In China, communists wheel out a socialist super-hero
Some Chinese think Lei Feng, who died half a century ago, is the answer to the nation's corruption problems.
BEIJING – China is so rife with corruption it could bring down the ruling Communist Party.That is not the opinion of a Chinese dissident, but of new Chinese Communist Party boss Xi Jinping. And the party is looking to a man who died a half century ago to steer them straight.
The annual session of China's congress opened Tuesday at a time when cases of corruption and embezzlement at the highest levels of the Communist Party have been making headlines here and abroad. Tuesday also happens to be "Learn from Lei Feng Day," which honors the favorite soldier and moral model of communist China's founder, Chairman Mao.
Three new movies about Lei are airing; he is the subject of a major exhibition, a new book and public activities nationwide. Government authorities hope their socialist super-hero will inspire selfless acts of kindness everywhere.
They could start by cleaning up their own act, said Lei fan Ma Shuiquan, an agriculture entrepreneur who also runs a Lei Feng Memorial Museum in east China's Hangzhou city.
"Leading party cadres already have good salaries and conditions, so they should completely serve the people, like Lei Feng, not serve themselves. If more Chinese officials and ordinary people showed the Lei Feng spirit, China would be less corrupt," said Ma, 56.
Many Chinese worry that social morality is in decline and it is debatable whether more tales of Lei will change things.
After decades of party-led propaganda campaigns, many are indifferent to the annual Lei Feng drive and even criticize it. There is widespread skepticism online about the truth of his life. His alleged diary, supposedly discovered after his death, appears to have been shaped to back Mao's schemes in the mid-1960s.
"One country used one lie to cheat generations of people," complained Wu Qilei, a Shanghai primary schoolteacher, on his Weibo micro-blog.
"When the kids grow up and know Uncle Lei Feng is a liar, what will they think?" wrote Wu, 30. "I support taking pleasure in helping people, and loving philanthropic work, but I oppose lie-style brainwashing and indoctrination."
True believers in the communist system harbor no doubts about Lei and his powers.
"I remember so well, it was March 5, 1963, when the newspapers printed Mao's call 'Learn from Comrade Lei Feng.' I was so excited I locked the door and spent all night composing a song," with the same title, said Ding Mingtang, a Korean War veteran, now 82. "I am still excited now, as Lei is an outstanding role model for contemporary China too."
In photos of suspiciously good quality and quantity, Lei Feng smiles as he polishes his army truck or darns his comrades' socks at their platoon. He never went to bed without first reading Chairman Mao's works, the Chinese are told. The same truck killed him in 1962 at age 21 when a laundry pole flattened by another driver sprang back and struck Lei in the head.
The martyred soldier still has battles to fight, Ding said.
"The problem of corruption in China shows we have not done enough to spread Lei Feng spirit. We should talk about him all year round, not just on March 5. We could reduce corruption if everybody tried to emulate him," he said.
The "Forever Lei Feng" exhibition at the Beijing World Art Museum, which opens to the public Thursday, includes profiles of 500 Beijingers chosen for their volunteer work and Lei Feng-like behavior. Several deputies at the National People's Congress (NPC) session were chosen because they are "moral models."
"Lei Feng is still highly relevant and meaningful for China today," said Wang Minghui, an NPC deputy and boss of pharmaceutical firm Yunnan Baiyao. "Serving others, making a contribution, are crucial for a harmonious society," said Wang, referencing the "harmony" target of outgoing Chinese President Hu Jintao.
That harmony was on display Tuesday at the congress, which serves to approve all measures put before it by a party leadership that rules without direct consent of the governed.
The comments of outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday were an indication of whether China is serious about enacting government reforms that critics say are the way to combat corruption among elites. Newspapers run stories often on party officials caught stealing funds. Among the most prominent cases is that of former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai, who vanished from public life a year ago after being accused of corruption.
Wen insisted China "should unwaveringly combat corruption … and ensure that officials are honest, government is clean and political affairs are handled with integrity." But he offered no specific new measures, such as the free press, independent courts and anti-corruption agency that activists say are essential if China is ever to tackle corruption seriously.
China's public will take some convincing, despite Xi Jinping's repeated focus on fighting graft.
"So many officials are corrupt. If you don't have money, it's hard to get things done," said waitress Gu Pengfei, 32, who toured an anti-corruption art exhibition in the same venue as the Lei Feng exhibit. "Under a one party system, it's very hard to solve this problem. I doubt the new leaders will achieve much."
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