Peter, a 72-year-old Canadian who also has a Chinese name, Tang Lei, has been given the title of "Lei Feng" in recognition of his long-lasting volunteering and efforts to help people in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
There is a foreigner in Wuxi, Eastern China's Jiangsu province, who has been given the title of "Lei Feng" due to his long-lasting volunteering and efforts of helping people.
Lei Feng, a young Chinese soldier, was known in the 1960s for devoting almost all of his spare time and money to selflessly helping the needy. In China, the spirit of Lei Feng has been widely promoted across the country.
The person is Peter, a Canadian also known by his Chinese name, Tang Lei. Usually, his Chinese friends prefer calling him "Lao Tang".
Peter is with his friends at an English corner. He has organized the English corner twice a week for free at Wuxi Library and a local coffee shop for more than a decade. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
He explained that the choice of Wuxi as his home in China was made based on a survey of 15 Chinese cities. The survey, covering environment, major industry, transportation, geography, finance, education facilities, and other key elements of a city, showed that Wuxi is one of the best cities in China.
Peter also said, "Wuxi has a heartbeat. Wuxi is what I call a bedroom community. It is a city where people live and people call it home, and it still has a spirit of 'people in Wuxi love Wuxi'. And it makes it different from many other cities."
After arriving at Wuxi, Peter continued his volunteering service here because he considers volunteering an important part of life.
He has hosted an English corner twice a week for free at the Wuxi Library and a local coffee shop for more than a decade.
Peter volunteers to help police with traffic control at the rush hour in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo/wxrb.com]
He has volunteered to help traffic police with traffic control at rush hours. He also has visited orphans on a regular basis and tried his best to bring them joy, playing games with them, teaching them English songs, and celebrating festivals with them.
Peter has received lots of awards because of his volunteering. But he said, "Volunteering isn't about reward. It isn't about money. It isn't about fame. It is just about giving a piece of yourself to others so that their lives can be better."
"My life is better, because somebody else's life is better."
Peter also mentioned that he inherited the spirit from his father, who lived a tough life to raise 13 children and who gave much more than he received.
