MCLC: spirit of Xu Sanduo

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: spirit of Xu Sanduo
***********************************************************

Source: China Brief, Jamestown Foundation vol. 13, no. 15 (7/26/13):
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D
=41182&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=25&cHash=90228011963ea89f200a9a944bb96a8d#.Uf
L6RWTwJgJ

The Spirit of Xu Sanduo: The Influence of China's Favorite
Soldier
By: Peter Wood 

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long history of promoting its own
group of moral heroes. Sino-Japanese War martyrs and hardworking
small-town cadres have all been used by the government to push social
values since the founding of the People's Republic. With an ongoing
rectification campaign and a “back to core values” attitude from the
state-controlled media, CCP heroes such as humanitarian soldier Lei Feng
are yet again being trotted out for the public (“Another Lei Feng Revival:
Making Maoism Safe for China,” China Brief, March 2, 2012).

This time, however, the public does not appear to be interested in the
CCP's moral star. A recent film showing Lei Feng's early life has become a
major flop at the Chinese box office and the lack of interest begs the
question of who will take his place (Xinmin Wanbao, March 7). The disaster
of “Young Lei Feng” indicates many of these old stalwarts of Chinese
Communist propaganda are failing. Lei Feng and his fellows are in clear
need of an update and the choices the Communist leaders make—by keeping
Lei Feng in the pantheon or creating more updated versions—will say a lot
about how sensitive the Party can be to modern Chinese sensibilities. The
irony is that such an icon already exists and is readily embraced by the
public: Xu Sanduo. Despite being a name that wields enormous cultural
cachet, Xu is not even a real person, but a character from a popular TV
series almost seven years ago.

Overview of Soldier’s Sortie

The series, Shibing Tuji or, Soldier’s Sortie, follows a fairly
straightforward plot. A young man, Xu Sanduo (whose very name implies that
he was an extra, unwanted child) from the countryside is conscripted for
two years, where he hopes that he will be able to make something of
himself. His strong regional accent, lack of formal education or family
support make him a hopeless recruit—leading to some hilarious antics and
gut-wrenching moments. Frustrated with Sanduo's apparent incompetence, his
superiors quickly shunt him to a second-tier unit out in hinterlands,
where eventually his hard work, good nature and indomitable spirit shine
through. He comes to be regarded as a talented, if still somewhat goofy,
recruit. Given a slot at the Special Forces training course, Sanduo passes
where others fail and makes a name for himself. Later, during combat
operations against drug smugglers he sees death up close and has to deal
with the psychological consequences. He eventually recovers and returns to
the Special Forces unit.

In contrast to the comically flat characters and repetitive plot lines of
most Chinese military dramas, Soldier’s Sortie dealt with real world
issues 
at both a personal level and within the Chinese military. The show’s
commitment to realism and lack of convenient plot devices is what made it
have such a large impact on Chinese audiences. While several series have
since sought to replicate the success of Soldier’s Sortie, the series has
remained consistently the most popular of the genre and retained a high
rating on Chinese websites. For example, on Douban.com—the Chinese
equivalent to the English-language Internet Movie Data Base—the show
received an 8.9/10, a very high score. There is no omnipresent host of
“bad guys” belonging to an easily identifiable oppressive power.

Unresponsive bureaucracy and incompetence, exemplified by uncomprehending
uniformed civilians (wenzhi renyuan) and soldiers just biding their time
until their contracts are up are the clearest negative characters. In an
early episode for example, the propaganda department of the regiment Xu
Sanduo is first assigned to is clearly viewed as being far out of touch
with the realities of soldiering. The culture clash between the desk-bound
and field elements of the military is a recurring theme. This stands in
contrast with enemies in the form of heavily-armed drug smugglers, who
appear later in the series to serve more as a test of the main characters
mettle rather than a threat or moral example.

Throughout the series, Xu Sanduo displays a limited understanding of the
broader changes occurring around him, often to the frustration of his
platoon and squad mates. He nevertheless soldiers on, invoking a
philosophy of “you yiyi jiushi haohao huo, haohao huo jiushi zuo hen duo
you yiyi de shi,” roughly translated as "to live well is to do meaningful
things, doing many meaningful things is to live well". This phrase has
become a motto of sorts, repeated more naturally and more seriously than
official slogans (Xinhua, January 9, 2008).

