• 歐洲之聲發刊詞 Eng
  • 關於我們 About us
  • 隱私條款 Privacy Policy
  • 提供新聞 Authors contributions
  • 連絡我們 Contact us
歐洲之聲 Sino Euro Voices
  • 首頁
  • 關注熱點

    【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

    握普京的手 三思而行

    馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選

    【比爾曼自傳】第二十三章 開頭的那一吻

    國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件

    上一個 下一個
  • 政經論壇

    【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

    握普京的手 三思而行

    馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選

    國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件

    法國政府動用憲法條款讓退休法案強行過關有何後果

    上一個 下一個
  • 人權觀察

    西藏抗暴日64周年紀念活動

    世界各地筆會等25團體發表關於中國「白紙運動」的國際婦女節聲明

    廖天琪:還原真相,抗拒遺忘-紀念3-10西藏抗暴日

    支持「中間道路」 藏漢和睦友好 ——2023年紀念「3•10」西藏自由抗暴日64周年文告

    支持烏克蘭—-寫在俄烏戰爭一周年之際

    上一個 下一個
  • 人文天下

    紀念高原衛士馮勇一一寫在環保志士馮勇犧牲十八周年忌日

    【影音】《銳傳媒》發布會 發行人劉志聰致詞

    共創「文化合作社」《銳傳媒》誠邀各界參與協作

    為何中國的科技尚不能威脅到西方

    世界不應忘記蔣彥永醫生

    上一個 下一個
  • 歐洲風情

    【淇園漫步】走出聖經到「米兔」的蘇珊娜 ——記科隆瓦爾拉夫博物館特展

    「算香」義大利麵

    【淇園漫步】「猶太母豬」宣判無罪

    「永遠不會發生」 烏克蘭抨擊用土地換和平

    Internet Censorship 2022: A Global Map of Internet Restrictions

    上一個 下一個
  • 文學世界

    《魔鬼詩篇》魯西迪,而今安在哉?

    毛澤東和習近平在2015(警世話劇)

    【香江寄語】:毛澤東在成都的行宮金牛壩

    我在等你

    謝志偉的「和平蛋糕」

    上一個 下一個
  • 視頻薈萃

    達賴喇嘛和屠圖宗師——《喜悅》紀錄片帶給人類什麼?

    他的謙遜和人性力量-STATEMENT on the 5th Anniversary of the Death of LIU Xiaobo

    永不熄滅的明燈——劉曉波逝世五周年倫敦紀念活動YouTube視屏

    與曉波討論西方的「綏靖政策」——劉曉波逝世5週年倫敦紀念會上的講話

    紀念劉曉波的重要而現實意義

    上一個 下一個
  • 專文
    • 田牧新著
    • 淇園漫步
    • 田牧筆談
    • 老陳時評
    • 胡平論政
    • 香江寄語
    • 北京觀察
    • 比爾曼自傳
    • 潤南文苑
    • 雪山下的火焰
  • 古典音樂

    精選舒伯特鋼琴古典音樂Ⅱ

    約翰斯特勞斯「春之聲」圓舞曲

    維瓦地古典音樂精選

    孟德爾松古典音樂

    布拉姆斯古典音樂精選

    上一個 下一個
  • English

    王怡:出於信心的不服從者

    Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement

    EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending

    無國界記者強烈要求當局釋放病痛纏身的調查記者黃琦RSF urges for release of ailing investigative journalist Huang Qi

    北京的影響力工程的目標與論述

    上一個 下一個
  • 首頁
  • 關注熱點

    【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

    握普京的手 三思而行

    馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選

    【比爾曼自傳】第二十三章 開頭的那一吻

    國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件

    上一個 下一個
  • 政經論壇

    【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

    握普京的手 三思而行

    馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選

    國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件

    法國政府動用憲法條款讓退休法案強行過關有何後果

    上一個 下一個
  • 人權觀察

    西藏抗暴日64周年紀念活動

    世界各地筆會等25團體發表關於中國「白紙運動」的國際婦女節聲明

    廖天琪:還原真相,抗拒遺忘-紀念3-10西藏抗暴日

    支持「中間道路」 藏漢和睦友好 ——2023年紀念「3•10」西藏自由抗暴日64周年文告

    支持烏克蘭—-寫在俄烏戰爭一周年之際

    上一個 下一個
  • 人文天下

    紀念高原衛士馮勇一一寫在環保志士馮勇犧牲十八周年忌日

    【影音】《銳傳媒》發布會 發行人劉志聰致詞

    共創「文化合作社」《銳傳媒》誠邀各界參與協作

    為何中國的科技尚不能威脅到西方

    世界不應忘記蔣彥永醫生

    上一個 下一個
  • 歐洲風情

    【淇園漫步】走出聖經到「米兔」的蘇珊娜 ——記科隆瓦爾拉夫博物館特展

    「算香」義大利麵

    【淇園漫步】「猶太母豬」宣判無罪

    「永遠不會發生」 烏克蘭抨擊用土地換和平

    Internet Censorship 2022: A Global Map of Internet Restrictions

    上一個 下一個
  • 文學世界

    《魔鬼詩篇》魯西迪,而今安在哉?

