Hong Zhanhui has not given money to charity, donated blood or spent his spare time caring for terminally ill people but he is no less heroic in an age when too many young people devote their lives to the pursuit of material pleasures.

The odyssey he embarked upon could not be imagined by many young people of the 1980s generation — those who bathe in the lavish love showered on them by their doting parents and who know nothing beyond the enjoyment of good food and living a life of luxury.

Hong Zhanhui has had to take care of a broken family since he was 12. In him we find a spirit so different from that of the "little emperors" of the 1980s generation who take more than they give.

Indeed, the 1980s generation has been described in the media as "decadent" with many of its members addicted to online games or hooked on luxuries that are often beyond their means.

Hong's prominence in the media toward the end of the year is a ray of hope that not all members of that generation are helplessly hedonistic.

In fact, there must be many young people like Hong who have to do more than fair share of labor at such a young age.

Hong has not done anything that sounds really outstanding but it is precisely in the nature of his daily chores that we see a spirit that is so ready to give, a spirit that is lacking in many younger people.

Born in 1982 into a rural family in Henan Province, Hong lived a normal life with his parents, a younger brother and a little sister until 1994. That was the year Hong's father became mentally ill and when he accidentally killed Hong's little sister.

Shortly after, his father found an abandoned baby girl in a nearby village and he brought her home. The family named the baby "Little Girl" and kept her with them after they found there was nowhere to send her back.

The mental illness of Hong's father's grew worse and he would assault people in the village. Hong's mother decided she could no longer stand the pressure or the domestic violence and she left home followed by Hong's brother.

Though only a teenager, Hong became the bread winner for the remaining family, his father and "Little Girl."

To pay for the family's living expenses, his tuition fees and his father's medication, Hong worked as a peasant, a laborer on construction sites, a waiter, a vendor and a bookseller.

His career as a bookseller began in senior high school when he would walk more than two hours to a wholesaler to get books. His "business" was good as many of his schoolmates bought their books from him. That made a nearby book store owner envious and he beat Hong so severely that one of his eyes was damaged. Hong abandoned bookselling for fear of further beatings.

Hong also sold stationery at school and a teacher who did not know his situation once accused him of being too money-conscious.

Most students regard study as their top priority at school but for Hong, the pleasure of learning was a luxury. He had to make money first to support his family.

Hong once had to drop out of school when his father's illness worsened but he never lost the desire to learn. In 2003, he passed the college entrance examination and was admitted by Huaihua University in Hunan Province.

Hong left his hometown and began a new life as a university student majoring in economics and management science.

However, he could not feel at ease while at his studies because of "Little Girl" who was now of primary school age.

Although they were not blood relations, "Little Girl" thought of Hong as her real brother.

Actually, Hong was more like a father to her. When "Little Girl" was a baby and cried on cold winter nights, it was Hong who got up to cradle her until she fell asleep.

When "Little Girl" needed milk, Hong searched the village for women who were willing to breast-feed her.

Being too poor to be able to afford to buy "Little Girl" nutritious food, Hong climbed trees to pick bird eggs from nests to made soup for her.

After the media reported Hong's story and the central government called on the nation to follow his example — his optimism, altruism and filial piety — many people were ready to help him financially.

Hong refused to accept any donations.

"Some media reports about us painted a very miserable picture but I do not think so. Most of the time I feel positive and hopeful," Hong said. "To live is my biggest happiness."

Some reports said Hong had made a fortune of 100,000 yuan (US$12,345) in the past seven years by running small business ventures on the side while studying.

If this is true, it only shows his talent for business. It by no means downgrades his merit of being a responsible person ready to share and give.

Hong did not boast or show pride about what he had done but what he said should make many of his peers blush.

When the hopes of many born in the 1980s are to buy the latest model mobile phone or to get great marks in examinations or to find a beautiful girlfriend or handsome boyfriend, Hong has given people the hope to live on.

At a time when many people are indifferent to the fate of others and are too mean to share and give love, Hong is a hero.