In a concrete stadium in the north of Beijing, the Economist disclosed in their report that some 2,000 men and women are rehearsing a military tattoo. They march in a circle to music pumped from loudspeakers, while footage of tanks and helicopters plays on a screen above their heads.
As reported, one group armed with rifles heads to the middle of the arena to practise basic drill. But however, after some square-bashing, they lower their barrels and charge, bellowing “kill, kill, kill!’’
The Economist revealed that these are not soldiers but students: teenagers who are about to begin their courses at Tsinghua, one of China’s most prestigious universities. Their rifles are wooden replicas, capped with rubber for safety; their uniforms are ill-fitting.
‘Military training is compulsory for first-year students at all universities in China, as well as for entrants to junior and senior high schools. Courses are usually between 10 days and three weeks long,’ the report described.
“The students at Tsinghua are lucky, for they do most of their training on their own campus. But some universities pack freshers off to grim military camps in the countryside, where they have to stay up all night on sentry duty and endure embarrassing communal showers. Drill takes up much of the timetable. Some students get basic weapons training, but few get to fire more than a couple of shots. Lessons in military strategy and history round off the experience, as do sing-alongs of revolutionary songs,” the Economics elucidated.
“Discipline can prove hard to enforce. This year state-controlled media reported on a punch-up between a student and instructors at a south-western university. There have been several such brawls in recent years. One in 2014 left more than 40 people injured,” the report added.
“But some students eventually grow wistful about their weeks in camouflage—a period when enduring friendships are often forged by having to cope with “crappy things together”, as a recent graduate puts it. That is just as well, because the government is unlikely to scrap the scheme. It is trying to tighten ideological control on campuses in order to curb the spread of liberal values. That fits well with the Chinese army’s mission, which is above all a political one: to keep the Communist Party in power.”
Reporter: Ridwan A Olayiwola
