Secret special military forces in China

You may have seen them on TV. They are often portrayed in movies and televisions as fierce super-humans. Today, we take a close look at what kind of training China's soldiers have to go through to become a member of the elite Special Forces.

“From now on, you will have no names, no titles, no ranks. You only have a code name, and what's that? Rookie, rookie, rookie!”

And this proclamation is just the beginning of a special forces training session, held annually at a military base in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province.

18 elite members are selected from soldiers and officers alike to participate in the training. They undertake training that other normal soldiers also have to go through, like lifting, but with a twist. There are no dumbbells in the weight room; instead, you have a 2000 pound assault boat. And push-ups.

In the field, there's no time to think about how to keep your face or clothes clean. Because the soldiers understand, on the real battlefield, a split second of inattention can have grave consequences.

Despite the sprinting, lifting, crawling, and shouting, physical pain is the least of it. The training is a real test of mental strength, of bravery, team spirit and most of all it's a struggle against human's deepest fear: death.

Soldier Chen Yuqiang told us, "I was really scared in the beginning. I didn't have much confidence because I was afraid it was just going to get more and more difficult. I didn't want to let my team down. But in the end I was able to persevere. Now I think as long as you keep at it, it doesn't matter what kind of difficulty is in front of you."

This is just one day at the training camp. Plenty more challenges will come the soldier's way. But they will fight on as they understand the sacred responsibility they have to protect the country and its people.

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