    毛澤東和習近平在2015(警世話劇)

    【香江寄語】:毛澤東在成都的行宮金牛壩

    我在等你

    謝志偉的「和平蛋糕」

    上一個 下一個
  • 視頻薈萃

    達賴喇嘛和屠圖宗師——《喜悅》紀錄片帶給人類什麼?

    他的謙遜和人性力量-STATEMENT on the 5th Anniversary of the Death of LIU Xiaobo

    永不熄滅的明燈——劉曉波逝世五周年倫敦紀念活動YouTube視屏

    與曉波討論西方的「綏靖政策」——劉曉波逝世5週年倫敦紀念會上的講話

    紀念劉曉波的重要而現實意義

    上一個 下一個
  • 專文
    • 田牧新著
    • 淇園漫步
    • 田牧筆談
    • 老陳時評
    • 胡平論政
    • 香江寄語
    • 北京觀察
    • 比爾曼自傳
    • 潤南文苑
    • 雪山下的火焰
  • 古典音樂

    精選舒伯特鋼琴古典音樂Ⅱ

    約翰斯特勞斯「春之聲」圓舞曲

    維瓦地古典音樂精選

    孟德爾松古典音樂

    布拉姆斯古典音樂精選

    上一個 下一個
  • English

    王怡:出於信心的不服從者

    Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement

    EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending

    無國界記者強烈要求當局釋放病痛纏身的調查記者黃琦RSF urges for release of ailing investigative journalist Huang Qi

    北京的影響力工程的目標與論述

    上一個 下一個
沒有結果
查看所有結果
歐洲之聲 Sino Euro Voices
沒有結果
查看所有結果
首頁 English

Lei Feng’s Specter Still Hovers Over Mainland China

Tienchi martin-Liao文 /Tienchi martin-Liao
2020 年 9 月 28 日
在 English, 政經論壇
Lei Feng’s Specter Still Hovers Over Mainland China

Visiting the Exhibition of the Life of Lei Feng by Luo Jian-hua. Photo: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library on Flickr.

转换简体
分享到 Facebook分享到 Twitter分享到 Line分享到 WeChat

Communist propaganda heroes and their political purpose, then and now.

推薦新聞

【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

2023 年 3 月 20 日
握普京的手 三思而行

握普京的手 三思而行

2023 年 3 月 20 日

There are certain dates that people prefer to forget, but political circumstances force them to remember. March 5 is such a day. It is the death-day of Joseph Stalin, and although responsible for the calamity of millions of Russians, Stalin’s admirers still laid flowers on his tomb at the Red Square during the 60th anniversary of his death. Among those present this year was the head of Russia’s Communist Party, Gunnady Zyuganov. Experts prognosticate, as far as there is no de-Stalinization process occurring, nor reflection of modern history in Russia, that many Russians will not be able to get rid of their illusions and continue to believe Stalin was the savior of their country.

March 5 also has some special meaning for the mainland Chinese. Half a century ago, on this day Mao Zedong wrote the sentence “Follow the example of comrade Lei Feng,” to baptize young Liberation Army soldiers.

Lei Feng (1940-1962) was an orphan from Hu’nan Province, who joined the Army at the age of 20 and died in an accident at 22. According to the official lore, after Lei’s death, people found his diary, which contained the passionate monologue of a youngster who had done many selfless, good deeds. But most importantly, the texts exposed his unconditional love and loyalty to the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao.

The discovery of the diary coincided with a time when Mao’s authority was suffering enormously under the policies of the Big Leap Forward. After three years of famine that resulted in millions of deaths, Mao’s image and morals were severely damaged. The country slowly revived from the catastrophe only through Liu Shaoqi’s mild adjustment policy. Consequently, it was the proper moment to set up a legendary figure to divert the people’s attention. Right at this time Lei Feng and his diary emerged out of thin air and fit the pattern that the government sought—an orphan from Mao’s home province, a diligent worker, patriotic soldier, and obedient Maoist pupil. Feng’s legacy served as a perfect model for his compatriots to emulate. Thus, the propaganda machinery was turned on full-power to create a new revolutionary hero. Indeed, within a short time, Lei Feng became a posthumous national icon.

Despite his iconic status, there are several disputes about the credibility of Lei Feng’s existence, especially concerning his diary. Some believe General Lin Biao was working behind the scenes to re-establish Mao’s scraped image.

