earnestness and service, and his image still appears in popular forms such as on T-shirts and memorabilia.[2]
Lei Feng | |||||||||||
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雷锋 | |||||||||||
Born | (1940-12-18)18 December 1940 | ||||||||||
Died | 15 August 1962(1962-08-15) (aged 21) | ||||||||||
Cause of death | Work accident | ||||||||||
Occupation | Soldier | ||||||||||
Political party | Chinese Communist Party | ||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 雷锋 | ||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 雷鋒 | ||||||||||
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The biographic details of Lei Feng's life, and especially his diary, supposedly discovered after his death, are generally believed to be propaganda creations; even the historicity of Lei Feng himself is sometimes questioned.[3][4] The continuing use of Lei in government propaganda has become a source of cynicism and even derision amongst segments of the Chinese population.[5] Nevertheless, Lei's function as a propaganda icon has survived decades of political change in China.[6]