Barracks Observation | When the Vibrant Energy of Hong Kong and Macao Youth Meets the Steadfast Camouflage of People's Armed Police Officers and Soldiers

**Front-Line Dispatch: Together Singing That Song of Home and Nation**

■ Chen Qi'an, PLA Daily Reporter Li Zhibin

"The Five-Star Red Flag flies in the wind…" As the stirring melody rang out, the "United in Step, Strong Nation Has Me (同心同行·强国有我)" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks themed gala concert opened amid eager anticipation.

This summer, more than 30 Hong Kong and Macao youth entered the barracks for an immersive experience of military life. As the closing event of the program, this gathering—with music as its medium—wove together the sights and feelings of the preceding days and the deep bonds of friendship into moving melodies.

Music became a bridge across language. To achieve the best performance, the students voluntarily added extra rehearsals, spontaneously helping officers and soldiers in the dormitory corridors to correct their Cantonese pronunciation word by word and line by line.

"To get a single line of the chorus right, we often repeated it more than ten times," said Liu Xutao, the concert's lead organizer. Backstage during rehearsal, the impromptu "Mountain and Sea Band (山海乐队)"—assembled on the spot by People's Armed Police officers and soldiers together with the Hong Kong and Macao youth—was running through the song "Friends (朋友)."

"'Mountain and Sea' is taken from 'Mountains and seas are no barrier; Hong Kong and Macao are one family,'" explained one band member. The barracks are like mountains; the Hao River and the Fragrant River are like the sea—a metaphor for the bond of shared blood.

What truly closed the distance between them was three days of eating, living, and training together—standing at attention under the blazing sun, drilling formations on the parade ground, encouraging one another during rehearsals. "Before, I thought the officers and soldiers were very serious and unapproachable. I never expected them to be so humorous and warm, strict in training but like big brothers when resting," said one student from Macao with a smile. In that moment, they were friends who understood each other's hearts.

On stage, Hong Kong youth Li Qiqian focused intently, his brush moving with purpose as the four bold characters "Guangdong and Hong Kong, One Heart (粤港同心)" spread across the rice paper. The ink had not yet dried—glistening and lustrous—and the entire hall fell silent for an instant before erupting in wave after wave of applause. Classical dancer He Xufeng moved with flowing sleeves, displaying the full beauty of the East.

As the performance drew to a close, the military band struck up the magnificent "March of the Iron Torrent (钢铁洪流进行曲)." The waves of sound swept through the hall; the students in the audience held their breath, their eyes fixed on the military musicians. Over three days, they had witnessed the officers and soldiers' agile skill on the training ground and listened to their stories of struggle. Now, amid the thunderous military music, they seemed to grasp more deeply the responsibility and strength borne by the camouflage uniform.

The applause went on and on. As the crowd dispersed, students gathered around the military musicians with curious questions. Officers, soldiers, and students walked side by side, their footsteps unconsciously falling into the same brisk, steady rhythm on the barracks path.

Applause intertwined, voices merged in song. True "unity of heart (同心)" lies in hearts drawing sincerely close to one another, shoulder to shoulder, together singing that song of home and nation.

*July 2026, Guangzhou, Guangdong. The People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps conducts the "United in Step, Strong Nation Has Me" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks experience program. Pictured: Hong Kong and Macao youth participating in the program pose for a commemorative photo with People's Armed Police officers and soldiers.*

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**Reporter's Investigation: When Fiery Youth Meets Green Camouflage**

■ Luo Chao, PLA Daily Reporter Li Zhibin, Special Correspondent Liao Binhua

Midsummer in Lingnan, the sun blazing like fire. The barracks of a brigade under the People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps welcomed more than 30 youth from Hong Kong and Macao.

Curious eyes swept across the compound, fixing on the training ground: weapons gleaming in the sunlight, orderly formations, the rumble of armored vehicles—everywhere radiating novelty and power.

"Sitting inside an armored vehicle, you can't help but hold your head high!" "Aiming through a 15-power scope is actually this steady!" The real, tactile experience brought a different kind of awe.

When the vibrant energy of Hong Kong and Macao youth met the steadfast camouflage of People's Armed Police officers and soldiers, a "dialogue of youth (青春对话)" that transcended geography unfolded with intensity.

