What we got here is a perfectly boring PR photo of the 73rd Group Army welcoming a fresh shipment of recruits a.k.a fresh meat into an infantry company. They’re carrying the standard QBZ‑191 5.8x42mm rifle, wearing the Type 21 uniform, and trying very hard to look serious for the camera.
One thing that jumped out: Through every uniform change, every equipment upgrade, every “new era” announcement, one thing has survived is the Lei Feng hat. Call it a fur hat, call it a winter cap, call it a “Chinese ushanka” if you enjoy living dangerously but it refused to change.
The PLA has changed uniforms so many times since 1949, from 1955, 1958, 1965, 1985, 1987, 2007 to the current 2021. Yet, the Lei Feng hat remains untouched, unchallenged, and apparently immune to modernization.
One more note: whatever you do, do not call it a “Chinese ushanka” in front of the PLA. They will correct you. Firmly. With feeling.
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