A file photo of Lei Feng.
(ECNS) -- Fifty-three years after his death, Chinese soldier Lei Feng is again an altruistic icon in Fushun city, Northeast China's Liaoning province, where his military unit was based.
The local TV station launched on March 25 the country's first channel dedicated to the moral citizen, particularly known for his selflessness, modesty, and devotion during the time of Chairman Mao Zedong.
March 5 has already been designated as "Learn from Lei Feng Day," when various activities are organized in schools and communities across the nation to commemorate the soldier and encourage altruism.
The TV station stated that the channel is China's first to specially promote "core socialist values," according to China Youth Daily.
Such values comprise a set of moral principles summarized by central authorities as prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, the rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship.
Shang Zeyou, director of Fushun TV station, said the city is the second hometown of Lei Feng and should take the lead in invoking his spirit, not only in Liaoning province, but also nationally.
The opening remark of the channel's news program, which will focus on stories of Good Samaritans, is "Good deeds happen every day, and they are especially abundant today".
Shang added that establishment of the channel was not on a whim, but came about after repeated debate among officials and experts. He hopes regulators would allow the channel, now only available in the city, to be accessed by a national audience.
Anchorman Zhu Yikui said it can be a hard job ensuring the programming is newsworthy and timely since Lei Feng himself is not a fresh topic.
Zhu added that he understands that other people have doubts about the program, though he believes Good Samaritans are not limited to being role models in exalted positions, but ordinary people too.
The station plans to champion the Lei Feng spirit by strictly examining the quality of commercials and banning advertisements for drugs.
Fushun, as a city that honours Lei Feng, has several landmarks named after him. The city's government work report has made almost annual references to him for decades, with a government office "Build a Lei Feng City" established in 2011 under the city's CPC committee.
