Students of Guizhou Understand and Experience National Defense, Painting Their Youth in Camouflage

Painting Youth in Camouflage

—A Record of Guizhou Province's Five Consecutive Years of School National Defense Education Activity Weeks

■ Mou Youming, Ling Fangyi, Zhu Guangqiang

The summer wind, carrying the sound of cicadas and the scent of grass, sweeps across campus after campus on the land of Guizhou.

The homeroom teacher of Class 1, Grade 9 at Zhenyuan County No. 2 Junior Middle School in Guizhou Province has noticed that student Hong Zhangyixuan has been "a little different" lately. He used to zone out in class all the time; now he not only listens attentively but also takes neat notes. The change traces back to a special "classroom" more than a month ago—the 5th Guizhou Province School National Defense Education Activity Week.

As one of the first junior high school students to participate in the national flag guard skills demonstration during the National Defense Education Activity Week, what the competition and the pre-competition training camp left on him was not just sun-darkened skin, but also a persevering tenacity and a kindled patriotic enthusiasm. "When I saw the national flag rise, I couldn't explain why—I just felt that no amount of hardship was too much," he said.

What Hong Zhangyixuan describes as "can't explain" is, for Fu Xiong, a student at Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, a clear sense of direction. This retired college soldier, who has won the shooting event championship twice in a row, is passing on the skills and spirit he gained from the military and the competition arena to more of his fellow students.

Not just them—many more young people in Guizhou have been changed by this event. From the inaugural event in 2022 to the present, five years have passed and tens of thousands of participants have taken part. Cohort after cohort of Guizhou students have come to understand and experience national defense here, planting in their hearts the seeds of patriotism and a martial spirit (爱国尚武).

Expansion: Full Coverage Across Multiple Educational Levels

Four years ago, when the inaugural National Defense Education Activity Week was launched, the participating body was concentrated mainly among university and high school students. At that time, there was a clear gap in national defense education across different educational levels across the province—higher education institutions were in full swing, secondary education institutions were lukewarm, and primary education institutions were nearly blank.

Change began with the second edition, when the organizing committee attempted to open the national flag guard skills demonstration to secondary vocational schools. This year, the junior high school group was also incorporated into core events including the national flag guard skills demonstration and national defense military-themed speech competitions.

"National defense education cannot wait until children reach high school to begin," said a relevant official from the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education. "Young people are in a golden period of growth; the earlier the seed is sown, the deeper the roots take hold."

In Hong Zhangyixuan's heart, exactly such a seed has fallen. To make a perfect appearance on the competition stage, he and his club members trained intensively during their spare time for two weeks, repeatedly refining their drill movements. When the orderly honor guard formation marched forward with heads held high, this young man from Zhenyuan County came to understand the weight of the words "homeland and nation" (家国) amid a sense of awe and emotion.

After several years of exploration, the province has gradually built an integrated, multi-level national defense education framework of "enlightenment in primary school, popularization in junior high school, reinforcement in high school, and deepening in university." This year, more than 30 junior high schools and over 270 junior high school students stood on the stage of a provincial-level national defense competition for the first time, their young and upright figures becoming a vivid and lively sight at this event.

The influence of national defense education is not written only on the competition stage—it extends into the study and daily lives of young people.

This year, Wang Anhao, a student at Zunyi Vocational and Technical School, participated in the speech competition of the National Defense Education Activity Week, delivering a speech on the theme of Long March stories. "I was surprised—the spirit of the Red Army lit up my path just like that," Wang Anhao told this reporter. Not long ago, while participating in a vocational skills competition, he encountered a sudden power outage and equipment failure. In that critical moment, several lines from his speech script surfaced in his mind: "The Red Army broke through encirclement under conditions far more difficult than this—what is this little difficulty of ours?" After steadying his composure, he led his team to adapt on the spot and ultimately won second prize. "The red stories gave me the courage to rise up in adversity," Wang Anhao said.

Upgrade: Competition Events Benchmarked Against the Military

Fu Xiong, a 2022 undergraduate at Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, is a retired college soldier. When the inaugural National Defense Education Activity Week was held, he paid close attention. In his sophomore year, Fu Xiong enlisted for military service and developed solid skills during his service. After returning to school following discharge, Fu Xiong signed up for the 4th National Defense Education Activity Week and won the championship in the Type 92 laser pistol shooting event. At this year's 5th edition, he won again. "Every year there are new elements," Fu Xiong said.

