Facilities upgraded to train specialized soldiers

By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-15 08:38

The facilities that trained China's first astronaut have been beefed up to help train specialized personnel.

Now more astronauts, pilots and submarine sailors will benefit from training at the advanced Hangzhou-based rehabilitation center of the Nanjing Military Command that once hosted Major General Yang Liwei, who took part in China's maiden space mission in 2003.

"As the army's facilities have been sharpened in recent years, so have the capabilities of the soldiers operating them," Chen Saizheng, vice-director of the naval support division of the Hangzhou rehab center, told China Daily yesterday.

After combining the previously separated medical resources from the army, navy and air force, the military is now better able to prepare Chinese soldiers for the multitasking missions expected of modern armies.

Astronauts like Yang were trained on sophisticated facilities at the center, though that is now less intensive than the full-time sessions at flight training camps, experts revealed. As part of their diverse training, they are also taught how to understand classical music, painting and taichi.

Soldiers like Yang are the best of the best in the Chinese army, so they are required to build mental strength through solid training, said Li Jie, head of the aviation physiological training center at the rehab center.

The army has developed synchronized and effective methods to train submarine sailors for adapting to diverse environments on land and in the sea, as well as other emergency situations.