In China during the 1960s, a young man named Lei Feng was a role model for the masses of Chinese people, especially soldiers. Mao Zedong himself had once advised the people: “Learn from Comrade Lei Feng.” Based on the underlying principle of selfless dedication, Lei Feng has influenced generations of Chinese with his can-do attitude and unrelenting perseverance. Today, his image can be found on everything from military recruitment materials to T-shirts and other pop culture products. Lei Feng continues to shed light on the characteristics of China’s psyche and its collective cultural conscience.Originally published to great acclaim in China, this English translation is the first work of biographical fiction which follows Lei Feng’s own diaries but depicts in great detail a once mysterious and little-known figure who became a political and cultural hero. It also reveals the personal struggles of a man who was grounded in humility and became the larger-than-life symbol of the world’s most populous nation.
