The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently gained popularity on Twitter after a user posted videos about Chinese soldiers, sparking discussions over the Chinese military's approach to recruitment.
American Twitter users compare the Chinese military's approach with the US military campaign. /Screenshots from Twitter
One of the videos about the PLA, titled "I Am a Chinese Soldier," appears to have drawn widespread empathy among foreign audience as it has reached over 2 million views and gathered 28,000 likes.
The video showcased both Air and Navy forces in the PLA. /Screenshot from WeChat
The video reportedly had surfaced across Chinese media in the wake of the 91st anniversary of the PLA Day on August 1. It didn't get global attention until it was re-posted by Twitter user @Carl Zha on October 19.
The video honored the sacrifices from soldiers.
Instead of portraying their combat skills and physical training, it showcased the families of soldiers and their reactions when they leave their families behind to join military service.
One scene captured a soldier saying goodbye to his wife and son. /Screenshot from WeChat
Narrated in first-person, the video addresses Twitter users, posing a rhetorical question about the identity of Chinese soldiers.
"Who am I?" He asked.
Later, the clip revealed the answers with a series of bitter-sweet scenes – of soldiers leaving their homes, with a Chinse phrase translating: "Peace behind my body. I face up to war."
Another scene showed an officer leaving his father. /Screenshot from WeChat
Many users, including Chinese veterans, responded with their perspectives and were quick to point out the ethos the video showed that are different from those in other countries.
"As a veteran, I'm thankful for your objective view on the Chinese army!" Twitter user @Charlie_bctyyy responded to @Carl Zha who posted the original thread. /Screenshot from Twitter
Users @nowherenorthere and @KameyoK gave props to the video. /Screenshot from Twitter
However, another comment also pointed out the lack of gender balance and diversity in the video, as it only depicted male Chinese soldiers.
User @KaiserKuo liked the video but raised concerns over lack of gender balance.
In response, the same Twitter user posted a video interview of a female Chinese Navy officer from Inner Mongolia, who demonstrated to a reporter how she managed to steer a warship at sea.
User @Carl Zha posted another video of a female Navy officer from Inner Mongolia in a response. /Screenshot from Twitter
The second video of the female officer received likes from other users, as some expressed how impressed they were at the women in PLA.
User @BinaShah shared why she was impressed with Chinese women in response to the interview video of the female Navy officer. /Screenshot from Twitter