China's young basketball star Yao Ming, who plays for Houston Rockets in the NBA league of the United States, was nominated a few days ago as a candidate for the "National Model Worker" award, the top honor for China's labor class, along with 2,976 other candidates.

Despite the fact that Yao has won twice the "model worker" award in his native city of Shanghai in east China, his nomination in the nationwide selection was widely challenged by the Chinese public, mainly for his unusual background -- a millionaire living in the celebrity world of the United States.

The nationwide selection of the model workers, conducted by theState Council, the Chinese cabinet, has been held since 1950, and once every five years since 1989. It was intended to pick out exemplary figures from the country's huge working population of about 750 million to inspire public morale for the socialist construction.

Celebrations of model workers traditionally depict the like of toilet cleaners, bus conductors, plumbers and scientists with outstanding accomplishments.

"According to the past criteria, the title of 'model worker' should only be given to ordinary laborers," said Zhou Xiaozheng, asociology professor in the Beijing-based China Renmin University. "Sports stars, whose outstanding achievements not only come from their own hard work, but also rely heavily on their innate sports talent, are not the perfect models for the public."

However, Yu Hai, a sociology professor with the Shanghai-based Fudan University, argued that "Yao's work in NBA has benefited notonly himself, but also his country."

"Yao answers the call of his motherland whenever he is needed, for example, at the Athens Olympic Games. He has inspired China's national basketball team with his exclusive skills and experience acquired in the NBA matches to achieve a historic breakthrough," Yu added.

One main reason given for Yao's nomination by the Shanghai Municipal Judging Panel for Model Workers was that Yao, as the most prestigious Chinese basketball player in the world today, hadacted as "a perfect image ambassador for China in the eyes of the world" and had helped promote the sports development in China.

Another reason was that Yao had repeatedly showed his patriotism as he "always put his country's interest above any personal concerns".

"We believe that anyone who has made outstanding contributions to the society, whatever field he or she is specialized in, is entitled to be a 'model worker'," said Yin Weimin, vice director of the Judging Panel for National Model and Advanced Workers underthe State Council.

Zhang Mingji, Yao Ming's agent, said that Yao himself took the honor very seriously. "Yao believes that winning the award is a recognition by his motherland of his hard work, no matter at home or abroad," explained Zhang.

It is the first time that China has released nationwide the namelist of candidates for this year's "Model and Advanced Worker"award for public comments and supervision. Earlier, the unprecedented inclusion of more than 30 private entrepreneurs in the list also triggered debates on whether business owners are eligible for an honor supposed to be "reserved for the working class".

The winners of this year's award will be announced on April 30 in Beijing, while insiders believe that Yao's entry is almost out of question.

Source: Xinhua