On April 28, a ceremony to celebrate the 2026 International Workers' Day and honor exemplary individual workers, collectives or companies was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Dong Xulei, a faculty member at Beihang University, was honored with the prestigious National May 1 Labor Medal.

Dong Xulei is a lecturer at the Department of Sports, Beihang University. He is a certified athletic master, a national first-level swimming referee, a national modern pentathlon referee, and holds certifications as a senior swimming lifeguard and social sports instructor. He also serves as a trainer and assessor for swimming social sports instructors, as well as an assessor for swimming lifeguards. At Beihang, Dong primarily teaches swimming courses, swimming clubs, water rescue, graduate swimming, and fitness classes, accumulating over 450 teaching hours annually.

As the head coach of the Beihang Swimming Team, Dong has led the team to more than ten championships in national and Beijing university swimming competitions, earning multiple "Excellent Coach" awards. He has organized on-campus swimming competitions for faculty and students, with cumulative participation exceeding 1,500. As a principal investigator, he has secured key university-level teaching reform projects. His "Swimming" course has been recognized as a university-level first-class undergraduate course and has received a Teaching Achievement Award. He has also participated in the ideological education demonstration course for the "Fitness" course and has taught faculty swimming courses through the university's trade union. Since 2025, he has served as President of the university's Faculty Swimming Association.

Dong's exceptional professional achievements include winning the second prize at the 5th Beijing Vocational Skills Competition for the Sports Industry, the third prize at the 5th National Vocational Skills Competition for the Sports Industry, first place at the 6th Beijing Vocational Skills Competition for the Sports Industry, and first place at the 2024 National Vocational Skills Competition for the Sports Industry.

The National May 1 Labor Medal, established by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, is conferred upon exemplary collectives and workers who have made outstanding contributions to China's economic, political, cultural, social, ecological civilization construction, as well as Party building. The award seeks to promote the spirit of model workers, the value of labor, and the pursuit of craftsmanship, inspiring workers at all levels to dedicate themselves to their posts, innovate, strive for excellence, and actively participate in advancing Chinese modernization.

Editor: Lyu Xingyun