Lai Ning

Lai Ning (; 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. 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. Lai was eventually overcome by the flames and killed in the fire.

Legacy Lai Ning was later declared a "revolutionary martyr" by the Chinese government for his role in combating the wildfire to protect his town. 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Lai Ning was sometimes poorly received within China, and some teachers believed that the calls for emulation were outdated tactics from the Cultural Revolution era.