On September 11 at 6 am, at the Zhongshan National Defense Education and Training Base, rows of recruits dressed in army green camouflage uniforms and doning red flowers on the chest were ready to embark on a journey by train to the barracks. [Photo by Li Xusheng]

From September 10 to 16, the 540 male soldiers recruited this year in Zhongshan will go to different places throughout the country in 13 batches to serve in the army. 

Huang Zhuhao, a recruit from South District, is the only child in his family. He chose to join the army instead of being a sophomore. "Our kid wants to be a soldier, and we give him unconditional support," said his mother Liang Weiying.

Feng Zhiming, a recruit from Tanzhou, looked forward to the upcoming military life. After six days of pre-military training, he was mentally prepared. "I hope I can adapt to life in the army soon, and I will work hard to stay in the army two years later," Feng said.