**Integration: Entering the Barracks, Getting to Know More "Family Members"**

At six o'clock in the morning, the clear call of the bugle punctually shattered the quiet of the compound. The students quickly rose and, together with the soldiers, fell out for morning exercises, tidied their quarters, drilled formations… A day of barracks life began with integration into the collective.

During a break between training sessions, a squad of soldiers marched past the students in perfect unison. Third-year university student Wang Yumu instinctively snapped to attention and rendered a gaze salute. Entering a barracks that had previously existed only in her imagination, she was extraordinarily moved.

During a small bedding-folding competition, Wang Yumu competed as her group's representative. Smoothing, pressing, folding, trimming the edges—she performed every step with exceptional care. Ten minutes later, a barely-formed "block of tofu (豆腐块)" sat on the bed, drawing spontaneous applause from the students present.

During the post-competition debrief, political instructor Wang Xueqian explained the larger significance behind the small "block of tofu": this meticulous process of tidying one's quarters is, in essence, a tempering of character, a reinforcement of discipline, and a forging of collective identity.

"If you can't even fold a blanket properly, how can you guarantee you'll hold a camera steady?" Wang Yumu, who dreams of becoming a journalist, had her own unique understanding of this principle.

"I want more people to understand today's Chinese military and understand the strength of the motherland." This was the new wish that had taken root in Wang Yumu's heart. Although she was in the critical period of reviewing for exams, when she saw the recruitment notice for the Into the Barracks program, she signed up without a moment's hesitation.

"I want to enter the barracks, because the motherland is always home for Hong Kong and Macao students, and Chinese soldiers are our 'family members'—I want to get to know more of our 'family members.'" The words she wrote when registering were plain and sincere.

**Awakening: Entering History, Speaking Together of "National Security and Family Wellbeing (国安家好)"**

Entering the brigade's solemn and dignified Hall of Honor, various medals and trophies gleamed brilliantly—but what first caught the eyes of the Hong Kong and Macao youth was the old photo album with a dark brown cover in the hands of political instructor Wang Xueqian.

"Historical education lacks sufficient weight, is not flexible enough in form, and does not go deep enough in content." Last September, when the final Into the Barracks activity concluded at the Foshan Brigade, the People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps Party Committee convened a review and summary meeting at the first opportunity. This carefully compiled old photo album was their new attempt to explore deepening historical education and telling the story of military strengthening well.

Wang Xueqian carefully turned the pages of the album, and one by one, resolute figures clad in camouflage uniforms from different eras—guarding home and nation across time—came into view: the 1998 flood-fighting and rescue operations in Hubei, where officers and soldiers built levees with their own bodies; the 1999 security operations for the Macao handover, where the figures at their posts stood straight as pines, guarding the sacred moment of the transfer of sovereignty…

"In 2008, Guangdong was struck by a rare rain, snow, and ice disaster. During the Spring Festival travel rush peak at Guangzhou Railway Station, stranded passengers at one point approached 300,000 in a single day. We moved at the order, clearing more than 60 kilometers of icy and snowy roads, cumulatively guiding 1.5 million passengers, and ensuring order in the station area and passenger safety." Political Instructor Wang pointed to photograph after photograph in the album, explaining to the students the heart-stopping moments and the profound bond between the military and the people behind each image.

In the course of this, the distant family memories of some young students were quietly awakened. "My great-great-grandfather's story was the first patriotic lesson of my life," said Wang Aiyiming, a student from Hong Kong. His great-great-grandfather was from Quanzhou, Fujian. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, many underground Party members relied on the "Quanzhou Bookstore" as a secret base, carrying out arduous struggle under extremely harsh conditions.

Wang Aiyiming's great-great-grandfather used his identity as a doctor as cover, secretly standing guard for the Party organization and cleverly sheltering comrades passing through—in those dark and stormy years, steadfastly preserving the precious flame of revolution.

"In the beginning of man, loyalty and steadfastness are his nature; love of country comes naturally…" Wang Aiyiming recited softly. "This is an anti-Japanese folk song adapted from the Three-Character Classic (三字经). My great-great-grandfather often hummed it during his lifetime. It planted a deep seed of patriotism in my young heart." He told the reporter that his future life path was already clearly planned—after graduation, return to Hong Kong and become a red music artist.

