I saw a story - which I deftly passed to my neighbouring polisher - at work the other day which will explain to those living in Hong Kong why the People’s Liberation Army soldiers that travel around the Special Administrative Region (I’m getting more politically correct by the day) are so unswervingly (to quote a popular Foreign Ministry adverb) friendly and polite.
The article featured an interview with a driver of a PLA truck charged with ferrying supplies to the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison from Shenzhen, who was “overwhelmed by capitalist Hong Kong” with its “high-rises, dazzling advertising hoardings and crowds”. Good job the guy had been living in Shenzhen, famed for being at the vanguard of China’s embrace of capitalism, or he might have died from shock. Anyway, as Xinhua reports, surveys conducted by Hong Kong newspapers before the handover showed that only 30 percent of Hong Kong residents supported the PLA’s presence. And the PLA’s self-consciously stern image wasn’t helping.
Whenever the trucks pass, people on the streets would stop to watch, and some would wave to the soldiers on the truck. But to maintain the PLA’s serious image, the drivers are trained to sit ramrod straight and look straight ahead when driving, Li recalled.
“There was little interaction between the soldiers and the HK people, and that alienated the PLA from the Hong Kong people.”
Revolutionary action was needed.
Soon the company incorporated waving and smiling into their daily training.
Some adapted quicker than others.
To train himself how to smile, Ma Wei, an introverted soldier from the vehicle transportation company who seldom smiles, bought himself a pocket mirror. Whenever he had a minute, he would take out the mirror and exercise moving the corners of his mouth upward.
Before long, Ma found he was smiling when he passed the Hong Kong control points, when he saw Hong Kong people on mission, and soon he got into the habit of smiling at his colleagues whenever he saw them.
The results are there for all to see.
They have an excellent image and excellent manners, just like all the other soldiers stationed here,” said one Hong Kong resident. “If there’s a single vegetable leaf left on the ground after they have unloaded the food supplies, the soldiers pick it up and put it in the trash bin.”
Actually, inanity aside, it was interesting to read that the PLA truckers are not allowed to set foot on Hong Kong soil other than inside the confines of their Hong Kong barracks.
We are not allowed to get off the trucks when we are on mission,” Zheng said.
His relatives have asked him many times to bring back gifts from Hong Kong. Zheng has a hard time explaining that he is not allowed to go shopping in HK. “They couldn’t believe me when I told them,” he said.
Clearly, the sight of the PLA down Hong Kong high street would still be a bit too much. Ah, such a waste of their new six-billion yuan uniform range that debuted yesterday. A report by AP on the General’s new clothes resembled that of a disgruntled Premiership football fan who has had to fork out another 50 quid for the new season’s kit which features a subtle collar change and an extra washing instruction label:
The refit received a preview during weekend celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule. Troops marshaled for public events wore a dark green camouflage design, although it wasn’t clear what new features the uniforms possessed.
The Xinhua report explained why the AP reporter was disappointed with first impressions:
Working from the”97 Style”, designers refined the cut and the sizing of the uniforms to enhance the appearance of the wearers. The new casual uniform for spring and autumn fit more tightly because they have been taken in the chest, waist and bust. Female servicemen will find their shoe heels have grown by a centimeter from the previous four centimeters.
Maybe the PLA should put replicas on general sale to try and recoup some of that cash.
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