Lei Feng has won Shi's admiration for making sacrifices to benefit others, which may come as a surprise considering the boy lives in a country where decades of market-oriented reform have resulted in an economic boom and the emergence of self-interest.

　　The 12-year-old boy studies at a school named for the icon dubbed "Chairman Mao's good soldier."

　　Shi transferred to Lei Feng Primary School from his hometown in Hebei province two years ago.

　　His mother hoped he could "learn from Lei Feng's spirit of being industrious and diligent, and learn to be a good man" at the school.

　　Nestled on the quiet Xitao Hutong in downtown Beijing, the primary school serves as a shrine to the moral icon that has inspired millions of Chinese since the 1960s.

　　Signs of Lei can be spotted almost everywhere at the school: his huge portrait on the wall greets visitors; an exhibition room where his deeds are shown; and a school song named "Lei Feng Is Always with Us."

　　About two kilometers from Shi's school is Houhai, a bustling bar strip dominated by pop music and well-heeled crowds, where little, if anything, related to Lei Feng can be found.

　　Lei Feng, a solider of the People's Liberation Army, died in an accident at the age of 22 in 1962. He became a national icon after Chairman Mao Zedong called on the whole nation to learn from his passion for helping others and his devotion to his work.

　　In a song popular in the 1960s and 1970s, "Learning from the Good Example of Lei Feng," the essence of Lei Feng's merits was summarized as "being loyal to the (Communist) Party, serving the people heart and soul, living in a plain way and working hard, and ready to serve as a screw that never rusts for the revolution."

　　As times have changed, however, these values have been challenged even at Lei Feng Primary School when pragmatism began to prevail in the 1980s and the moral icon was considered outdated.

　　In 1987, the Xicheng district education bureau decided to transfer two classes at a neighboring school to Lei Feng Primary School, but some parents refused to send their children there as they were afraid that "Learn from Lei Feng" activities would take up too much of the children's time and energy, distracting them from their studies.

　　Some parents even demonstrated in front of the municipal government, according to a brief school introduction on its website.

　　MORALITY CONCERN

　　Three decades into China's reform and opening-up drive, people have started to take another look at the values Lei Feng represents after several major events prompted reflection and debate on public morality.

　　The debate escalated when a toddler in Foshan, Guangdong province, was hit by two vehicles but left bleeding and ignored by a dozen passersby in November last year.

　　The death of the two-year-old girl ignited public outcry and forced Chinese people to rethink their morality in an era when Lei Feng no longer holds the country's moral compass.

　　Zhu Dongli, a cultural critic and researcher with the Chinese National Academy of Arts, says cases like that of the ignored, injured child reflect people's apathy.

　　"The logic of a market economy is to maximize self-interest. Lei Feng's merits are what today's society are most short of, and, therefore, a most wanted value," Zhu said.

　　Li Lulu, a professor of sociology with Beijing-based Renmin University of China, says that it is good that Chinese people nowadays have a diversified pool of idols from which to choose.

　　"But that doesn't necessarily mean Lei Feng's spirit is outdated and should be forgotten. On the contrary, Lei's merits of being ready to help others, self-discipline and devotion to work are what today's young people should learn from," Li said.

　　As part of its efforts to establish the socialist core value system, the Communist Party of China in November last year proposed to further promote "Learn From Lei Feng" activities.

　　The call was followed by new measures across the country.

　　In Beijing, the municipal government has decided to mark each Saturday "Learn from Lei Feng Day," encouraging residents to participate in various volunteer activities.

　　The Ministry of Education has also ordered to take "Learn from Lei Feng" as a factor in evaluating students' performance.