"Music has no borders, but musicians have a motherland. I want to use notes and melodies to tell Hong Kong students the stories of the people's army serving the people, to impart music theory and also to spread the spiritual flame of red culture," he said.

"So long as this body lives, I will use every ounce of strength to repay heaven and earth (但令身未死，随力报乾坤)." When the students heard the red historical stories of the East River Column (东江纵队) fighting in isolation behind enemy lines and bathing in blood, and watched documentary footage of officers and soldiers and the people working together in earthquake relief in the new era, the patriotic feelings buried deep in their hearts surged forth.

As night fell, distant rumbles of muffled thunder rolled across the horizon, like war drums beating against young hearts. At the squad meeting of the first girls' squad, as they spoke of what they had seen, heard, and felt in the Hall of Honor that day, squad leader Fan Shurui encouraged everyone to share their future aspirations.

"I want to be a police officer!" Li Tongxin's eyes lit up. "When I was little, I loved watching the TV drama 'Forensic Heroes (法证先锋),' watching them embody justice to protect the people—so cool! That afternoon, the moment I raised the handgun and experienced aiming, the feel of my fingertip on the trigger made me feel as if I had already put on a police uniform." She excitedly recalled that heart-stirring moment.

Wu Minyu picked up the thread: "Protecting others is not limited to any one profession. Last year, the Shandong carrier battle group sailed into Victoria Harbour, and the officers and soldiers on deck used their bodies to form the four powerful characters 'National Security and Family Wellbeing (国安家好).' At that moment I made up my mind: the motherland protects us, and I want to protect the people of Hong Kong. This firsthand experience in the barracks has strengthened my resolve even further."

Wu Minyu and Li Tongxin are from Hong Kong and are close friends. In this moment, they were not only sharing with each other—they were each other's most steadfast witnesses and supporters on the road to pursuing their dreams.

*July 2026, Guangzhou, Guangdong. The People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps conducts the "United in Step, Strong Nation Has Me" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks experience program. Pictured: Hong Kong and Macao youth participating in the program conduct formation training. Photo by Liu Jialiang.*

**Understanding: Entering the Screen, Finding One's Own "Battle Station in Life (人生战位)"**

"Squad leader, can you teach me to drive? I also want to become an armored vehicle driver like you!" Beside the riot-control armored vehicle, young student Huang Mingzhi's eyes burned with intensity, his words carrying earnest sincerity.

Squad leader Zhao Yulei looked at the slight young man before him, patted the cold, heavy vehicle body, and asked in return: "Armored soldiers aren't as glamorous as they look. Inside the vehicle it's like an icebox in winter and an oven in summer. Can you endure that hardship?"

Huang Mingzhi was not acting on a momentary impulse. He carried with him a bulging backpack stuffed with military books and weapon models. He could also rattle off military-themed films and television dramas from China and abroad: "The most awe-inspiring was the documentary on the Wenchuan earthquake, when 15 paratroopers resolutely made their 'earth-shaking leap (惊天一跳)' with no meteorological data, no ground markings, and no command guidance, bringing hope of survival to the people in the disaster area."

Yet the awe-inspiring memories from the screen were ultimately different from the steel behemoth before his eyes—when his palm truly touched the texture of the armored vehicle, the boiling blood settled, transforming into a weighty sense of mission.

"When I was little, I always dreamed of becoming a towering combat hero. Now I understand that I must first become an armored soldier rooted to his battle station like you! Because I know that arriving at the battlefield one minute earlier in a war vehicle means winning one more chance at victory!" At the moment of parting, Huang Mingzhi wrote these words in a letter to Squad Leader Zhao—every line revealing a sense of responsibility.

On the eve of leaving the barracks, Huang Mingzhi carefully organized his backpack. A book given to him by Squad Leader Zhao—"The Walking Backbone (行走的脊梁)"—caught the reporter's attention. Opening the cover page, a slip of paper came into view bearing Squad Leader Zhao's handwriting: "Although I cannot teach you to drive an armored vehicle hands-on, I can tell you a simple truth: only by taking root in the earth can branches flourish and leaves grow thick; by holding fast to an ordinary battle station, one can also fulfill the mission of the age."

