More than 400 veterans from Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, watched an artistic performance on August 1, as China marks the 92nd anniversary of the People's Liberation Army.
There are more than 50,000 veterans in Qingdao West Coast New Area, where China's first district-level service center for military ex-servicemen was founded in 2017. Veteran service stations were then set up at the township and village levels.
Since 2018, the local government has collected more than 51,300 pieces of information about veterans in the region, allocated 595,300 yuan ($85,752) in subsidies and provided job opportunities for more than 100 veterans including retired military soldiers and officers, according to an official report local government sent to the Global Times.
The effort made by this first pilot project demonstrates how China puts an emphasis on the placement of ex-servicemen.
The newly established center also made efforts to handle the appeals of veterans who had disputes with local governments over their placement. Police detained 10 people for staging illegal demonstrations and violently assaulting police in the name of "military veterans" in Pingdu, Qingdao in October 2018.
Live in honor
Sun Maoyu, a veteran-turned entrepreneur in the food industry, who left the army in 1984, told the Global Times that he felt the country's concern for veterans had increased significantly in the last two years.
There are more than 57 million veterans in China, and the number has been growing by hundreds of thousands each year, according the Xinhua News Agency.
Sun was excited when the Ministry of Veterans Affairs was unveiled in April 2018, describing it as "a second home for veterans."
"On the one hand, it shows recognition and respect for this group, on the other hand it presents a more professional way to solve veterans' problems, making their voices heard in various levels of local government," Sun told the Global Times.
"Soldiers have the power to influence society, thus a positive guidance is very crucial," said Sun.
As a veteran, Sun has always believed that what veterans value is the joy of a relatively high social status due to their contributions to the liberation and peace of China.
"The 'priority access for soldiers' in public places is a good example. I hardly ever really used them on a business trip, but that makes you warm," said Sun.
Sun's family was granted with the title "Home of Glory," and he felt esteemed for his devotion in pursuit of national defense. Each time he met a neighbor in need of help, he did not hesitate to give a hand.
As for whether you can obtain substantial wealth, you still have to rely on yourself but not the country, Sun said. "It's undeniable that China's rapid growth in recent years has made it difficult for some veterans, especially those with limited skills, to reintegrate into the digital and commercial economy. But the country should not be blamed for this."
