a call to duty

1、<p>　　A Call to Duty</p><p>　　THE pageantry of the PRC’s 60th anniversary military parade celebrating National Day stirred the hearts of the nation. It reinforced a sense of patriotism and pride and bro

2、ught about a surge in army enlistments. </p><p>　　Finding Honor in Service </p><p>　　The men and women who have served in the nation’s military have always held a place of honor and enjoyed an e

3、levated social status since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. </p><p>　　“Servicemen were highly admired in the 1950s,” remarks Cheng Yanming, a 75-year-old veteran. After graduating from high s

4、chool in 1956, Cheng signed up for the examination of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Institute of Surveying and Mapping. Subsequently, he spent 38 years in the army and “never felt any regret” over his choice. </p

5、><p>　　Many women consider marrying a serviceman to be an ideal choice. The Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily found that 20.5 percent of women are in favor of choosing servicemen for husbands, just behi

6、nd men with careers in IT (45.1 percent), public service (37.9 percent), medical profession (35.6 percent) and legal profession (29.5 percent). </p><p>　　Particularly following the 2009 National Day military

7、 parade, there is greater prestige associated with solidering among the nation’s youth. Liu Guixia, a female student in the Tsinghua University School of Law, applied for the army almost immediately after graduation. “Th

8、e country’s 60th anniversary grand military parade had a big effect on me; I couldn’t wait to become a bright and brave soldier,” Liu says excitedly. </p><p>　　In the past, women could be admitted into the a

9、rmy only on the recommendation of their school, or work unit, or place of residence. Since 2009, recruitment of female soldiers has been open to the public. To encourage university graduates to join the army, the age lim

10、it has been extended to 24 for women holding a bachelor’s degree. </p><p>　　Recruiting on the Nation’s Campuses </p><p>　　On November 1, 2009 over 3,000 young people in Chengdu, capital city of

11、Sichuan Province, signed up to join the army. Forty percent of them had at least a junior college level education or above. Du Kun, an 18-year-old freshman from Sichuan Normal University, expressed his long held wish to

12、become a solider. He plans to return to his school and complete his studies following his two-year compulsory military service. Officially, military service in China is compulsory for all men who attain the a</p>

13、<p>　　In 2009, the country enlisted more graduates from senior high schools and universities than ever before. With the aim of improving the quality of recruits, applicants with a higher educational background are g

14、iven priority in enrollment. A total of 130,000 university graduates in the country were recruited in 2009, as compared with 39,000 in 2008. The figure stood at only 1,000 in 2001, the first year servicemen were recruite

15、d on campus. </p><p>　　Yao Tianli now holds an administrative position in the Fuzhou-based naval division in Fujian Province. After graduating from the Beijing University of Technology, Yao chose not to look

16、 for a job and settle down in Beijing like his counterparts, but instead became the only graduate of his university to join the army. “As far back as my graduation from high school, I desired to enter a military college,

17、 but I was unable to at that time. My dream has finally come true.” Yao Tianli continues proudly</p><p>　　New governmental policies have been created to attract the nation’s brightest into the service. To un

18、iversity students who perform a two-year compulsory military service, the government offers tuition reimbursement packages, along with student loans of up to RMB 6,000 per year. In Beijing, the annual subsidy for service

19、men has been raised from RMB 10,000 to 15,000. Apart from financial support, college students enjoy additional benefits from those extended to the rank and file, like accelerated </p><p>　　Not Just a Job <

20、;/p><p>　　As a staff member at the military drafting center in Junan County, Shandong Province, Wang Changyun witnessed a boom in enlistments in the last two decades of the 20th century. </p><p>　　

21、In his county, most of the applicants were from rural villages. Wang remembers that in the 1980s, a child joining the army was considered a great honor for the family. “At that time, young men from the countryside were r

22、arely able to enter universities. Therefore, serving in the army was the ideal way to make a better life in an urban area. Besides, servicemen were always placed in good jobs after they retired from the army.” Wang himse

23、lf was transferred to a position in the county government af</p><p>　　However, as China’s economy developed quickly at the end of the 1990’s, rural youth found themselves exposed to alternative opportunities

24、 for a better life. Apart from a greater access to higher education, large numbers of villagers began flocking to big cities to take work in areas of demand. Meanwhile, the chances of getting a job with a government depa

25、rtment became slimmer, making joining the army less attractive to young people. </p><p>　　“But the situation has changed since then,” says Wang Changyun. “Soldiers have been enjoying much higher salaries in

26、recent years. In some places, incomes for servicemen can be higher than their civilian peers.” </p><p>　　For parents, however, their children’s military experience means much more than basic monetary rewards

27、. </p><p>　　Mrs. Sun, a resident of Beijing, sent her only son off to Inner Mongolia for his military service in 2005. “He was always hanging around with the wrong kind of people after his graduation from hi

28、gh school. I was so worried about his future during that period.” To Sun’s delight, after returning from his three years’ service, her son had become thoughtful and sensible. “Now he has found a decent job and is living

29、a peaceful life.” </p><p>　　Recent graduate Liu Jingsheng from Beijing University of Science and Technology, along with dozens of his schoolmates, sent in their applications to join the military last month.

30、Liu’s father, a veteran,often fondly recounts stories of his military days to his son. The father believes that young people today lack the strength and toughness that his generation possesses both physically and mentall