Lei, a native of central China's Hunan Province, joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the age of 20 and spent all his spare time and money to help the needy. He died in 1962 at the age of 22 after being hit on the head by a pole while helping a fellow soldier direct a truck.

A year later, the late Chinese chairman, Mao Zedong, launched a campaign, calling on the nation to learn from Lei's example and designating March 5 of every year as "Lei Feng's Day."