BEIJING -- China awarded 50 youngsters Friday evening for their bravery in the rescue after the May 12 earthquake that jolted the southwestern Sichuan Province.

Li Changchun, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the ceremony and conferred awards to the young ethic models chosen by more than 50 million votes via telephone calls, fax and E-mails since the nationwide selection campaign was launched on June 6.

Lin Hao

At the ceremony, Li Changchun said the heroic and touching deeds of these children have provided "vivid" models for ethic education and values shaping in the country.

As part of the award, four senior high school graduates were enrolled by higher learning institutions without taking entrance examinations, including the prestigious Beijing University and Qinghua University.

The Ministry of Education publicized a circular on Friday to schools nationwide, calling on all students to learn from the 50 models.