By Yang Tianhao, Xiao Juanjuan, Zhang Ke and Wu Haiyan
On the morning of July 1, 2021, a grand ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Department of International Training (DIT) of the Army Engineering University of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invited junior and senior foreign cadets majoring in communications engineering to watch the live telecast of the ceremony. Some foreign cadets expressed their excitement about witnessing this historical moment and shared their feelings about the glorious journey the CPC has traveled over the past 100 years.
Military aircraft fly in echelons ahead of a grand gathering celebrating the Communist Party of China (CPC) centenary in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)
‘The Chinese Uniformity’ Based on ‘Training’
“The picture of helicopters and fighters flying neatly across the sky forming numbers 100 and 71 is very shocking! This requires the pilots’ superb skills and sustained training, which is an embodiment of the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army,” said Javier, a cadet from the Republic Equatorial Guinea.
“I was impressed by the scene of the Guard of Honor of the PLA escorting China’s national flag. The 222-member phalanx marched uniformly, and the movements of gunners in the gun salute unit were uniform too. This should be what soldiers look like,” Malian student Semega said. “Neatness and uniformity of the team indicates their hard work and persistence, they must have practiced many times. Just as a Chinese proverb says, ‘One minute on the stage needs ten years’ practice off stage,’ this is not easy. Our student team leaders often remind us to pay attention to our appearance and bearing in daily life, including how to put the hem of clothes, how to tie the belt, and so on. These small matters remind us that we are soldiers.”
Guinean second lieutenant Camara was touched by the part of the youth representatives delivering a congratulatory message at the ceremony, “they are about our age and are all students, but they are very energetic! It shows the can-do spirit of Chinese youth, we can see that they must have rehearsed very attentively, Chinese youth are very confident. And not only the youth, but all the people attending the ceremony agree very much with what President Xi said and keep clapping, so I guess Chinese people are also very confident in their history and culture, and it may be this confidence that has brought them to where they are today. "
