University students in Guangzhou have responded enthusiastically to the central government's call to 'learn from Lei Feng'.
Lei Feng was a Mao-era soldier who is used as an example of selfless giving, modesty, dedication and other good qualities. Since March 5, 1963, when Mao Zedong called on the nation to learn from the young soldier, March has been Lei Feng Month.
Most college students in Guangzhou have been taught to follow Lei's example since they were in primary school.
'When I was in primary school, every March a series of volunteer activities would be launched, such as cleaning streets around the school, helping the elderly with washing, and donating clothes to the poor,' Lu Qing, a third-year student at Sun Yat-sen University, recalls.
'The spirit of Lei Feng is deeply rooted in our minds.'
Every university in Guangzhou held activities for volunteers to commemorate Lei Feng by helping others. At Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, some students helped to clean up classrooms, some promoted environmental protection on campus, and some offered free acupuncture and massage therapy for the elderly.