An Unlikely TV Phenomenon and the Spirit of Xu Sanduo

With a number of female bit-parts that can be counted on one hand (two, in
the authors recollection), and hence no real traditional Chinese love
story, one might have anticipated Soldier’s Sortie to be a flop. One
Shanghai paper marveled at how a TV show without “beautiful women,
celebrities or a love story" could become so popular (Liberation Daily,
December 4, 2012). Yet, despite a lack of these ingredients, it turned
into a sensation, becoming one of the most popular Chinese television
series. By all indications, the series did not benefit from much official
help or promotion. In fact, it was first broadcast on Shanxi provincial
television in December of 2006 with mixed results, but was then swapped as
a digital file among fans before being rebroadcast to larger audiences.
Subsequent attempts to cash in on the success of Soldier's Sortie, such as
I am a Special Forces Soldier (Wo shi tezhongbing) have been strongly
derided for being poor copies. The series wields such large cultural
cachet due to Chinese military enthusiasts (junmi) who form a large viewer
demographic. 

The series has had an impact far beyond just entertainment. At a time when
the Chinese military is having an ever-greater difficulty attracting
recruits who fit physical and educational requirements, Soldier’s Sortie
inspired many students to challenge themselves mentally and physically by
joining (Frontier Police News, June 29, 2010). Perhaps more importantly is
what Soldier’s Sortie has done culturally.

In a society that is more and more raised on KFC and McDonalds and to whom
the military is no longer the only ticket off of the ancestral farm or out
of the second-tier city, military life had lost much of its appeal, and
the quality of PLA recruits had dropped significantly. Obesity, for
example has become a major problem. The issue became so pressing that in
2011, the PLA altered its weight standards for new conscripts in a bid to
increase recruitment. Financial incentives also were added to help attract
more educated recruits (Global Times, November 3, 2011).

The biggest issue in recent years, however, has been cultural. Recruits
often have unrealistic expectations of a cushy time in training. The one
child policy and dramatically-improved standards of living created a
culture of entitlement. In one example of such conflicts, recruits
reportedly offered to pay to have their own rooms during training
(Southern Weekend, March 3, 2011).

The unvarnished, frank portrayal of ordinary Chinese soldiers lives in
Soldier’s Sortie directly challenged this sort of attitude by having a
main character, who by no means a natural, chose to work hard and
challenge himself because it was the right thing to do. One illustrative
moment occurs early in the series. Despite having been sent to a remote
unit known for its lax standards and status as a dumping ground for
lackluster soldiers. Sanduo goes to great pains to continue training,
eventually gaining the respect of his unit and inspiring his squad leader
to regain honor. Interestingly, Xu Sanduo's perseverance in the face of
adversity has made him a role model at a time when Chinese perceive
themselves as being too entitled and used to comfort. Xu Sanduo, or
rather, “Xu Sanduo's type,” has become an easily recognizable persona and
those who are hard working are therefore often labeled as “Xu Sanduo de
yangzi” or “Like Xu Sanduo” (Xinhua, May 10; China Military Online, May
30, 2012; People's Armed Police News, January 2, 2012).

In much the same way that Lei Feng's “spirit” is invoked in official
media, Xu Sanduo's name similarly is referenced to evoke certain feelings
of hard training and camaraderie. The state media organization Xinhua
periodically does picture or news spreads about various units “displaying
the spirit of Xu Sanduo” (Xu Sanduo de jingshen). The name Xu Sanduo has
such a strong ability to evoke certain ideas that it is commonly used in
military-related media, unsurprising given the series widespread
popularity within the Chinese military (PLA Daily, March 1). Like a social
meme then, the character and his name have taken on significance far
beyond the series itself. Recent reporting on volunteers and soldiers
involved in rescue operations after the recent earthquake in Sichuan
reflects the power of Xu Sanduo's image. One reporter interviewed several
soldiers who said they closely identified with Xu Sanduo's background and
experiences. Sanduo has become a popular—and not entirely unkind—nickname
for those with a strong regional accent and perhaps a slower way of doing
things. Another interviewee, Liu Xudong, said he joined the military as a
result of a friend showing him Soldier’s Sortie (Sichuan Online, May 6).
That is a significant endorsement of the power of a fictional character
that is not the direct product of a propaganda department.

