Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army Garrison in Hong Kong parade the national flag during an open day at their barracks. (YI DING / FOR CHINA DAILY)
As the city prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland, soldiers from the People's Liberation Army are winning hearts and minds. Jiang Chenglong reports.
"Standing here in Hong Kong, we are representing the People's Liberation Army," said Wang Jinyu, a female soldier from an armored infantry company at the PLA's Hong Kong Garrison.
In the decades since the city returned to Chinese rule, the strong sense of mission and responsibility of tens of thousands of soldiers like Wang Jinyu, a female soldier from an armored infantry company at the PLA's Hong Kong Garrison, has made the garrison a symbol of a mighty and civilized force in the minds of the people living in the famous international hub
In the decades since the city returned to Chinese rule, the strong sense of mission and responsibility of tens of thousands of soldiers like Wang has made the garrison a symbol of a mighty and civilized force in the minds of the people living in the famous international hub.
"The training regime in the honor guard is quite tough, but all of us insisted on doing it," said Wang, a team leader in the company's Women's Honor Guard, which usually stands in the front row during major events such as military parades and flag-raising ceremonies.
However, one of the most memorable ceremonies the Women's Honor Guard has attended did not take place in military surroundings but at a school, when they raised the national flag at the Heung To Middle School on July 1 last year to mark the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
The day before the ceremony, soldiers from the honor guard visited the school and checked the flagpole, only to find that its height was just half that of the one in their camp.
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That meant they were highly unlikely to raise the flag to the top in exactly 46 seconds－the duration of the national anthem－which was the time the soldiers always used to practice hoisting the flag.
With less than a day to go, the soldiers rushed back to their camp and immediately started practicing raising the flag to the new required height. Under the dark sky and bright stars, right through until sunrise, they practiced the drills, which greatly boosted their confidence that all would go perfectly.
As a result, on the 24th birthday of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the team raised the flag, reaching the top of the pole at the precise moment the national anthem ended.
After the ceremony, the local people flocked to take photos of themselves with the flag raisers, who stood at attention in the hot sun, their faces covered in sweat.
Suddenly, a girl with a tissue in her hand walked out of the crowd and said to one of the soldiers: "You worked hard today, my sister. Let me wipe away the perspiration for you!"
Yang Yifan, a platoon leader with the honor guard, said: "At that moment, our whole world lit up. All our efforts had paid off."
The soldiers take part in an exercise to learn how to board a new type of infantry vehicle. (CHEN JIE/FOR CHINA DAILY)
Meeting the people
To provide a channel for communication between Hong Kong residents and the military, the garrison's soldiers can not only be seen outside of the camp, but they have also opened their home to teenagers in the city.
To provide a channel for communication between Hong Kong residents and the military, the garrison's soldiers can not only be seen outside of the camp, but they have also opened their home to teenagers in the city
Since 1997, the armored infantry company has held dozens of military summer camps for Hong Kong's younger generation, where visitors can sample a range of training activities including marching, laser shooting simulations and military-style boxing.
The teenagers can even board armored vehicles and warships to experience anti-terrorism drills and other training routines. When the summer camps conclude, the teenagers put away the military uniforms they have worn during the activities and leave plenty of postcards bearing their best wishes.
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Nowadays, the summer camps attract thousands of applications from Hong Kong's teenagers every year, according to the company.
The soldiers have also thrown themselves into promoting communications between the people and the military through voluntary blood donations and tree-planting activities, and by helping respond to emergencies when necessary, Fan Jingsen, the company commander, said.
In autumn 2018, the company was urgently mobilized to clear mountain roads that were blocked by broken trees and small landslides after Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong heavily.
A group of soldiers chat during a rest period. (YANG SHUAI / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Combat skills
Guarding the international hub－one of the garrison's top missions－requires solid combat skills. However, it's hard to imagine how tough the company's training can be, according to the soldiers, who have an average age of 23.
Guarding the international hub－one of the garrison's top missions－requires solid combat skills. However, it's hard to imagine how tough the company's training can be, according to the soldiers, who have an average age of 23
You Qiaoran is just 20 years old, but she has already been acclaimed as the "king of the sniper rifle" in the company after winning the brigade's sniper contest last year.
