Movie Review--Lei Feng is Gone — John Williams

"Lei Feng is Gone" was the biggest commercial success of all the films released in China in 1997. Work units gave their employees release time to see it. Lei Feng, a 22 year-old soldier, died in a tragic accident in 1963. Lei became a symbol of China's communist spirit when he was anointed a model soldier by Chairman Mao. The movie celebrates the "spirit of Lei Feng."

Viewing the movie at the bimonthly showings of Chinese movies for the international community of Beijing is a bit more complex. The film is in Chinese, with Italian subtitles. In spite of the propagandistic sounding story and the language barrier, I recommend the film.

Qiao Chen was Lei Feng's closest army buddy. Qiao was driving the truck that hit the pole that fell and struck Lei, resulting in the model soldier's death. Qiao is accused of murder by his army superiors. Distraught, Qiao accepts the blame. Accident investigators determine otherwise, and Qiao is excused of liability. Nevertheless, Qiao will spend the rest of his life struggling with his guilt, with the accusations of others, and with maintaining the spirit of Lei Feng in the face of a deteriorating society.

Lei Feng, according to the mythology that developed over the past decades, was truly a model soldier. He was a real person, and was canonized by Chairman Mao. The memory and spirit of Lei Feng faded from public consciousness until the release of the film. However, the movie is really about Qiao Chen, his struggles, and his life.

The story consists of episodes set in 1963 (the death of Lei Feng and the initial struggle of Qiao), 1978 (Qiao as the driver of a commercial bus), 1995 (Qiao as a commercial truck driver), and the present (Qiao and his son as a pair of commercial truck drivers). Driving trucks or buses is Qiao's life. As we know in the United States, a long distant trucker has many opportunities to be a Good Samaritan. Qiao's life is Lei Feng.

Each episode begins with a crisis that revives Qiao's guilt over Lei's death. In the bus sequence of 1978 Qiao's manager taunts him as Lei' murderer. Qiao kicks all the passengers off the bus and drives off. Along his route he picks up all sorts of characters, among them a pickpocket and a carsick lady. The bus is loaded with live pigs, goats, and geese (some great authentic scenes). Panic-stricken villagers stop the bus. A woman is dying. Qiao thinks nothing of turning the bus into an ambulance, careening through the wintry roads of north China. The pickpocket steals an old man's cash. The carsick lady grabs the pickpocket's hat as a carsickness bag. The stolen money falls onto the floor. Qiao saves the pickpocket from lynching, but is stopped at a way station by a bus company representative for stealing the bus. One of the old women on the bus berates the bus company representative and the Qiao gets the very ill villager to the hospital. Qiao finds the perfect punishment for the pickpocket-mopping up the vomit.

The next scene has Qiao speaking before a school auditorium packed with Young Pioneers (the Communist children's organization). As part of his personal repentance, Qiao uses his free time to advocate "the spirit of Lei Feng." In the audience at two important people-a little girl and the owner of the bus company who is ready to have Qiao fired (based on the report of the manager). The villagers proclaiming their gratitude for Qiao's life-saving action interrupt the meeting.

This episode captures the essence of the various segments of the movie. There are conflict, pathos, humor, and resurrection. We watch Qiao get older, meet his wife (who was the young bus ticket taker in 1978), and raise his son (who becomes Qiao's partner-driver in 1998). As the decades roll by, the spirit of Lei Feng wanes. Qiao finds that people belittle both the model soldier and the spirit of selfless service that Lei Feng represents. Even Qiao's son dismisses his father's old-fashion ideals.

At one point, after being falsely accused of running over an old man whom Qiao rescued, Qiao considers suicide. Qiao's most steadfast believer is his wife, who finds the truck driver sitting at Lei Feng's grave monument. So, there is a little bit of a love story.

The story is also an encapsulated history of China, or at least of Chinese truck driving. The last segment, set today, opens with Qiao and his son driving a modern truck on one of China's new freeways. They pass a stranded motorist. Qiao urges his son to stop, and the son dismisses his father with a lecture on the new market economics. So, there is social criticism.

Their load must be delivered into the vast wasteland of western or northwestern China. The father-son pair is accosted by a couple of road-bandits. Dad is driving as the son panics. Qiao yells out that he is from the army unit of Lei Feng and drives underneath a road sign. One bandit is swept from the truck. Qiao slams on the brakes and the second bandit flies over the cab of the truck. The son begins to respect the integrity and courage of his father.

Later, the truck becomes mired in mud. Other trucks drive by and ignore their plight. A farmer with a tractor offers to help for 1000 yuan. Late at night a small van stops. A young woman and her driver survey the stranded truck. The van driver urges the woman, a "President Zhao," to continue her trip. Qiao begins to believe that his son was correct. The spirit of Lei Feng is dead. Lei Feng is gone.

As day breaks, Qiao and his son decide to unload their cargo and attempt to pry the truck out of the mud. As the sun rises above the grasslands, Qiao sees an army of children and teenagers on bicycles pedaling down the dirt road. The hundred or more young people are dressed in matching baseball caps. Older youths carry banners. With little explanation, they throw ropes around the truck and pull it out of the mud.

As Qiao tries to express his thanks, one of the group leaders points to his cap and explains that the purpose of their organization is to help people. Their slogan includes the words "peace" and "love."

The small van arrives and President Zhao steps through the crowd.

"Qiao Chen," she says with confidence, "I know who you are." Zhao was the young girl, twenty years earlier, who was moved by Qiao's defense of the spirit of Lei Feng. This is her organization, dedicated to the spirit of Lei Feng.

The movie closes with overt propaganda-children clapping, banners waving, patriotic music and song blaring. Qiao's son asks for his own baseball cap, signaling that he is convinced--Lei Feng is not gone!

With the exception of the last minute, which was not needed, I recommend the movie (though I urge you to see a version with English subtitles). The acting, especially by the actor of Qiao Chen, is very good. Some of the directing, including camera angles and techniques, are a little odd though they offer an insight in current Chinese filmmaking. Most of the scenes are well constructed. The naturalness of the daily life, especially the cross-country bus, is touching and filled with some humor. The film is populated with a number of well-acted characters.

I don't know if there is a real Qiao Chen. If there is, China should not worry about a myth when they have the real thing.