The power and the glory

As the political commissar of a special military force under No 42 group army, Liu Yucheng is the embodiment of perfection in the eyes of his soldiers.

Some say he is a star fighter, highly accomplished in combat skills. Others insist he is an unparalleled leader who has brought in innovative ideas that have greatly improved productivity within the army. Most agree that the 42-year-old cherubic-looking man always puts the needs of his soldiers ahead of his own.

Although a fighter, Liu is seen as an empathetic man, who is ever ready to help his comrades and their families out of difficulties.

Over the past three years since Liu assumed command of the brigade, he has helped scores of soldiers whose families have been mired in financial difficulties and assisted more than a hundred others to find jobs after leaving the army.

For well over a decade now, Liu has been taking care of the wife and daughter of a soldier who died in combat. Once a year, he travels all the way from Guangzhou in Guangdong province to Changsha, in Hunan's provincial capital, to visit the family and bring them whatever he thinks will help with their life there.

His own wife, though, finds his company a luxury that she seldom enjoys. Liu spends more than 300 days every year away from home, training his men. "He seldom joins us for meals," says his wife He Huiyun. "And when he does come home, he often jokes 'you might never see me again.'"

But both Liu and He know this is no joke. What Liu puts himself through everyday is highly risky. Established as a special task force, his brigade is responsible for enhancing soldiers' combat skills and ensuring that they are ready for war at any time.

The men are put through highly intensive military training in harsh and dangerous conditions - such as swimming in shark-infested waters - that push the limits of human endurance and courage.

They are also required to complete in a week, 34 km of long-distance armed running, 20 km on the sea in a boat, and 10 km of weapon-loaded swimming - all tasks that challenge their physical limits.

Undaunted by such tasks, Liu's brigade has consistently won praise for its fighting prowess, as well as the fortitude and perseverance of its soldiers.

For Liu, all the tough training represents the core values of the army, of which every soldier should be proud.

"As soldiers, we should fulfill our mission and serve the country. Striving for better combat capabilities is the key to that," Liu tells China Daily, with the same resolution and modesty that his soldiers talk about with respect.

But military training is not the only thing Liu offers to his soldiers. He believes that victory on the battlefield is not just about military prowess, but also about the ability to step back, reflect and learn.

For this, he has been schooling his soldiers in the philosophical ideas of Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant and Ernst Cassirer, which he feels has given them the "power of thinking" and helped them adapt to the changing needs of contemporary warfare.

This has become especially critical at a time when information technology has become an essential tool in waging war, says Liu, recounting one military drill three years ago in which his brigade suffered "a bloody loss" owing to ignorance about information technology.

Three years down the road, Liu has successfully turned his brigade into one that is well informed in all aspects of information technology.

But talent cultivation remains his top concern. Thanks to his innovative reforms, more than 80 percent of his soldiers are versatile across different functions. Sixty-eight of them have received overseas training, while another 23 have gone on to pursue post-graduate studies. More than 300 others have won various kinds of awards in martial arts competitions.

(China Daily 02/04/2009 page10)