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Sunday 4 October 2009
China’s iron roses
The 500 women of the militia formation were the most talked-about contingent at the parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of China. They stole the show just like their predecessors did at the last parade in 1999.
The 500 women of the militia formation were the most talked-about contingent at the parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of China. They stole the show just like their predecessors did at the last parade in 1999.
By Peh Shing Huei 04 October 2009
Beijing: They wore red miniskirts, white go-go boots, perky white berets and make-up. And leading the contingent were two beautiful part-time fashion models.
The 500 women of the militia formation were the most talked about contingent at last Thursday’s parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of China.
The sexily turned-out women made up the rear of the march-past at Tiananmen Square but drew the loudest cheers from an audience awed as much by their goose-stepping precision as their good looks.
Even Chinese President Hu Jintao, who looked stern for most of the parade, smiled and clapped his hands when they came into sight.
Holding sub-machine guns across their puffed-up chests, the women stole the show just like their predecessors did at the last parade in 1999.
Only this time, compared to the formation in 1999, their skirts were even shorter and tighter, and the women even more smartly turned out.
The contingent was made up of civilians trained as soldiers for the parade but who are not part of the regular army.
Mao Zedong pushed for the setting up of a militia in the late 1950s to supplement the People’s Liberation Army in the event of an attack by the Kuomintang and the Americans.
While most government departments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) used to have regular militia squads which carried weapons and had annual training, the practice had been significantly downsized by the 1990s.
The militia has participated in the National Day parade since 1958. In 1984, an all-woman contingent was introduced. But dressed in blue slacks and white hats, the women looked decidedly dowdy and did not make an impression on viewers.
In the next parade in 1999, the troop of women surprised the nation with their scarlet uniforms, skirts and black boots.
They were well received by the media and the public, drawing the tag ‘iron roses’.
The contingent this year was put together following recruitment drives in universities, government departments, SOEs and also some private companies.
The search was for women between the ages of 17 and 25. To ensure uniformity, they had to be between 1.63m and 1.75m tall.
Those who made it through the qualifying rounds were locked in for 10 months of intense training at the Shahe National Parade Village in the northern outskirts of Beijing.
The selected marchers included teachers, university students, civil servants, village officials and even a few mothers and a PhD holder.
The dawn-to-dusk training was punishing for these civilians who had never received military training. Hardy military boots had to be changed a few times after months of rigorous goose steps.
As their trainer Li Yantian said: ‘The drills are demanding even for men. But they have proved that they are resilient. These girls may be born after 1980 and 1990, but they are tough, full of hope and can be depended on.’
The contingent was led by final-year fashion design students Zhao Na and Zhang Xiaofei, both 22, from China Women’s University, who have drawn much attention due to their good looks.
Pictures of the two flooded online forums after the parade, including photos of them doing the catwalk during rehearsal breaks and their modelling shots - some of them in bikinis.
Media reports said the two Shandong natives have known each other since their final year in high school, when they sat for university entrance examinations.
The pair are not exactly unused to the limelight though.
They were part of the troupe of immaculately turned-out women who assisted at medal presentations at last year’s Olympics. They have also modelled for carmakers Audi and Mercedes-Benz, as well as cosmetics brand L’Oreal.
The two women were nicknamed ‘Noodles’ by their mates because of their weak goose-step kicks when they first started training.
But they reportedly put in extra work with 20 more push-ups and 500 more goose steps than their counterparts daily, and earned the right to lead the formation that has now been tagged the ‘most beautiful phalanx marchers’ by Chinese netizens.
While the beautiful duo have drawn much praise, some netizens have also questioned the decision to choose former car models to represent the millions of real militia members in the country.
Such comments, however, were quickly drowned out by the swooning majority.
The militia contingent was not the only all-female marching contingent during the parade.
The all-woman People’s Liberation Army (PLA) contingent, made up of real soldiers, also impressed.
Not only were they poised and precise, but their short uniforms tightly cinched at the waist, black calf-length boots and made-up faces also made them a talking point.
The strong image projected by the women-only contingents during the 21/2-hour ceremony was seen by some as a symbol of gender equality in China.
Since the founding of the nation in 1949, the ruling Communist party has sought to raise the status of women, according them equal rights and bringing them into the workforce.
One netizen nicknamed Lingsihaowan said the display showed how ‘deeply rooted’ gender equality is in China.
Ms Zhao was also quoted as saying on China Central Television: ‘During the Olympics, we showed the world the beauty of Chinese women. For the parade, we show the world the steely determination of Chinese women.’