Sleeping in the bunk above Huang Mingzhi was Yang Junjie, whose backpack was even larger, stuffed with professional textbooks, a first-aid kit, and various emergency medicines. This clinical medicine student from Hong Kong was entering the barracks for the second time.

Over two years, the sense of responsibility in Yang Junjie's heart had begun to translate into concrete action. He actively led Hong Kong and Macao youth volunteers around him, using their holidays to travel to remote villages in Shanwei and Longmen in Guangdong, and Bijie in Guizhou, to carry out volunteer services including medical knowledge outreach and free health consultations.

From being the "grandson" of elderly people living alone in the community to being the "health teacher" for children in rural primary schools, Yang Junjie has accumulated more than 600 hours of volunteer service. He has extended the spirit of "protection (守护)" he came to understand in the barracks into broader social service, vividly embodying through his own practice the wholehearted devotion of Hong Kong and Macao youth who proactively integrate into the overall framework of national development.

A leader from the Political Work Department of the People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps, who has organized and planned this program for three consecutive years, was deeply moved by all of this: "In the past, Hong Kong and Macao youth's understanding of national defense tended to be fragmented and book-based, with a strong sense of distance. The 'United in Step, Strong Nation Has Me' Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks program has deepened continuously through practice, gradually achieving a profound transformation—from a one-time activity to a normalized education mechanism, and from a superficial 'check-the-box' experience to the deep-rooted establishment of genuine value identification."

From the banks of the Fragrant River and the Hao River to the Lingnan barracks, from the imagination of books and pictures to the awe of standing before an iron torrent, the barracks journey of Hong Kong and Macao youth has ignited a profound feeling of home and nation.

When Hong Kong and Macao youth truly come to understand, through sweat and tempering, the responsibility and weight carried by "camouflage green," the concentric circle of the great practice of "One Country, Two Systems" becomes ever more firmly consolidated.

That seed named "identification (认同)" will ultimately grow vigorously in the soil of each of their lives, straining toward home and nation, putting forth branches and leaves in abundance.

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**In Their Own Words**

**A Three-Day Journey to Fulfill a Dream**

■ Hong Kong Youth Student Lin Wenhui

Before participating in this Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks program, the barracks were to me nothing more than lines of printed text in books, upright and distant figures in news footage. They were surrounded by an aura that commanded reverence, yet always separated by the distance of a screen, impossible to touch with any real warmth. To have the opportunity to live in the barracks for the entire duration and experience military life in an immersive way was something I had longed for, and I regarded it as a particularly precious and special journey that would surely bring growth.

The moment I stepped through the solemn barracks gate, all my anticipation and imagination instantly became real, tangible impact and awe. The wind powerfully unfurled the bright red flag, snapping and rippling. The soldiers' formations, straight as if cut by a knife when they dressed ranks; the clean, crisp drops and advances during tactical demonstrations; the modern weapons and equipment full of technological sophistication… Taking it all in, one scene after another, I felt that for the first time in my life I had truly touched the beating pulse of the cause of military strengthening in the new era.

The resolute, upright bearing of the officers and soldiers on the training ground, and the tenacious determination with which they gritted their teeth and persisted through high-difficulty subjects, refreshed my understanding of the soldier's mission. It also made me understand: the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao society that we enjoy, the peace and contentment we have long taken for granted—behind all of this lies the silent, steadfast dedication and solid support of the vast numbers of officers and soldiers of the people's army, day after day, year after year, on the ten-thousand-li frontier, at guard posts, and on the front lines of exercises and training, with their sweat and even their lives.

Three days of activities passed in the blink of an eye. For me, this was not only a long-awaited journey to fulfill a dream, but also a recalibration and baptism of my personal original aspirations. As a young person from Hong Kong and Macao, I will cherish all the more the sense of mission and spiritual strength I gained in the barracks. I will bring the spirit of tenacity, striving, and dedication that I saw in the soldiers back to campus and weave it into my daily study and life. I will tell the moving stories I witnessed and heard firsthand in the barracks to more friends and classmates around me, inspiring everyone together to deepen their feelings of home and nation and jointly consolidate national identification.

