A restaurant in Nanjing that uses Lei Feng, the then image of Mao's model soldier as a poster has triggered debate in the eastern city as China welcomes the commemoration day of the hero Monday.  (File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, March 6 -- A restaurant in Nanjing that uses Lei Feng, the then image of Mao's model soldier as a poster has triggered debate in the eastern city as China welcomes the commemoration day of the hero Monday.

    Lei Feng was a Mao Zedong-era model army man who died in an accident in 1962.

    The 22-year-old-only young soldier served the people heart and soul and inspired the whole nation after Mao called on people to "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng" following his sacrifice. Lei Feng was thereafter immortalized as an honourable image of selflessness and wholeheartedness.

    According to local reports, the restaurant's boss who has taken use of Lei Feng as a poster is from Northeastern China, the place where Lei Feng once served in the army.

    The region has in recent years become hotly linked with the name of Lei Feng due to a pop rap-like song, "We're all Living Lei Feng".

    Reports quoted some waiters and waitresses of the restaurant as saying their boss has got strong passions for Lei Feng. Their boss often told them "We northeasterners are Lei Fengs alive". "We should run our business on the basis of honesty and sincerity, and make our customers learn from Lei Feng and do good to others."

    For this reason, an original flavoured black-and-white photo of Lei Feng has been copied as their restaurant's poster, complimented by a vertical calligraphy, saying "All northeasterns are living Lei Feng".

    However, the restaurant's effort, which its boss has denied as means of tracking more customers, has aroused different feedbacks. A retired teacher has strongly criticized that it desecrates the spiritual model and is a provocation against social morality. But, another young man said the poster could work to remind people of the "spirit of Lei Feng" and is a useful way for publication.

    An official from Nanjing at the same time said the restaurant's act cannot yet be judged as illegal since there is so far no detailed regulations on what uses of Lei Feng's image can be termed as proper.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)