One Military Uniform, Two Places of Longing — Stories from Behind the Camera of "Strengthening the Military Through Thought, Cultivating a New Generation," Season Two

Stories from Behind the Camera of "Strengthening the Military Through Thought, Cultivating a New Generation (强军思想育新人)," Season Two —

One Military Uniform, Two Places of Longing

■ PLA Daily Reporters: Xie Fei, Wei Qiaoqiao, Cao Chunyao

Poster Design: Wang Xu

On August 1, Season Two of the micro-documentary series "Strengthening the Military Through Thought, Cultivating a New Generation" officially launched. The production team continued the filming style of Season One, recording from the first-person perspective of officers and soldiers the stories of three protagonists and their struggle to strengthen the military and win battles. On camera, pilot Zhao Xiaolei pilots his warbird and surveys ten thousand li of rivers and mountains; Rocket Force bugler Hou Changling holds his post and hoists aloft the great nation's long sword; bomb disposal expert La Wanliang faces life and death head-on to defuse crises — their formidable capabilities command admiration. Off camera, another identity shared by all three protagonists left a deep impression on the production team.

Deep winter in Liaoyang, the north wind cuts like a blade. A Z-10 armed helicopter hovers slowly; Zhao Xiaolei leaps from the cockpit, lips frozen to a bluish-purple, yet his eyes hold a light within.

Over the years, he has trained hard in pursuit of a single goal: to fly an advanced aircraft type. In last year's annual training assessment, he ranked first among pilots who graduated in the same cohort, earning his place as a genuine training standout.

When filming wrapped, Zhao Xiaolei smiled and brought up something unrelated to training: "My child was just born. I've lost ten jin this month."

We teased him — "No wonder you look better on camera" — and he scratched the back of his head and said: "I can fly for two hours in the air without getting nervous, but changing a diaper leaves me drenched in sweat."

In that moment, he was no longer the sharp-eyed pilot soaring through the clouds on screen. Stripped of the edge his uniform confers, he was simply an ordinary father at a complete loss in the face of his child.

The harder the wings that fly across mountains and rivers, the softer the heart that longs for home. What Zhao Xiaolei guards is, on one side, ten thousand li of open sky, and on the other, the hope that a new life has brought to his own small family.

Time turns, and high summer has arrived. On the training ground of the People's Armed Police Second Mobile Corps, the perceived temperature has broken 40 degrees Celsius. Bomb disposal squad leader La Wanliang must nonetheless don a bomb disposal suit weighing 30.7 kilograms and complete an 800-meter assault run.

The reporter tried putting on the gear — iron-plate-like armor encasing the entire body, leaving only the sound of labored breathing and a heartbeat like a drumroll. Only in that moment did we understand: every time a bomb disposal expert walks toward danger, he faces the entire world alone.

In fact, before filming began, La Wanliang had quietly sought out the production team to ask whether the shooting schedule could be moved faster. We learned that La Wanliang's child was about to turn one year old, and that he had already submitted a leave request, hoping to rush home in time to hear that one word: "Baba." The production team immediately decided to split into two groups and push forward simultaneously, compressing what had been a one-week plan into four days. Everyone ran without pause, without a single word of complaint. Because we understood: off camera, someone was waiting for a father to come home safe.

During a break in filming, La Wanliang took out a photo of his child tucked inside his notebook and showed it to us. A comrade nearby leaned over and called out: "Squad leader, by the time you get back, the kid won't even recognize you!" La Wanliang laughed and threw a punch at his comrade's arm, but when he looked back at the photo, his gaze grew ever more tender.

La Wanliang said that every time he walks toward an explosive device, what sustains his fearless advance — beyond the mission on his shoulders — is the small smiling face in that photograph.

In the rainy season, we plunged deep into the mountains to interview Hou Changling, a "PLA Advanced Individual in Military Training (全军军事训练先进个人)" and First-Class Sergeant Major (一级军士长) of a Rocket Force unit.

In September 2024, the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force successfully launched one intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a training simulation warhead into relevant high-seas areas of the Pacific Ocean. As a gold-standard operator (金牌号手), Hou Changling served as the backup, responsible for full-process technical guidance.

"Did you feel any regret at not being the one to press the launch key yourself?" we could not help but ask during the interview.

This battle-weathered veteran paused, then said: "Actually, the moment the missile lifted off, I secretly wiped away a tear — because I had steadily 'handed' this missile over to younger comrades."

His eyes held regret, and relief, and above all, anticipation.

Back in the family quarters of the garrison, Hou Changling's ten-year-old son came running from a distance, holding up a drawing to show his father — a Dongfeng missile.

"This kid can now recognize several missile types!" Hou Changling flipped through his son's sketchbook, a father's pride tucked in the corners of his eyes.

We asked the boy whether his classmates knew what his father did. He straightened his neck: "They know! My dad launches missiles! I'm going to join the Rocket Force too!"

A father's steadfast devotion plants in his child's heart the seed of military service. Soldiers guard national security, and in doing so also guard the admiration their children hold for them. Guarding the nation and guarding the family — this is how it passes from generation to generation through the bloodline.

After Season Two aired, one comment in the comment section caught our eye: "I really want to see what these hardcore heroes look like behind the scenes!"

We are grateful to have had the opportunity to report from the front lines. The quiet warmth that the camera never captured, the words from the heart that were never written into the script — we tell them to you here.

Guarding the nation has never been a debt owed to one's family. It is the protection of countless small families. Soldiers dedicate their youth and their blood to the cause of military strengthening (强军事业), and they also reserve the softest place in their hearts for their own small families.

One military uniform, two places of longing; soldiers guard the nation, and in doing so also guard the home.

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