Just walk the Earth, like Caine in Kung Fu

Old habit is hard to break -- despite all those talks about mechanization, the PLA still prize their tradition of being man-portable (leg mobility).  The fact that all their crew service equipments can be broken down to pieces and carried on soldiers’ backs is very telling. 

It will not break China’s bank, if the CMC is to provide their "Marius' Mules" with a few decent pairs of boots, for Mao's sake.