Netizens hail China's first female tank operators as today's Mulan

Source
Global Times
Editor
Huang Panyue
Time
2019-07-15 17:23:40

A group photo of the first Chinese women to be trained as Type 99A tank operators Photo: Screenshot of China Central Television


Chinese netizens hailed the first 10 women who hurdled training as operators of the country's most advanced tank, calling them modern-day Mulans, a legendary Chinese heroine who disguised herself as a male warrior in place of her father.

The squad started training on the Type 99A tank two months ago at the Zhurihe training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where the climate is dry and dusty and temperatures can dip to -40C, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The female soldiers each gained 10 kilograms in order to improve physical strength and were trained like their male counterparts, CCTV reported.

The sunshine and sandstorms have transformed their appearance, but Liu Shushan, one of the operators who used to have long hair and light skin, said "Now I feel pretty when I'm driving the tank fast, with wind and sand blowing in my face."

Some male soldiers thought the women might be taking their tank training as if it were a game, but the latter's capabilities were proven in a live-fire shooting test during which all three shots hit the target. The women can also smoothly handle the daily maintenance and repair of the heavy, powerful equipment.

Operating a tank is pretty cool but eating dirt is also a must," said tank operator Zheng Jingyue. "After eating so much sand in open-cockpit training, I am not hungry," she said with a giggle.

Chinese netizens praised the women's courage and strength, saying they are the "Mulan of the times." Mulan was a legendary warrior woman who pretended to be a man in order to fulfill her father's military service and protect her country.

These young women are real heroines who "face the powder rather than powder their face," wrote a net user on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, quoting a poem in praise of female soldiers by the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

 

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