Don't mess with the freshmen

It's mandatory for all freshmen here in china to undergo three weeks of military training before they start classes. Actually, I've been told that even throughout high school students had to do military training every now and then. However, the three weeks they received at the beginning of uni would be the longest and last stint required of them.

I don't exactly know the purpose for all of it, but I can safely say 3 weeks is not enough time to make a lean mean killing machine out of anyone, especially for a bunch of girls who don't even come up to my neck line. So you can be rest assured we aren't about to be invaded by millions of midget soldiers sporting horn rimmed glasses. No, i think it's more got to do with instilling values such as discipline and obedience in them. I was going to type 'co-operation', something which most of them probably lack as they mostly come from single child homes, but then i can't remember see them practicing any sort of co-op activities.

So from weeks 3 to 5 of the semester, all basketball courts, sporting fields, and even some side roads in the campus are all commandeered by the freshmen soldiers and their trainers. (I'm not sure if the trainers chose this as their specialty in the armed forces, or if this is some sort of cruel punishment after being court-marshalled!)

Every time I have walked past one of these sights I have been greeted with one of several sights.

1) Everyone standing very still in their formations
2) Everyone kneeling very still in their formations
3) Marching around shouting 1.....2.......3.......4 after their trainers (in chinese)




and the military training times coincide with the class period times, so I guess these could be considered as subjects - Standing101, Kneeling101, and Marching101. haha

towards the end of their training stint they get taught some sort of self defence manouvers, and I also heard they get firearms training, off campus of course. Apparently not all uni's get this, and it's the first time it's been introduced this year. It's somewhat disconcerting to know that if i teach some of these 5 foot girls next semester they all know how to headshot me, or where to aim to cause maximum writhing pain. Or if I was to try and flunk one I'd wake up to find a gun barrel in my mouth. Lovely.

I also find it ironic that while america has a phenomenon of high school and college shootings, china is teaching its students how to maximize kill rates.

I must admit that after 3 weeks of training they do look impressive as an organized unit, marching in unison and shouting to 4 in unison. I can even hear it from my dorm room far away. After training is dismissed each day though you then see the young boys and girls limping and straggling back to their dorms, reliefs unzipped trying to cool down. it's quite a contrast!

At the end of the 3 weeks they also have a sort of parade, with a welcome and congratulation speach from the military brass and dean of the school. Not like one of those proper parades though, with nuclear missiles and tanks filling past the VIP stand. I managed to catch the last few moments of one. Everyone threw up their hats after the speaches were done, like it was graduation.....errrm, except they hadn't even started classes yet!