SHENYANG, March 4(Xinhuanet)-- The Memorial Hall of Lei Feng, a former People's Liberation Army(PLA) soldier and an iconic symbol of altruism, has hosted 47 million visitors since its establishment 40 years ago.

The hall covers close to 100,000 square meters and has an exhibition area of 4,480 square meters, said Zhang Shufen, curatorof the Lei Feng Memorial Hall based in Fushun in northeast China'sLiaoning Province.

Exhibits at the memorial hall are of more than 520 items of LeiFeng's relics, photos and documents as well as manuscripts dedicated to Lei Feng by the Communist Party of China and government leaders of China including late Chairman Mao Zedong.

A truck driver with the PLA's Shenyang Military Area Command stationed in Liaoning Province, Lei Feng took great pleasure in helping others and doing good deeds for society. After his tragic death at the age of 22 in an accident in 1962, he was held up as amodel of the new socialist man, and publicity about his life and contributions was spread throughout the country.

In 1963, Mao Zedong instructed the country to"Learn From Comrade Lei Feng." Since then, March 5 has been designated"Learn from Lei Feng Day." Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, the top Chineseleaders after Mao, wrote similar instructions in the 1980s and 1990s.

An exhibition titled"The Everlasting Spirit of Lei Feng" has toured the country in recent years and"is welcomed by people fromall walks of life including foreigners," said Zhang Shufen.

The Lei Feng Memorial Hall was opened to visitors in 1965. It was expanded in 1969, 1992 and 2002 at a cost of 75 million yuan(9.06 million US dollars).