A newly created Sina Weibo account named "Lei Feng," registered by a PLA squad which for the last 50 years has been tasked with tending to the famous deceased soldier's former bed, has sparked controversy over growing iconoclasm on the Web.

Lei, a PLA solider who died in 1962 at the age of 22, was respected for decades as a role model for his selfless, altruistic attitude, patriotism and modesty. Photos of him mending a pair of tattered socks and helping an old woman home, among other photos, have been posted in publications for years.

Still, the account has received attacks from many microbloggers who have accused the squad of promoting formalism and posting false propaganda.

"The public is no longer so easily cheated," posted one microblogger named Tan Xiansheng.

History questioned

The position of Lei as a role model was unquestioned, until recent years, when it was revealed that some of the photos of Lei were propaganda shots taken in the early 1960s.

 They pointed out how contradictory it was that although Lei was known for his frugality, he posed for hundreds of expensive portraits.

He Zhaohai, 62, an administrator at a Lei Feng exhibition hall, said that the packaging of Lei in those days is understandable.

"To help teach the society of Lei's story, it was necessary for some photos to be shot as such and then shown to the public," he said. "I don't think Lei's spirit will ever be outdated, so long as corrupt officials are willing to learn something from him."

The questioning of many household heroes established in the old times seems to be growing.

For example, Web users have challenged the genuineness of the actions of Huang Jiguang, a hero who is officially said to have sacrificed himself by jumping in front of a machine-gun in order to save his fellow soldiers during the Korean War (1950-53).

They argue that the information is untrue because technically, a strafing machine gun was powerful enough to throw their target backwards, making it impossible for one man to block.

The story of Dong Cunrui, who gave his own life to detonate explosives under an enemy bunker during the War of Liberation (1945-49), has also been doubted.

Web users have even claimed that the story of Lai Ning, a 14-year-old student who lost his life while helping to fight a forest fire in Shimian, Sichuan Province in 1988, is exaggerated, and that he, in fact, was just lost in the forest when the blaze erupted.

A national campaign encouraging kids to learn from Lai's courageous actions was launched in 1989, but was halted in 2004 when it was decided that students should not be encouraged to overreach their own limitations in the face of such danger.

Wang Hongcai, an education professor at Xiamen University, said that people these days do not appreciate blind heroism, and are becoming more rational in their thinking.

"To some extent, such controversy embodies the advancement of society," said Wang, and some events in the modern era have echoed his opinion.

Sun Zhen, a traffic officer in Shenzhen during the Universiade 2011, chose to finish his shift after learning that his 68-day-old son had passed away due to premature delivery complications.

Sun was later named the top police officer during the Universiade for his actions, but while some people were moved by his story, others criticized him for not being a good father and said he should not have paid such a high price just to complete his work.

Better method, right attitude

"It is understandable to hear different views of these heroes' stories, considering people in different eras have different expectations," said Wang.

Wang explained that the public's opposing opinions of heroes can be attributed to the government's methods for establishing iconic models in the past.

"The nation needed to package a model for a sensational effect, but now people would not accept such a method," he said.

Though there is reason for iconoclasts to oppose the packaged hero image, Wang said that this negative attitude towards heroes of the past in society, which doubts the existence of people willing to help others without reward, is also wrong.

"We should never promote indifference toward others. Any of those passers-by who witnessed the Yueyue hit-and-run accident and did not lend a hand should feel guilty," he said.

Camera footage showed Yueyue, a 2-year-old girl, was ignored by 18 passersby after being hit by a car in Foshan, Guangdong Province last year. The girl eventually died.

Zhou Xiaozheng, a professor of sociology at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that what the public is most concerned about is serious official corruption that has gradually gnawed away at people's trust in the government.

"If the upper levels of society do not learn from Lei and become good examples to follow, how are the regular people supposed to be willing to?" Zhou said.

The government is left with a dilemma, as many believe that loving the country is not the same as loving the government, he said, adding that any society needs heroes because positive images give them hope.

"I don't, however, think it's necessary for the authorities to push a hero's image to the public," he said. "People have their own opinions and can discover real heroes by themselves."

Judging from a website that was built to commemorate Lai Ning, the Global Times found that Lai has not been forgotten by all. There are still many visitors who log on to present bouquets or wreaths in his memory.

"Though the past method of propagandizing was not proper, it doesn't mean there is nothing to learn from these heroes," said Wang.

"We should gradually withdraw from the use of this method while maintaining the spirit of the heroes. Without their dedication, our country would not exist," he said.

Liu Tingting contributed to this story