Lei Feng was not widely known until after his death. In 1963, ''Lei Feng's Diary'' was first presented to the public by
Lin Biao in the first of many "Learn from Lei Feng" campaigns. The diary was full of accounts of Lei's admiration for
Mao Zedong, his selfless deeds, and his desire to foment revolutionary spirit. Famously, he pledged that his only ambition was "to be a rustless screw" in the revolutionary cause. Western scholars generally believe that the diary was forged by Party officials under Lin's direction. The campaign began at a time when the Chinese economy was recovering from the
Great Leap Forward campaign. In 1964 the Lei Feng campaign shifted gradually from doing good deeds to a cult of Mao. Chinese leaders have praised Lei Feng as the personification of altruism. Leaders who have written about Lei Feng include
Deng Xiaoping,
Zhou Enlai, and
Jiang Zemin. His cultural importance is still reproduced and reinforced by the media and cultural apparatus of the Chinese party-state, including emphasizing the importance of moral character during Mao's era. Lei Feng's prominence in school textbooks has since declined, although he remains part of the national curriculum. The phrase
huó Léi Fēng (; lit. "living Lei Feng") has become a noun (or adjective) for anyone who is seen as selfless, or anyone who goes out of their way to help others. The CCP's construction of Lei Feng as a celebrity soldier is unique to the PRC and differs from the more typical creation of military heroes by governments during times of war. In the PRC, Lei Feng was part of continuing public promotion of soldiers as exemplary models, and evidence of the People's Liberation Army's role as social and political support to the Communist government.
Historicity Details of Lei Feng's life have been subject to dispute. While someone named Lei Feng may have existed, scholars generally believe the person depicted in the campaign was almost certainly a fabrication.
Contemporary cultural importance , 2019 The 5th of March has become the official "Learn from Lei Feng Day" (). This day involves various community and school events where people go to clean up parks, schools, and other community locations. Local news on that day usually has footage from these events. Lei Feng is especially honoured in
Changsha,
Hunan, and in
Fushun,
Liaoning. The
Lei Feng Memorial Hall (in his birthplace, now named for him,
Leifeng) and Lei Feng statue are located in
Changsha. The local hospital carries his name. There is also a Lei Feng Memorial Hall, with a museum, in Fushun. Lei Feng's military unit was based in Fushun, where he died. His tomb is located on the memorial grounds. To commemorate Lei Feng, the city of Fushun named several landmarks in honor of him. There is a Lei Feng Road, a Lei Feng Elementary School, a Lei Feng Middle School and a Leifeng bank office. There is a common misconception that Lei Feng was well known in the US and honored at
West Point. The myth has been traced to a 1981
April Fool's Day article that
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhurun mistook for a real article. Li issued a retraction in 2015. Lei Feng's story continues to be referenced in popular culture. A popular song by
Jilin singer Xue Cun (雪村) is called "All Northeasterners are Living Lei Fengs" (). A 1995 release, originally notable only for its use of
Northeastern Mandarin, shot to nationwide fame when it was combined with
kitsch animations on the Internet in 2001. In March 2006, a Chinese organization released an online game titled
Learn from Lei Feng Online (学雷锋) in which the player has to do good deeds, fight spies, and collect parts of Mao Zedong's collection. If the player wins, he or she gets to meet Chairman Mao in the game. In the 21st century his image has been used to sell items including, in one case, condom packaging. By the 2010s, interest in Lei Feng had devolved into
kitsch, with his face still commonly appearing on t-shirts, stickers, and posters, but interest in his life story and diary was minimal, as ticket sales to feature-length biographical films,
Young Lei Feng, Lei Feng’s Smile and
Lei Feng 1959, released on Learn from Lei Feng Day, failed to produce any takers at all in some cities. Reportedly, party cadres in rural areas have been charged by the
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television with organizing group viewings. The lauded details of Lei Feng's life according to official documents led him to become a subject of derision and cynicism among segments of the Chinese populace. ==Learn from Lei Feng Campaign==