A Realistic View of the PLA

Central to its social impact is the degree of realism used throughout the
series. Soldier’s Sortie takes place during a dynamic time within the PLA.
While the director certainly took creative license with some aspects of
the series, Soldier’s Sortie is notable for its illustration of real
issues. Ultimately, the PLA's modernization provides the backdrop to the
series. Between 2005 and 2006, the approximate setting of series, the PLA
completed an important round of modernization that included major
reductions and reorganization of personnel. Other important issues such as
mechanization and informatization—the two keystones of China's military
modernization over the last 20 years—are all dealt with in the series.

After proving himself in a backwater unit Xu is assigned to an armored
reconnaissance unit attached to the “Steel 7th Company.” Various training
exercises involving the Type 89 armored personnel carrier used by such
recon units are shown as are helicopter operations. Eventually, the “Steel
7th” is stood down and reorganized during the personnel cuts completed in
2005. This itself becomes a major plot point. At one point the regiment's
commander emphasizes that modern vehicles require fewer men (reflecting,
for example, the shift to automated loading cannons for main guns in
modern PLA tanks) and that more specialized skills must become standard
(“Reforming the People’s Liberation Army’s Noncommissioned Officer Corps
and Conscripts,” China Brief, October 28, 2011). The pace of modernization
and the inconsistency in levels of equipment between units it creates is
apparent. Second-tier or garrison units are shown as having much older
types of equipment in contrast to newer and more elite units. For example,
the series shows the former using Type 87 woodland camouflage and the Type
81 assault rifle, while the latter use the digitized camouflage Type 07
uniform and type QBZ-95 bullpup rifles. Soldiers Sortie’s usefulness,
however, goes beyond just illustrating different types of equipment.

The series addresses sensitive issues rarely seen in the media. The human
consequences of the PLA's modernization are clearly illustrated. New
emphasis on technical skills for example, is having a
generational-turnover effect by pushing out soldiers without them
("Noncommissioned Officers and the Creation of a Volunteer Force," China
Brief, September 30, 2011). Older soldiers, who are without specialized
knowledge or skills, are drummed out of the service. In the series, Xu's
squad leader, an older enlisted man, is given the chance to leave the PLA
with a degree of honor despite having lost his heart for real soldiering
years ago. In real life, there would be a question of what a soldier with
years of service under his belt would do after returning to his home. More
disciplined than his neighbors, often nursing a grudge against the system,
such a person would be a strong candidate to get involved in local
politics. This perhaps explains why many protests about other
issues–environmental or political–often have former military leaders at
their head. 

Soldiers Sortie pulls few punches when addressing issues of poor
leadership and corruption. Several officers and enlisted non-commissioned
officers are clearly singled out as being incompetent. Others are
intimated as having been the benefit of nepotism, in both cases a shift
from typical black and white characterizations. The commander of the 7th
Company, for example, having thought he achieved his position on merit
alone, is shocked to discover that his father's identity and level
influence (as a high ranking officer) is well known throughout the unit.
Years later, these issues have yet to be fully addressed. Chinese National
Defence University professor and Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu famously
pointed to corruption as being the PLA's biggest weakness in his book Why
the PLA Can Win(Jiefangjun weishenme neng ying) (Ming Bao, [Hong Kong]
March 28, 2012). The PLA certainly has been a target for austerity
measures and most recently, an audit of its property assets (China News
Net, June 22; “Commander-in-Chief Xi Jinping Raises the Bar on PLA ‘Combat
Readiness’,” China Brief, January 18). Soldiers Sortie is not a political
series, yet its coverage of technical and political issues in realistic
ways have helped cement its position as a popular series.

Even if many of the military modernization elements seem a little outdated
to seasoned PLA watchers, the series has become a touchstone for Chinese
civilians to understand the Chinese military in a country where discussion
of many topics is quite limited. Revealingly, in a rare interview with
officers from a PLA special forces unit, a reporter from state television
several times asked the officers to compare their experiences with those
shown in Soldier Sortie, even asking which character they related to the
most (Xinhua, April 1, 2008). In the interview it is clear that most of
her knowledge about such matters comes from familiarity with the series.
Though the PLA is accorded a high place within Chinese society, such
attitudes are not rare.

Conclusion

While not a documentary by any means, the series should be a standard for
China Watchers and researchers of the PLA for the perspective it gives on
these issues. Without an English subtitled version, for now, Soldier’s
Sortie will remain accessible only to those with Chinese language skills.
The wealth of useful information and its continuing cultural cachet should
make it a high priority for language students or those with an interest in
Chinese military affairs. The image of an earnest, grinning Xu Sanduo will
certainly remain as an inspiration for Chinese to join the ranks of the
PLA.
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