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**A Resonance of Youth**

■ People's Armed Police Corporal Liu Wensheng

Watching the bus carrying the Hong Kong and Macao youth slowly drive out of the barracks gate, I saw young faces crowding the windows, waving continuously and looking back with reluctance. Standing at the barracks gate, a complex surge of emotions welled up in my heart. When I first received the assignment to lead training for this program, I treated it as nothing more than a routine task. Little did I expect that after a few days of living and working side by side, I would come away from these energetic young people with far more unexpected impact and growth than I had anticipated. This resonance is precious and unforgettable.

I remember the flag-raising ceremony on the first day of the program. The moment the solemn prelude to the national anthem began, these students—whose faces had just moments before worn relaxed smiles—instantly snapped to attention in unison, instinctively straightening their spines. In that instant, a warm current surged in my heart, and I suddenly understood: they had crossed mountains and seas to come here, and the identification with and feeling for home and nation deep in their hearts was not an empty slogan—it was this real.

The longer we spent together, the more I could feel the sincerity of these young people's hearts. After the tactical demonstration subject ended, they gathered around, and the questions they asked most were not whether training was hard or tiring, but rather "Is your daily training always this rigorous?" and "How long does a typical guard shift at a post usually last?"—questions filled with concern and respect. One girl with a neat short haircut squatted at the edge of the demonstration ground throughout, conscientiously filling an entire page of notes.

Among these young students, there were pioneers intent on contributing to the economic development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, enthusiastic core members serving as leaders in youth volunteer associations, and representatives who had participated in cultural exchange activities. Though their fields varied, they all shared a quality of doing things in a down-to-earth manner and cultivating quietly, moving steadfastly forward on the paths they had each chosen.

As a soldier, honing my combat skills, loyally guarding my station, and standing every guard shift well—this is my duty and my calling. In every training session and guard duty going forward, I will sharpen the weapons in my hands further, strengthen my combat capabilities further, guard the lights of ten thousand homes behind me, and also protect the light of hope for the future of home and nation that shines in the eyes of these young people.

The ground we stand on is the same beloved land; the home we carry in our hearts bears the same name: China.

*(Compiled by: Chen Qi'an)*

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**Sharp Perspective: Let Every Seed of Patriotism Take Root and Sprout**

■ Luo Chao

For three consecutive years, the People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps has carefully organized the "United in Step, Strong Nation Has Me" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks program, creating a real-world national defense education classroom for youth from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, and building a "camouflage bridge (迷彩之桥)" of mutual understanding and deepened connection.

This bridge has opened up the natural link of shared bloodlines and shared cultural origins, opened a window for Hong Kong and Macao youth to understand the people's army and national defense development, and effectively stimulated their youthful energy to devote themselves to the great cause of national strengthening.

The new generation of Hong Kong and Macao youth, who have grown up amid the successful practice of "One Country, Two Systems" and the tide of Greater Bay Area integration, are full of vitality and broad in outlook. When they enter the barracks, listen to glorious battle histories and heroic deeds, witness the extraordinary achievements of national defense and military development in the new era, and personally experience the passion of barracks life, this three-dimensional experience is far more real and vivid than information obtained from books and screens, carries far greater penetrating power, and is far more conducive to planting deep within their hearts the seeds of love for the Party, love for the country, and love for the military.

As student representative Yang Junjie said: "The identification with home and nation rooted in the heart is the most substantial harvest of this journey. We look back on the enormous success of the country's reform and opening up, feel deeply the powerful vitality and unique appeal of 'One Country, Two Systems,' and see even more clearly the firm resolve and powerful strength of the people's army in safeguarding the steady and sustained implementation of 'One Country, Two Systems.'"

Strengthening the entire population's sense of national defense and deepening feelings of home and nation is a required course for all citizens. It is essential to promote the alignment of military education with civic education and national defense education, to innovate in educational forms and content, to attract people with the passion of live-fire training scenes, to move people with vivid stories of military strengthening, to educate people with the deep inheritance of shared bloodlines, to advance the normalization, institutionalization, and deepening of the Hong Kong and Macao Youth Into the Barracks program, and to let every seed of patriotism take root and sprout. When youth flourish, the nation flourishes; when youth are strong, the nation is strong. We must help Hong Kong and Macao youth deepen their understanding of national history, national conditions, and the trajectory of national development, guide them to seize national strategic opportunities such as the Greater Bay Area development, and consciously integrate their personal academic pursuits, careers, and aspirations into the overall framework of national development, contributing their youthful energy to maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao and building a world-class Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.