The elite force that guards the nation鈥檚 heart
Print Edition
As political commissar of the 10th detachment of the Chinese People鈥檚 Armed Police Force Beijing division, Wang Jianhua is fully aware of the importance of his job.
Wang鈥檚 detachment is in charge of security around Tian鈥檃nmen Square, the world鈥檚 largest city square, the geographic and symbolic center of Beijing.
The security of Tian鈥檃nmen Square, the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, and the National Museum of China are all the detachment鈥檚 responsibility.
鈥淭he security of Tian鈥檃nmen Square is of great symbolic significance to national stability,鈥 Wang said. 鈥淭ian鈥檃nmen Square is a place of utmost importance because of its political significance. This poses a tremendous challenge to our work.鈥
Wang鈥檚 detachment has every reason to be on full alert. Being the heart of the People鈥檚 Republic of China, Tian鈥檃nmen Square has been the site of many key events in Chinese history, including the founding of the republic.
Since the 1980s, more than 300 million people have come to Tian鈥檃nmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony.
On the walls of the dormitory of the National Flag Guard, part of the 10th detachment responsible for the escorting, raising and defending China鈥檚 national flag in the square, hangs a banner that reads 鈥淥ut of this door is the No. 1 sentry post of our homeland.鈥
China鈥檚 No. 1 sentry post demands the best armed police force. Efforts of the detachment have contributed to the success of marquee political events in China, including national congresses of the Communist Party of China, annual sessions of the National People鈥檚 Congress and state visits of foreign leaders.
This year鈥檚 CAPF Beijing combat capability competition was won by the detachment鈥檚 special operations squad.
A new soldier with the National Flag Guard has to practice marching steps for tens of thousands of times everyday. After two years of training, his march will cover a distance of more than 13,000 kilometers on average.
The region around Tian鈥檃nmen Square and the Palace Museum is home to some of Beijing鈥檚 most famous architecture. Construction of new buildings is generally not allowed, so the detachment has to make do with old buildings.
鈥淥ur dormitories may not be the best, but our morale is unrivaled,鈥 said Du Zeheng, logistics head at the detachment.
The detachment works in the public eye. 鈥淧eople see in us the image of Chinese military, so we always keep our boots highly polished and our uniforms spotless,鈥 said Zhang Haizhou, a squad leader with the detachment.
鈥淪ometimes tourists and their children salute us. That always makes us proud,鈥 said Zhang. A policeman from Australia once asked for a photograph with him while he was on duty. After Zhang told him it was against regulations, the policeman praised Zhang for his sense of duty.
In the case of an important international meeting or gathering, such as the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the soldiers act as guards for state guests. Those with better English help those who are weaker in the language to learn simple dialogues.
鈥淣ewer soldiers generally have better education and are better at English,鈥 said Liu Yu, 23, who scored 130 points out of 150 in the English test of China鈥檚 college entrance examination before joining the military.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 interesting is when foreigners try to talk with us in simple Chinese,鈥 added Liu.
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