A student from Pakistan signs a banner for volunteer declaration. (Photo/Li Tairu)

The Lei Feng Memorial Hall in Wangcheng District, Changsha, welcomed a group of special visitors on March 1. These visitors were young volunteers from various countries, all wearing red vests specially designed for volunteers. They stood in front of an excerpt from Lei Feng's diary and chanted together "If you are a drop of water, have you moistened the earth? If you are a small screw, will you stick to your post forever…"

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the call to learn from Lei Feng by Mao Zedong and other older generation revolutionaries. The School of Foreign Studies of the Changsha University of Science and Technology (CSUST) sent a team of "Red Envoy" interpreters to guide international students from CSUST's International College of Engineering during their visit to the Lei Feng Memorial Hall. The interpreters introduced the life stories of Lei Feng in English and explored the Lei Feng spirit together with the international students.

While on their visit, the international students were curious about a picture of Lei Feng as a tractor driver at the Tuanshan Lake Farm. An interpreter explained that Lei Feng had worked as a tractor driver, a steelworker, and a soldier of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Lei Feng had willingly taken on each of these roles to serve his country and the people. 

International students listen attentively as the interpreter provides an introduction to a picture of Lei Feng as a tractor driver at the Tuanshan Lake Farm. (Photo/Li Tairu)

"I was always called a 'living Lei Feng' when I participated in volunteer activities. Today I finally get to know what it means," said a student from Afghanistan who has studied in China for over four years and taken part in community volunteer service activities several times. He vowed to follow in Lei Feng's footsteps and continue to participate in volunteer activities.

A Pakistani student signed a banner for CSUST volunteer declaration after listening to the interpretation. "There are millions and millions of 'living Lei Fengs' in China. It is precisely because of them that China has achieved rapid changes and development, and Chinese people live a happy life", he said.

Many international students have joined Chinese students in volunteer activities organized by the university or local communities, said Chen Lusha, deputy secretary of the CSUST Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League. She added that, the Lei Feng spirit has built a bridge for the communication between Chinese and foreign students.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Chinanews