In their book, Sozialistische Helden: Eine Kulturgeschichte der Propagandafiguren (Socialist Heroes: A Cultural History of Propaganda Figures), historians Silke Satjukow and Rainer Gries explain that whether or not the stories about the heroes are true is besides the point. Heroic figures like Lei Feng were instruments of propaganda and served a political purpose.

Heroic icons carry similar influence in other countries. For example, in the Soviet Union, the model worker, Alexey Stakhanov (1906-1977) became a celebrity in his 30s. Even Time had a cover story about him in 1935. In this case, the peasant son had supposedly dug 102 tons of coal in six hours despite the poorly equipped coal mines. His heroic achievement inspired the Russian workers and initiated the so-called Stakhanovite movement, which accelerated coal productivity. In order to stimulate the workers’ enthusiasm, most of the socialist country found their stimulator in Adolf Hennecke (1905-1975), a coal miner and later a Central Committee-member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The activist-movement was named after him.

The same phenomenon occurs with the creation of Mateusz Bierkut, a fictional Polish hero also known as the “man of marble.” Like Stakhanov, Bierkut inspired many of his countrymen via his over-achieving productivity.

However, in China, the consequence of the “Follow the example of comrade Lei Feng” movement is inestimable. Lei Feng’s message of “fear neither hardship nor death” has influenced generations of young people. Children of all ages learn that uncle Lei Feng was a selfless, courageous soldier who devoted his life to the party and Chairman Mao. For a very long time, the utmost wish of a young Chinese child was to become a second Lei Feng to serve the beloved motherland.

Now that the former Warsaw-Pact countries have abandoned the socialist system, their legendary heroes have also withdrawn from the stage of history. In today’s China, hardly a soul in the power center of Beijing believes in communism, yet the new rulers reluctantly cling to the old political assets. In this way, Lei Feng’s specter still hovers over mainland China. On this year’s “Learn from Lei Feng Day” the authority spent a huge amount of money to launch commemorations and exhibitions with pictures, documents, and sound displays in many places. A special Lei Feng website was even created.

Additionally, a film, Young Lei Feng, was produced to refresh the people’s memory of China’s national hero. On March 5, the film premiered in different cities. Yet, as we say, “hot face sticks to cold ass,”* and the manipulated political enthusiasm was met with zero interest from most citizens. In some cinemas, like in Nanking and Taiyuan, the film had to be removed from the program because not a single ticket was sold.

The dramatic events of March 5 continued with another incident that shocked the public and embarrassed the authorities. Zhang Jun, the 82 year-old former photographer of Lei Feng, also used to work at the Department of Politics in Shenyang Military Zone as a propaganda cadre. In 1960, Zhang allegedly began to take pictures of Feng, the young recruited soldier. After Lei became the paragon of the country, Zhang initiated countless events in his honor, and in the past five decades there have been over 320 picture exhibitions and over 1260 speeches on Feng. Disappointed that the public had zero interest in the recent film, Zhang agreed to participate in the Lei Feng commemoration organized by the military, despite his fragile age and heath. In his agitated speech, Zhang said: “Although I am ancient, I want to devote my limited life to the unlimited great cause to ‘retain Lei Feng.’” After that sentence, Zhang dropped dead onstage.

We do not know whether Mr. Zhang will posthumously receive a medal for his selfless contribution to the great revolutionary cause; however, during his lifetime he has allegedly published more than 20,000 Lei Feng pictures.

Although most of them are manipulated fakes, the quantity is indeed impressive. Well, at the end of the day the moral of the tragedy is: To retain the dead, one has to stay alive. It’s a pity that it’s too late for Mr. Zhang.

*Chinese slang used to refer to an unrequited relationship.

Updated on September 27, 2020

The title of this article needs to be added with a question mark? at the end.
There is a Chinese proverb: “cast aside like an old shoe”. It is to describe something, which has lost its value, the possessor wants to get rid of it without any hesitation. The old “young hero” Lei Feng has served the CCP many decades, now the hero is like a casting aside old shoe, no one is interested in him anymore in China. Nowadays, in a society, where only money, position and profit count, poor Lei Feng has nothing to lose or gain. Bye bye, Lei Feng.

First published at Sampsoniaway.org on April 10, 2013.

標籤: Alexey StakhanovBig Leap ForwardLei FengMao ZedongMateusz BierkutZhang Jun
分享Tweet分享分享
上一篇文章

面對中國哲學:殷海光在兩種「典範」間的選擇

下一篇文章

文人獄中相遇

Tienchi martin-Liao

Tienchi martin-Liao

Tienchi Martin-Liao was the columnist of the Pittsburg literature online magazine SAMPSONIA WAY. She wrote for the FEARLESS INK column – Blind Chess from May 2012 till July 2018. The articles are reposted here, some of them are updated if necessary. Most of the topics and contents are still up to date, because in China the suppression on the intellectuals and dissidents is more severe then ever. There is no freedom of expression, no freedom of press, and people go to jail when they write things that offend the authority.

