Every morning this week I have woken up to thousands of freshmen students chanting YI, ER, SAN, SI! (one, two, three, four) in unison while they march in formation. This week on campus is military training for the freshmen. Normally, military training is done the first two weeks of the new school year but because of H1N1 virus it was postponed until now.
I have been completely fascinated, shocked, interested, nervous and a little bit put off by the goings-on of this week. For seven days for seven hours a day the freshmen students have to wear army fatigues and practice drills in groups commanded by an actual member of the Chinese army. Since there are so many freshmen students on campus (total student population is over 14,000) you can see groups of students marching and practicing all over. They learn how to march in straight rank and file, they learn chants and I think some of them may even learn how to use some weapons.
It is nearly impossible to avoid the military training since they are everywhere. I see them on the way to class, on the way to the cafeteria and walking to the gate to head downtown and I hear them while I am at home and while I teach. The chanting, shouting, marching, and thousands of students in camouflage serves as a constant reminder of how different my university education was compared to that of Chinese students. I asked some of my sophomores what they thought of the training and all of them said that they only did it because they had to and that it was not an enjoyable experience.
Today I went out and tried to take some pictures and video of the marching going on next door to where I live but I was quickly shooed away and discouraged from documenting what I was watching. I had snapped a few before they noticed but obediently went back to my apartment anyways to write this blog.
I have been reading about Chinese university military training online and there are a lot of articles and pictures about it including this one from LIFE and these pictures from China Daily. Most of the articles say something about how the purpose of military training is not necessarily for national defense but rather to strengthen students' organization and self-discipline as well as to instill the values of patriotism, collectivism and teamwork between students.
Another article I read praised the benefits of military training especially for the new generation of Chinese youth who grew up as an only child with the attention of mom, dad and two sets of grandparents. Many people believe that these "little emperors," a nickname for an only child in Chinese families due to the "One Child Policy," are too spoiled and grow up without proper socialization or the balance of teamwork. One Chinese psychologist wrote, "[Military training] is a rare experience of collective life that will help prevent these children from being too selfish and conceited as their parents spoil them."
Whatever the reason, the chanting, marching and camouflage is starting to get a little unnerving and only reinforces the importance that China places on control, uniformity, conformity and obedience. As if I could forget.
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