BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "concrete actions" by the country's volunteers in learning from the spirit of Lei Feng, the nation's most famous Good Samaritan.

Xi made the call in a reply to a letter from a volunteer group named after Guo Mingyi, a 55-year-old Chinese mine worker, who was honored as a man of great ethics and awarded the title "Contemporary Lei Feng" by central authorities for selflessly helping the needy.

Xi encouraged the members of the group to "practice the socialist core values" and "write new stories pertinent to Lei's spirit with concrete actions."

"Everyone can learn from Lei's spirit, and people can show their concern and love everywhere," Xi said in the reply.

The President called on people to lend a helping hand and do their part for the needy, saying it would help to "make society better."

China's working class should serve as an example for society in "learning from Lei Feng" and "fostering a healthy ethos" so as to allow Lei's spirit to prevail in the country, he said.

Xi also expressed respect to volunteers and people nationwide ahead of "Lei Feng's Day," which falls on March 5.

Lei, a young Chinese soldier in the 1960s, is known for devoting almost all of his spare time and money to selflessly helping the needy. He died after being hit by a falling pole while helping a fellow soldier direct a truck on August 15, 1962.

The volunteer group named after Guo Mingyi has grown from a group of more than 3,000 people when it was set up in 2009 to nearly 20,000 so far.