相關文章

【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠
政經論壇

【老陳時評】普京已成通緝犯習近平離通緝還有多遠

2023 年 3 月 20 日
握普京的手 三思而行
政經論壇

握普京的手 三思而行

2023 年 3 月 20 日
馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選
政經論壇

馬英九訪中暫緩「馬習二會」 避免刺激美國衝擊2024總統大選

2023 年 3 月 20 日
國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件
政經論壇

國際刑事法院對普京發出拘捕令被認為是里程碑事件

2023 年 3 月 18 日
法國政府動用憲法條款讓退休法案強行過關有何後果
政經論壇

法國政府動用憲法條款讓退休法案強行過關有何後果

2023 年 3 月 17 日
【田牧筆談】韓上李「下」背後的政情動向
政經論壇

【田牧筆談】韓上李「下」背後的政情動向

2023 年 3 月 16 日
下一篇文章
文人獄中相遇

文人獄中相遇

給川普和習近平的聯大演講打分

給川普和習近平的聯大演講打分

觀李登輝追思告別儀式有感

觀李登輝追思告別儀式有感

熱門文章

Lei Feng’s Specter Still Hovers Over Mainland China

Lei Feng’s Specter Still Hovers Over Mainland China

2020 年 9 月 28 日
支持「中間道路」 藏漢和睦友好 ——2023年紀念「3•10」西藏自由抗暴日64周年文告

支持「中間道路」 藏漢和睦友好 ——2023年紀念「3•10」西藏自由抗暴日64周年文告

2023 年 3 月 4 日
彭帥成為全球新聞焦點(附錄:彭帥微博原文)

彭帥成為全球新聞焦點(附錄:彭帥微博原文)

2021 年 11 月 23 日
習近平必須下臺,中共政權必須結束

習近平必須下臺,中共政權必須結束

2023 年 2 月 9 日
習近平的弱點-狂妄與偏執如何威脅中國的未來

習近平的弱點-狂妄與偏執如何威脅中國的未來

2022 年 9 月 7 日
廖天琪:還原真相,抗拒遺忘-紀念3-10西藏抗暴日

廖天琪:還原真相,抗拒遺忘-紀念3-10西藏抗暴日

2023 年 3 月 7 日
西藏抗暴日64周年紀念活動

西藏抗暴日64周年紀念活動

2023 年 3 月 14 日
歐洲之聲

歐洲之聲網站根植於歐陸,創刊於庚子年新冠疫情席捲全球之際。數據化時代早已來臨,面對浩瀚的知識和信息海洋,太容易迷失方向。作為長年的媒體工作者,本網刊願為華語世界的讀者傳送平實可靠的資訊,也為追求民主、自由、人權的有識之士及愛好文藝的友朋提供寫作發文的平台。祈望這裡成為志同道合者共同耕耘的園地。

分類

  • English
  • 人文天下
  • 人權觀察
  • 北京觀察
  • 古典音樂
  • 墨爾本夜語
  • 專文
  • 政經論壇
  • 文學世界
  • 未分類
  • 歐洲風情
  • 比爾曼自傳
  • 淇園漫步
  • 潤南文苑
  • 田牧新著
  • 田牧筆談
  • 老陳時評
  • 胡平論政
  • 視頻薈萃
  • 關注熱點
  • 雪山下的火焰
  • 香江寄語
  • 歐洲風情
【淇園漫步】走出聖經到「米兔」的蘇珊娜 ——記科隆瓦爾拉夫博物館特展

【淇園漫步】走出聖經到「米兔」的蘇珊娜 ——記科隆瓦爾拉夫博物館特展

2023 年 1 月 26 日
「算香」義大利麵

「算香」義大利麵

2023 年 1 月 8 日

適用電子郵件訂閱網站

輸入你的電子郵件地址訂閱網站的新文章,使用電子郵件接收新通知。

關注我們

沒有結果
查看所有結果
  • 首頁
  • 關注熱點
  • 政經論壇
  • 人權觀察
  • 人文天下
  • 歐洲風情
  • 文學世界
  • 視頻薈萃
  • 專文
    • 墨爾本夜語
    • 香江寄語
    • 胡平論政
    • 北京觀察
    • 潤南文苑
    • 淇園漫步
    • 老陳時評
    • 雪山下的火焰
  • English
  • 古典音樂
  • 田牧新著

© 2020 歐洲之聲 Sino Euro Voices.

歐洲之聲網站使用 cookie 為您提供更好的使用體驗, 請閱讀我們的 隱私權政策,通過使用表示您確認並同意我們的政策。