By Wang yang, Tian Guosong and He Wutao
“I used to be an Internet addict, obsessed with online games like the Honor of Kings, and that made my parents and teachers not know what to do with me. The experience in the military changed my life. During the two years’ service in the PLA Hong Kong Garrison, I finally realized the life I want to live. The experience in the military is a great honor for my life.”
On December 22, 2020, Sun Yuzhong, as a representative of decommissioned college soldier, shared his story at the Hubei University of Technology, as part of the campus recruitment campaign in China’s Hubei province, which was live-streamed to 129 colleges and universities across the province.
“Honor” is the theme of the campaign. “It’s an honor to join the military” is a slogan known to everyone, but also a vague concept for many college students, said a leader of the Hubei Provincial Military Command. Out of such considerations, the organizers decided to answer the question “what kind of youth is worthy of true glory” from the perspective of college soldiers.
Kong Lingxiang, a soldier assigned to a pontoon-bridge brigade under the PLA Central Theater Command, illustrated his understanding of honor with two regretless choices.
In 2017, when Kong graduated from a prestigious university with two degrees in management and law and passed the civil servant exam, he decided to join the military and became the oldest recruit in his unit.
Then, when his term as a compulsory serviceman was about to end, Kong could have chosen to leave and become a permanent resident in Beijing. However, he decided to stay in the military.
Many people didn’t understand his choice. At the campaign event, Kong Lingxiang explained, “The greatest honor in life isn’t a decent job or a comfortable life. It is the maximization of life values, and, for me, the military is the best place to realize that.”
Also standing on the stage were Li Ruohan from the Hubei University of Technology and Chen Yi from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. They shared their understanding of honor with their personal experience.
The stories of these college soldiers inspired the audience. Zhang Yu, a fresh graduate at the Hubei University of Technology, said that “after hearing their stories, I’m more determined to temper myself in the military.”
The first campus recruitment campaign for 2021 in Hubei province has made “honor” a hotly discussed topic among young people. It is learned that nearly 10,000 college students have participated in the physical examination for recruitment in the province so far.
