BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- He left as a boy, but after two years in the army Zhao Songqing returned to college as a man.
Zhao, 23, an undergraduate, has now returned to Beijing-based Beihang University to complete his studies, one of 150,000 college army recruits in 2014.
In an attempt to add vigor and diversity to the military, China's armed forces have conscripted undergraduates since 2001, and an increasing number of highly educated students are joining up.
The army lets them express their patriotism in the most direct way possible: by putting down pens and picking up guns.
"It's a great honor for a soldier to make contributions to the nation and its people," Zhao said.
The most difficult but memorable period of Zhao's service was fighting severe floods with his fellow soldiers as China experienced a pattern of freak weather this summer.
Read the full story at Xinhua