He Relays "Lei Feng Spirit" in Modern Volunteerism

According to Wenzhang, the internationally-accepted definition of volunteerism has three criteria: it has to be voluntary, it has to serve the public good, and financial reward is not the principal motivation. Judging from the three, where does China's volunteerism stand in the larger picture of the internationally accepted definition? Wenzhang says that Chinese volunteerism can be traced back to the time of Confucius some three thousand years ago, when the philosopher promoted the spirit of ren (仁) to people. Translated into English as kindness and benevolence, it is still the most highly respected virtue for Chinese people.

Ren (仁) is a form of direct action that can be seen in people giving up their seats for the elderly on the bus, or giving money to someone online to help them pay medical bills, or giving up material comfort to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village, or donating money or clothes to poor colleagues. These are all voluntary acts, except perhaps for the last one. I joined the mutual aid donation program at work that aims to help colleagues in need, but I rely heavily on my workplace to tell me when I should open my wallet. Does that make it less voluntary? Is it not a good way to serve the public good? The list of donations and volunteering activities like this in China can go on forever, and they are all laudable for their contribution to the public good.

China Plus host Manling interviews Guo Jiawenzhangon Feb.18, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Jianfu]

From the time of Confucius until now, the spirit of benevolence, to serve the public good, has evolved in accordance with changing ideological, cultural, and social values. From imperial and feudal family support networks, to commune cooperatives in the 1960s and 70s and neighborhood committees, to the development of one of the China's largest non-governmental humanitarian organizations in 2007, the Blue Sky Rescue Team, through to the recent introduction of community-based aged care services, you can see how the mechanisms in place to help people in need have never disappeared; they have evolved.

In China there is the well-worn cliché "为人民服务", which means "serve the people." If you ask someone from China what comes to mind when they hear this phrase, almost inevitably it will be the name Lei Feng. Born in 1940, Lei Feng (雷锋) lived just a short life, dying in a tragic accident in 1962. But in the years that followed, the young soldier's name has become a watchword for Chinese volunteerism because of his tireless efforts to help others. Presented as a model of virtue for people to follow decades ago, his spirit has survived the test of time. Every year across China, millions of people, especially students, take part in "Learn from Lei Feng" volunteer activities that are sponsored by both government and non-government organizations. If they are all serving public good, do we need to question or judge whether or not government is coordinating these efforts? In my opinion, we need only to question how efficient the efforts are and how satisfied people are with the results.

As China shifts from having a planned economy to a market one, volunteerism has become less government directed and more market driven. In other words, it's less mandatory, and more voluntary. In this transitional period, new volunteers like Wenzhang have come to play an important role.

Wenzhang said that before he worked in the United Nations program, he understood volunteerism to be individuals directly helping each other. His experience working with other volunteers from overseas led him to realize that well-organized, institutionalized, professional volunteerism can benefit more people in a more efficient way than the disparate efforts of individuals working alone. Wenzhang learnt so much from his colleagues from the UNV programme, he decided to invest what he learned into helping develop professionalized volunteering in China.

Guo Jiawenzhang (left 1) works as UN volunteer in 2017. [File photo provided to China Plus]

When he was writing his part of State of the World's Volunteerism Report, Wenzhang went on field trips to extensively research two successful programs, one in Beijing city and another in the city's rural surrounds. In both cases, he tried to show how people worked together to help themselves. Both of these projects were supported by the local government, a point I raise not out of criticism, but rather to highlight that government has a role to play in helping to raise awareness of issues and to build local capacity in the community to address them. The two cases that Wenzhang wrote about in the report are good examples of how people in China are gradually shifting from government-sponsored public service to community-based volunteerism. Wenzhang hopes these two examples will serve as models for other communities to follow.

China is in the midst of its journey towards developing a comprehensive social security system. Building a modern volunteering system is part of this effort. The road ahead is a bumpy one, as some Chinese people still hold onto their old way of thinking that volunteers should not be paid at all, and that volunteering jobs are not serious jobs... While monetary reward is not the principal motivation of volunteers, organizations have costs to cover. And that includes the cost of supporting professional volunteers like Wenzhang.

Even though he now works for a leading consulting company, Wenzhang still sees volunteerism as his life-long commitment. He said that one day he would like to return to study, and again work for the United Nations in either a volunteer or non-volunteer capacity, because helping others is what makes him feel happy and fulfilled.

When I asked if he has plans for the future other than work and study, he hesitated for a moment, and then said he would like to get married. But, he added, his future bride would need to support his commitment to volunteering. This made me laugh, and I blurted out "What a boring person you are!" He started laughing and without missing a beat said, "Yes, I am boring." As I sat with this bright and good humoured young man, I hoped that as he pursued the "Lei Feng Spirit" that he would always find fun in his life.