She was an underdog when she offered to take part in the contest because she was the most junior candidate and the only female honor guard.
She understood that only hard work would make her stronger, so she spared no efforts to boost her upper body strength by working out frequently in the gym. She also improved her concentration by repeatedly practicing her aiming skills, and she extended the length of time she could hold the gun steady, from three minutes to an hour, by training every day for weeks.
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Practice made perfect. During the contest, she quickly lay down and noted the wind speed, humidity and temperature. After adjusting the angle of her shot and taking a deep breath, You pulled the trigger and hit all the targets accurately.
Finally, the young soldier finished by shooting over distances of 100 meters, 200 meters and 300 meters with three different types of gun, finishing earlier than the other competitors. Her excellent score saw her crowned "king of the sniper rifle".
"Our company already has the spirit and glory of pursuing excellence, daring to fight and definitely winning," You said in a speech to her comrades. She also referred to Li Erxi, a Chinese hero who at just 18 years of age killed a Japanese lieutenant general by firing a fatal mortar round in the 1939 Battle of Huangtuling Mountain during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
A girl wipes perspiration from the face of an honor guard soldier during an open day. (SHEN GUANG / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Equipment upgrades
In addition to shooting, driving armored cars is one of the most important skills members of the armored infantry have to master.
Yu Chenxi, a soldier with the company, and her teammates practiced turning the steering wheel on a simulator. Meanwhile, to improve their physical strength, they overturned a 250-kilogram tire no fewer than 20 times a day for weeks.
In the tests that followed, armored fighting vehicles driven by the company's soldiers easily passed through various obstacles.
As military technology has developed rapidly over the years, the company's equipment has been upgraded. However, the problem the soldiers face is how to familiarize themselves with the advanced equipment as quickly as possible.
In December, the company was equipped with a new type of infantry combat vehicle. Sitting inside the vehicles and touching the brand-new dashboards, the soldiers said they were overwhelmed with joy and excitement
In December, the company was equipped with a new type of infantry combat vehicle. Sitting inside the vehicles and touching the brand-new dashboards, the soldiers said they were overwhelmed with joy and excitement.
However, they discovered that the new vehicles were half a meter longer than their previous armored cars and only a meter narrower than some of Hong Kong's roads, which meant the soldiers' previous driving experience was not applicable to the new batch of modern conveyances.
"We must gain the skills to master this equipment as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we'll be left behind," Fan, the company commander, said.
The whole company quickly began practicing driving the new vehicles on sections of the city's roads that have large roundabouts, sharp bends and ramps.
Liu Jun, a soldier in the company, said, "It's quite nerve-racking to drive through the constricted parts, especially when the narrowest road is only 6 centimeters wider than the vehicle."
In addition, to gain the requisite operating skills, the soldiers spared no efforts to consult the manufacturers and other companies in the garrison for advice and guidance.
Within two months, they had not only compiled more than 100 tips and produced three procedural guidebooks, but also devised some extra equipment designed to improve stability while the guns are in operation.
In a test of the garrison's skills in April, the company produced an excellent performance in a range of subjects, including network communications, collection of intelligence and emergency response.
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For regular training, the company's soldiers perform a series of drills every week, including the motorization march, command and communication drills, and emergency response, which ensures that they remain highly alert constantly. What's more, the company sets mock fields for the drills in accordance with the likely battleground to strengthen the soldiers' combat abilities.
In the past nearly five years, 38 soldiers have been awarded the title of "Outstanding Warrior" of the company or the garrison. Meanwhile, since the garrison arrived in Hong Kong in 1997, the company has been recognized as an advanced grouping 18 times and as a first-class unit for military exercises 11 times.
"We have earned the trust of Hong Kong residents with our strong, civilized image, good faith and sincere efforts," Fan, the company commander, said.
The Hong Kong guards march during an exercise. (YI DING / FOR CHINA DAILY)
The troops practice advancing during a training drill. (CHEN JIE / FOR CHINA DAILY)