CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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A soldier's story
By Lin Qi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-02 13:18 There is one old photograph, capturing a smiling Lei Feng talking with an army buddy, which has special pride and place in the collection. "I got the photo from the Shenyang Lei Feng Group, consisting of his old fellows in the army. I visit them every now and then. They are all in their 80s and very nice men," he says. Rogers has added his own work to the collection by translating a book of quotations from the famous soldier. "A student at university gave me a book of The Dairies of Lei Feng in 2006," he says. "It is in Chinese and my Chinese was very limited. And I couldn't find an English version. There was very limited English information about Lei Feng so I thought I should do something on my part." In 2007, he published a book Learn From Comrade Lei Feng and distributes it to people wherever he goes. "What I most appreciate in Lei Feng is his being so humble, after doing a lot of good deeds," he says. "That makes a comparison today as so much is about who you are and how much you are recognized." Lei Feng's anecdotes have also reminded Rogers of his late father, who once worked in Africa and Papua New Guinea for the UNICEF. He traveled with his roaming parents and discovered the highest virtue in life was to serve his fellowmen. Rogers found this same selfless spirit in Lei Feng and actively engages in voluntary social services, such as visiting orphans and raising medical funds for a leukemia stricken girl. He also looks out for other ways to try a little kindness.
Two years ago, a local family came to Rogers' office for help. They had lost contact with their 19-year-old son, who was studying in Los Angeles. "I stayed up all night on the phone talking to my friends in LA," he says. "We finally tracked the boy down three days later. He moved out of his apartment without telling his families. "He lived in a Chinese restaurant, and ended up being jailed in a detention center by mistake." The boy, whose name Rogers declined to give, was soon released and is now the No 1 student in his class. Rogers is also an active helper in the local foreign community. He has compiled a city guide with useful tips such as how to find a plumber, where to have a haircut and how to convert money. In 2007, he was awarded a "Lei Feng Medal" of Liaoning province. But the American is concerned that the spirit of Lei Feng has started to wane among China's younger generation. "That worries me and that is why I am making it a trend among youngsters that Lei Feng is cool, and inspiring," he says. "You can take everything from Lei Feng, but the bottom line is his giving spirit. Now and forever, people need this quality."
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