What the world says about China's army for the people

Foreign journalists, experts and servicemen comment about the army led by the Chinese Communist Party.

Border patrol goes hi-tech

Dust flies up in a cloud along the highway of Mohan, the country's southernmost town on the Chinese-Laos border in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Father who rose to the occasion

For He Xiaoming, 60, daughter of Marshal He Long (1896-1969), her father is a bold investor in China's revolutionary development.

General Liu reaches for the sky

The fate of Liu Xiaolian, a woman general in China's air force, hung in the balance for nearly five minutes, 25 years ago.

Battle for the minds

China's national defense has made huge strides over the years. However, compared to developed nations such as the United States, there's plenty of work left to do, says a senior Chinese military expert. "Military modernization is a broad concept which includes at least two aspects: equipment upgrade and doctrine," says Rear Admiral Yang Yi, director of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.

Guns and roses bloom on military matchmaking website

The men and women of the military may be a disciplined and motivated bunch but even they sometimes need a little help to zero in on a special target. Thanks to the Internet, lonely folks in the military are getting some help with love.

A Song for our soldiers

At the tender age of 17, Song Zuying had to climb over a mountain to reach her primary school in Hunan Province's Yantouzhai Village. Each morning, as she reached the mountain's peak, she would sing out loudly or cried out to the rolling mountains. She loved the echo that bounced back from within the silent valley.

Food that's fit for an army

Dawn breaks at a military base in suburban Beijing. It's 5 am and chefs busily prepare breakfast of steamed buns and hot milk for the platoons of soldiers still asleep in their bunks.

Street Talk

"I still can't forget the time I spent in the army even though I have been working as a civilian for more than 20 years. I miss army life the most on Army Day. Ten years of army life has cultivated in me the personality and integrity that a soldier should have. These traits have helped me a lot in my work and life in subsequent years. I am impressed by the strides our military has made. I'll always be proud that I was a soldier."

Timeline of People's Liberation Army (PLA) over eight decades

August 1, 1927

The Food Fight

Special Report