Snowy service

Liaoning experienced an unusually heavy snowfall on March 4, the day before Lei Feng Day.

At 6:30 am, while most students at Liaoning University in Shenyang were still tucked warmly in bed, more than 10 international students had already gathered on the main campus paths, shovels and brooms in hand, working alongside Chinese students to clear the snow.

One of them was Slavka Pocahontas Menke, a student from Nauru.

"The snow is so beautiful, but the paths are really slippery," said Menke, who had stepped out of her dormitory excited to see snow for the first time in her life.

Initially planning to take photos for social media, she noticed a group of students clearing the snow and didn't hesitate to offer her help. "Need any assistance?" she asked.

And just like that, the young woman from a Pacific island nation near the equator joined the university's volunteer snow-removal team.

"For the first few minutes, my hands were frozen stiff, I could barely hold the shovel," Menke recalled.

"But seeing more and more students walking on the paths we had cleared — it's an indescribable feeling of accomplishment," she added.

For Assane Djiba, a master's student from Senegal majoring in finance, it was also his first experience with snow.

"In my country, the temperature never drops to freezing," he said. "Clearing the snow was tiring, but I think that was the true spirit of Lei Feng — helping others without expecting anything in return."

Two hours of labor left these students from tropical countries sweating despite the cold. "In Nauru, we struggle daily with rising sea levels," Menke said. "This small act of clearing snow reminds me that if everyone does a little bit more for the environment, the world would be a better place."

As a journalism and mass communication major, Menke took photos of the cleared paths and the tired but smiling faces of the students and posted them on social media with the caption: "Today I personally experienced China's Lei Feng spirit — it's — 10 C outside but feels like 40 C warmth inside."

The post received hundreds of likes within hours and was even reposted by the Nauru Embassy in China.

"If it snows again tomorrow, I'll definitely be back," Djiba said.

Timeless legacy

Nearly 300 Lei Feng-themed collectibles were displayed at Shenyang Institute of Engineering just before this year's Lei Feng Day.

These items, many of which had never been publicly displayed before, included stamps, postcards, lianhuanhua (palm-sized comic books), and replicas of objects used by Lei Feng.

The most eye-catching piece in the collection was a replica of a mirror once owned by Lei Feng.

"Legend has it that Lei Feng would look in the mirror every morning and ask himself, 'What will you do for the people today?'" said Wang Qiang, a mechanical engineering major. "What a great habit. I plan to adopt it myself to stay motivated."

The exhibition also featured Lei Fengthemed creative products from different eras, spanning over half a century. From vintage commemorative pins to modern, anime-style phone cases, the collection offered a glimpse of the many ways Lei Feng's image has evolved over time.

"I never thought Lei Feng could be so trendy," said freshman Liu Xiaolu, taking several photos of the products and posting them to social media.

Zhou Tao, a graduate student in computer science, agreed. "Our generation's understanding of Lei Feng mostly comes from textbooks and the internet, which is very fragmented," he said. "Seeing so many physical materials today does make Lei Feng feel closer to us — no longer just a distant symbol from history books."

Zhang Xiaoyu, an electrical engineering major, mentioned a set of 1980s lianhuanhua depicting Lei Feng washing clothes for his comrades, saving every penny to help those in need, and working tirelessly despite harsh conditions.

"The style is really retro, but the message is still relevant today," he said.

In one of the old photos, Lei Feng was shown not in his usual military uniform, but in a stylish leather jacket, with a bright smile that made him look just like any contemporary young person.

"I thought Lei Feng was a stereotypical role model, but I never expected his image to be so multifaceted," Zhang added.

After the visit, students wrote their thoughts on a message board.

"Lei Feng wasn't a god, but he taught us how to become better people," wrote Zhao Peng, a civil engineering major.