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China’s iron roses
The 500 women of the militia formation were the most talked-about contingent at the parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of China. They stole the show just like their predecessors did at the last parade in 1999.
By Peh Shing Huei
04 October 2009
Beijing: They wore red miniskirts, white go-go boots, perky white berets and make-up. And leading the contingent were two beautiful part-time fashion models.
The 500 women of the militia formation were the most talked about contingent at last Thursday’s parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of China.
The sexily turned-out women made up the rear of the march-past at Tiananmen Square but drew the loudest cheers from an audience awed as much by their goose-stepping precision as their good looks.
Even Chinese President Hu Jintao, who looked stern for most of the parade, smiled and clapped his hands when they came into sight.
Holding sub-machine guns across their puffed-up chests, the women stole the show just like their predecessors did at the last parade in 1999.
Only this time, compared to the formation in 1999, their skirts were even shorter and tighter, and the women even more smartly turned out.
The contingent was made up of civilians trained as soldiers for the parade but who are not part of the regular army.
Mao Zedong pushed for the setting up of a militia in the late 1950s to supplement the People’s Liberation Army in the event of an attack by the Kuomintang and the Americans.
While most government departments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) used to have regular militia squads which carried weapons and had annual training, the practice had been significantly downsized by the 1990s.
The militia has participated in the National Day parade since 1958. In 1984, an all-woman contingent was introduced. But dressed in blue slacks and white hats, the women looked decidedly dowdy and did not make an impression on viewers.
In the next parade in 1999, the troop of women surprised the nation with their scarlet uniforms, skirts and black boots.
They were well received by the media and the public, drawing the tag ‘iron roses’.
The contingent this year was put together following recruitment drives in universities, government departments, SOEs and also some private companies.
The search was for women between the ages of 17 and 25. To ensure uniformity, they had to be between 1.63m and 1.75m tall.
Those who made it through the qualifying rounds were locked in for 10 months of intense training at the Shahe National Parade Village in the northern outskirts of Beijing.
The selected marchers included teachers, university students, civil servants, village officials and even a few mothers and a PhD holder.
The dawn-to-dusk training was punishing for these civilians who had never received military training. Hardy military boots had to be changed a few times after months of rigorous goose steps.
As their trainer Li Yantian said: ‘The drills are demanding even for men. But they have proved that they are resilient. These girls may be born after 1980 and 1990, but they are tough, full of hope and can be depended on.’
The contingent was led by final-year fashion design students Zhao Na and Zhang Xiaofei, both 22, from China Women’s University, who have drawn much attention due to their good looks.
Pictures of the two flooded online forums after the parade, including photos of them doing the catwalk during rehearsal breaks and their modelling shots - some of them in bikinis.
Media reports said the two Shandong natives have known each other since their final year in high school, when they sat for university entrance examinations.
The pair are not exactly unused to the limelight though.
They were part of the troupe of immaculately turned-out women who assisted at medal presentations at last year’s Olympics. They have also modelled for carmakers Audi and Mercedes-Benz, as well as cosmetics brand L’Oreal.
The two women were nicknamed ‘Noodles’ by their mates because of their weak goose-step kicks when they first started training.
But they reportedly put in extra work with 20 more push-ups and 500 more goose steps than their counterparts daily, and earned the right to lead the formation that has now been tagged the ‘most beautiful phalanx marchers’ by Chinese netizens.
While the beautiful duo have drawn much praise, some netizens have also questioned the decision to choose former car models to represent the millions of real militia members in the country.
Such comments, however, were quickly drowned out by the swooning majority.
The militia contingent was not the only all-female marching contingent during the parade.
The all-woman People’s Liberation Army (PLA) contingent, made up of real soldiers, also impressed.
Not only were they poised and precise, but their short uniforms tightly cinched at the waist, black calf-length boots and made-up faces also made them a talking point.
The strong image projected by the women-only contingents during the 21/2-hour ceremony was seen by some as a symbol of gender equality in China.
Since the founding of the nation in 1949, the ruling Communist party has sought to raise the status of women, according them equal rights and bringing them into the workforce.
One netizen nicknamed Lingsihaowan said the display showed how ‘deeply rooted’ gender equality is in China.
Ms Zhao was also quoted as saying on China Central Television: ‘During the Olympics, we showed the world the beauty of Chinese women. For the parade, we show the world the steely determination of Chinese women.’
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