On the afternoon of March 1, songs and conviction resonated in harmony at SCMU’s Optics Valley Concert Hall during a special musical group session titled “Carrying Forward Lei Feng’s Legacy”.The event was jointly organized by the University Youth League Committee, Huazhong Agricultural University’s Benyu Volunteer Service Team, Wuhan VMV Charity Band, and SCMU’s Student Art TroupeCelestial Harmony Choir. Through a combination of “singing and storytelling”, more than 700 faculty members and students gained deeper insights into the contemporary significance of Lei Feng’s spirit, inspiring more young people to join in carrying forward this legacy.
The session was attended by Xu Benyu, Deputy Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Youth League Committee; Li Hongyan, Standing Committee Member of the University Party Committee and Vice President; along with representatives from the Hubei Provincial Disabled Persons’ Federation, the Provincial Youth League Committee, and the University Youth League Committee.
The program opened with the classic “Learn from Lei Feng’s Good Example”, its stirring melody resonating throughout the hall. Songs like “Sharing Happiness with You” and “Song of Chinese Youth Volunteers” followed in progression, illustrating the modern relevance of Lei Feng’s spirit. “Journey to the Western Frontier”, based on true stories of volunteers rooted in China’s western regions, powerfully expressed the commitment of Chinese youth through its central message of “going where the country needs you”. During the performance of “Just Like You”, the large screen displayed moving images of “volunteer red” shining throughout Hubei province, with lyrics that celebrated the inspirational impact of dedicated service.
The mini-interview segment brought the atmosphere to another peak. This charity band, composed of five visually impaired youth, shared how volunteers’ companionship became “small beams of light penetrating darkness”. “Though we cannot see light, every note in ‘Chasing Light’ depicts the shape of hope”, said Liu Yaqian, the band’s lead vocalist. As their original song “Warmth” began playing, audience members turned on their phone flashlights and waved them to the music, transforming the concert hall into an ocean of light.
Musical Workshop in Progress. Photo by Huang Yiying
“The volunteer stories told through VMV Band’s music deeply moved me”, said He Yibo, a first-year student from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science. “Whether it’s Lei Feng and Guo Mingyi’s decades of unwavering dedication, Yuan Hui’s commitment to mountain communities, Feng Ai’s teaching in impoverished areas, or the Benyu Volunteer Service Team’s legacy passed down through generations—they all make me feel the power of role models. They have convinced me that true youth means composing one’s personal ambitions into the symphony of national needs”.
This musical session marks the beginning of SCMU’s “Lei Feng Volunteer Service Month” activities, which will include campus charity markets and special learning forums. Looking ahead, the university will continue to focus on fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, deepening its “Grand Ideological and Political Education” initiatives, and using volunteer service as a vehicle to encourage young students to become inheritors of Lei Feng’s spirit and practitioners of ethnic unity and progress, allowing Lei Feng’s spirit to shine even more brilliantly in the new era.
