Get ready for roll call,Yunnan Adventure Travel

Get ready for roll call

More college students applying for entry into the military, Zhao Shengnan reports in Beijing.

Earlier this summer, Wang Guoben, a 22-year-old junior at Peking University, made a decision that surprised his parents and peers: To postpone the last year of his studies and join the People's Liberation Army.

"I think a lot of young people don't know what they really want. I don't either, but I don't want to just follow the crowd. I hope to find the answers in the military before I graduate," said the international studies student.

Wang, who achieved one of the highest marks in the 2010 national college entrance examination among students in Wuhan, Hubei province, is also the co-founder of an educational organization, earning a monthly salary of more than 6,000 yuan ($980).

"I don't worry about my future at all, given that the preferential policies for college students that the military is providing this year are quite attractive and will actually diversify our options after graduation," said the fashion-conscious applicant, who wore a silver-sequined emerald T-shirt, cut-off khaki pants and a pair of bright orange suede shoes, as he underwent the physical checks required for recruitment in early August.

He's one of a rising number of college students lured by China's first summer and autumn recruitment program, which has replaced the winter recruitment campaign that had been in place for 23 years.

This year, national recruitment has been in full swing since August 1, following hot on the heels of graduation in July, in a bid to entice more highly educated students to join China's increasingly modern military.

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