The "new" that Fu Xiong speaks of is precisely a microcosm of the three competition upgrades the National Defense Education Activity Week has undergone over four years.

[Photo caption: Competition participants take part in the simulated firearm disassembly and reassembly event.]

[Photo caption: Judges inspect and score competition participants on the donning of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protective suits.]

A relevant official from the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education introduced that the inaugural National Defense Education Activity Week was centered mainly on drill displays and themed speeches, with relatively simple formats. Military skills competitions were introduced starting from the second edition. By this year's fifth edition, competition events have expanded from 3 to 8 items, including simulated firearm disassembly and reassembly, comprehensive obstacle course, nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) defense handling, and military topographic map reading and use—with assessment content and standards aligned with the military's combat-realistic training (实战化训练).

"In the past, when national defense education was conducted, a lot of attention was paid to making things look impressive on the surface, but what students actually learned and experienced was very limited," said a military expert who has served as a judge on multiple occasions. "Now it's different—the competition stage is a place where real things can be learned."

[Photo caption: Before the multi-rotor drone racing competition, participants calibrate their drones.]

The most direct manifestation of the changes in the event is the multi-rotor drone racing competition added this year. On this point, Huang Zihe, a student from Guizhou Institute of Technology who participated as a competitor, had much to say. "At first I thought it was just a club-level competition. The moment I received the competition rules, I realized I had been thinking too simply." When he actually stood at the starting line of the course, the feeling was even stronger: 41 teams and 82 young technology enthusiasts competing on the same stage. "Fall half a beat behind and you get left in the dust," Huang Zihe said.

At the same time, this year's National Defense Education Activity Week also featured supplementary sections including a national defense education achievements exhibition, special case exchanges, and military theory seminars.

In the achievements exhibition hall, a "Long March Route Sand Table" submitted by a middle school in Zunyi was made with exceptional care. Soil was molded into mountain shapes, and red lines marked the routes. Teachers and students crowded around the sand table taking photos, and many exclaimed: "This kind of national defense education classroom is truly rewarding."

Deep Cultivation: Bearing the Fruits of National Defense

The life plans of Huang Chenxi, a first-year student at Guizhou Minzu University, were changed by a competition.

Huang Chenxi is from Tongzi County, Zunyi City, and grew up listening to red stories. This year, through participating in the National Defense Education Activity Week, he developed an even stronger interest in the military and military life. After the event, Huang Chenxi set a goal for himself: to enlist after graduating in his fourth year.

[Photo caption: Competition participants take part in the comprehensive obstacle course event.]

Jiang Dongyun, a student at Guiyang Vocational and Technical College, is a soldier who walked out of the National Defense Education Activity Week. In 2024, he entered the competition venue for the first time as a spectator and was deeply moved by the sight of competitors on the comprehensive obstacle course charging forward through the finish line covered in mud and gritting their teeth. After the competition, Jiang Dongyun signed up for the school's national defense and military club and persisted in weekly training. In March of this year, thanks to his strong physical fitness, he fulfilled his wish and enlisted. Before departing, Jiang Dongyun said to his classmates: "Merge your personal dream into the dream of strengthening the military (强军梦), paint your youth in camouflage, and life will be all the more brilliant."

In Xixiu District, Anshun City, delivery worker Master Liu has kept a commemorative sticker from the "National Defense Education Activity Week" on his delivery vehicle year-round—it was brought back by his son after participating in the event. "Customers often ask what it is, and I tell them about the Activity Week. National defense education is connected to every household. Regardless of one's identity or occupation, everyone should be the protagonist of national defense education," Master Liu said.

Under the sustained influence of the National Defense Education Activity Week, reverence for the military and a martial spirit (崇军尚武) have taken on new vitality on this land. In recent years, the national defense atmosphere across the province has continued to grow stronger, and "a good man should serve in the military" has gradually become a widely shared value pursuit among young people. According to statistics, since 2022, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics alone has cumulatively delivered 559 high-quality young students to the military, more than 70 percent of whom participated in the National Defense Education Activity Week.

A teacher who has led teams to compete for five consecutive years said: "Over these years, I have watched cohort after cohort of students walk from the competition stage toward a broader life. Some have entered the military, some are quietly contributing at their posts, but wherever they go, the growth of these students is inseparable from national defense."

Photos provided by interviewees. Illustration by: Hu Shuo