While compulsory military training has always been a source of complaint amongst Chinese students, dissatisfied voices grew louder this year. A wave of complaints from university students in Beijing about the conditions of their training camp has sparked online discussion about military education at Chinese universities.

Summer is the time when a majority of Chinese universities organize compulsory military education for their new or first-year students. This year, students from Beijing’s Communication University of China (中国传媒大学, CUA) stirred online discussion by their wave of complaints about the unsatisfactory condition of their training camp.

Undergoing military training in the high temperatures of Beijing’s hot summer could hardly be deemed a pleasant experience for any university student, but if issues of gender discrimination and poor living conditions are added to this, things get much more unpleasant. For a group of students from the Communication University of China, this was reason to publish a public letter of complaint on Sina Weibo earlier this month.

The letter, that mentioned disrespect, gender discrimination and poor living conditions in the training camp, soon went viral amongst CUA students and became trending on Weibo. The topic #CUA military education (#中国传媒大学军训) was viewed 7.3 million times within a few days after its publication.

Military education is compulsory for all university students in China. China does not have a long-term mandatory military service as that of countries like South Korea; instead, military education is implemented in the form of short-term physical training and theory studies at universities. Most universities organise this education during two weeks of the summer – either at the start of the new semester begins or after the completion of the first year.

Some universities, like that in Beijing, have isolated training camps in rural areas for this purpose, creating an army-like environment. Students follow strict schedules and train long hours in high temperatures. They often have to share their rooms with around 12 people.

Living quarter of Huairou Military Training Camp

The tough training and the poor living conditions are two of the things CUA students are complaining about in their letter. In an earlier post, one student stated that it was unreasonable to schedule a 15-day training in July and urged the university to adjust their schedule to the local weather conditions. About the living conditions, it said that the canteen is not clean and filled with flies. The only shop at the camp allegedly sells “bad-quality products at high prices”.

Canteen food as posted on Weibo.

There are also reports that the training officers disrespect students and discriminate against girls. Students posted quotes from officers, who reportedly called female students “down-right ugly”.

Many netizens support the CUA students and point out the contradictory objectives of universities and the army; while universities generally aim to promote individual development and critical thinking, military training focuses on uniformity and obedience. “For twelve years, this country educates me so that I am able to think for myself and be independent, but then it gives me half a month of training where I am told the only right thing is absolute obedience”, writes one netizen.

But there are also many who argue that university’s military training is a positive aspect of student’s education. They especially stress the benefit of physical training. Since the training is often only two weeks in time, they believe it is an invaluable opportunity for young people to realize how tough life can be, saying that the training can make young people more aware of “how tough life can be”, and that “experiencing some discomfort will benefit their attitude later on in life”.

They also point out that the tough training schedules promote the sense of solidarity among students. Some netizens call it an “unforgettable moment of their college life”. “Back then in the camp, we could only shower every four or five days; food was green pepper with red pepper… we were tanned black… But we has the best officer; we sang under the starred night sky. There was never such a care-free time in my life”, one netizen writes.

A recurring question in the issues raised by the CUA students is that of whether or not the liberal ideal of university clashes with the conformance culture of the army. Although it is unlikely that the recent discussions will change anything about China’s military training system in the near future, it has at least started a conversation on the training arrangements and its objectives. For now, the students have no option but to keep their chin up and march on.

-By Diandian Guo 
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