Lai Ning

{{Infobox person

| name = Lai Ning

| native_name = 赖宁

| image = Lai_Ning_赖宁.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1973|10|20}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1988|03|13|1973|10|20}}

| death_place = Shimian County, Ya'an, Sichuan, China

| nationality = Chinese

| other_names =

| occupation =

| years_active =

| known_for = Death while fighting a forest fire

}}

File:八十年代少年英雄赖宁 Lai Ning - panoramio.jpg]]

Lai Ning ({{zh|s=赖宁|p=Lài Níng}}; 20 October 1973 – 13 March 1988) was a Chinese teenager who died fighting a forest fire in Shimian County, Sichuan. Lai Ning's actions were deemed heroic by the Chinese government and Lai has been celebrated as a hero and martyr in contemporary China.

Personal life and death

Lai Ning was a fourteen-year-old schoolboy living in Shimian County where he was regarded as a loner by his classmates. {{cite web|title=Lai Ning|url=https://chineseposters.net/themes/laining.php|website=Chinese Posters|publisher=chineseposters.net|accessdate=11 September 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Kristof|first1=Nicholas D.|title=Beijing Journal; China's Schoolboy Hero: Lesson Is Lost on Many|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/02/world/beijing-journal-china-s-schoolboy-hero-lesson-is-lost-on-many.html?mcubz=1|accessdate=14 September 2017|agency=New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=2 November 1990}} On March 13, 1988, a wildfire was threatening a nearby forest and schoolchildren were mobilized to help fight the fire. Lai voluntarily assisted the firefighting efforts for five hours.{{cite web|title=Lai Ning:a 14-year-old hero|url=http://cpcchina.chinadaily.com.cn/people/2011-08/17/content_13136960.htm|website=CPC Encyclopedia|publisher=China Daily Information Co|accessdate=11 September 2017}} Lai was eventually overcome by the flames and killed in the fire.{{cite web|last1=吕|first1=妍|title=赖宁奋不顾身扑山火|url=http://ethic.dbw.cn/ctjd/80200412220261.htm|website=东北邮局|publisher=省社会科学院|accessdate=11 September 2017|date=22 December 2004|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803090745/http://ethic.dbw.cn/ctjd/80200412220261.htm|archivedate=3 August 2012}}

Legacy

Lai Ning was later declared a "revolutionary martyr" by the Chinese government for his role in combating the wildfire to protect his town. Over the next year, his story was used increasingly in Chinese propaganda as a model of courage and duty for Chinese youth. This was especially important in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests when the Chinese government hoped to gain support from Chinese teenagers and promote an alternative example of youth in China. Deng Yingchao declared that "only by plunging into studies of Lai Ning can you become the sound new masters of your country in the 21st century" in the People's Daily.

Since that time, Lai Ning has been commemorated with posters in school classrooms and statues in town squares. In the 1990s, Lai's story was taught in Chinese textbooks to teach students about the importance of protecting Chinese society.{{cite web|last1=李|first1=朝全|title=赖宁这个精神符号过时了吗|url=http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2012-06/11/nw.D110000zgqnb_20120611_1-02.htm|website=中国青年报|publisher=China Youth Daily|accessdate=11 September 2017|date=11 June 2012}} The propaganda surrounding Lai Ning was sometimes poorly received within China, and some teachers believed that the calls for emulation were outdated tactics from the Cultural Revolution era.

A miniseries depicting Lai Ning's life was aired in the years following his death and a film was released in 1993.{{cite web|title=赖宁 (1993)|url=https://movie.douban.com/subject/4742399/|website=豆瓣电影|publisher=douban.com|accessdate=14 September 2017}}

Lai Ning

Personal life and death

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading