China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) seeks to entice potential young recruits with a new action-packed hip-hop music video showcasing every facet of the country’s armed forces. With intense imagery of fighter jets firing off rockets, tanks rolling across rugged landscapes and snipers hitting headshots, the video is certainly tailored towards a generation of young people who are often fixated by first-person shooter video games.
The video begins with a young PLA soldier donning a striking military uniform before a fierce voice exclaims, “There are always missions in soldiers’ minds, enemies in their eyes, responsibilities on their shoulders, and passions in their hearts. There could be a war at any time. Are you ready for that?”
For the next three minutes, the video is a montage of explosions, hand to hand combat and fighter jets coupled with a rap song titled “Battle Declaration.”
A new rap-style music video from China’s PLA seeks to attract a flurry of young new recruits. (People’s Daily, China/YouTube)
While previous PLA recruitment videos usually featured orchestral melodies and a softer tone, this music video is instead an over-the-top array of military imagery akin to a Hollywood movie.
Check out the recruitment video in its entirety below:
“Even though a bullet goes through my chest, the mission is still inscribed on my heart,” the song says. “Brothers, let’s follow the light. Roar with the spirit of an animal.”
“From the center to the borders. Let’s go to war. Let’s fight to win,” the song continues. “When we follow the commands of the party, the rising head of a loyal patriot. If I don’t bear the burden, who else will?”
The song’s lyrics are typical of Chinese propaganda which often focuses on requiring citizens to prioritize the needs of the People’s Republic.
A new rap-style music video from China’s PLA seeks to attract a flurry of young new recruits. (People’s Daily, China/YouTube)
The fast-paced music video puts the focus on China’s youth with the hopes of attracting “educated young people” amid concerns that many “spare no efforts” to avoid military service, according to the YouTube video’s description.
The video flashes scenes of training exercises, displays soldiers firing off weapons and exhibits a large selection of China’s military lineup.
A new rap-style music video from China’s PLA seeks to attract a flurry of young new recruits. (People’s Daily, China/YouTube)
Most of China’s latest military technology is featured in the music video, including the Liaoning, the country’s only aircraft carrier. Also included are the J-11 fighter jets launching various missiles, Type-99A tanks and DF-11 ballistic missiles.
The music video even contains images and video of Chinese satellites and spacecraft, highlighting some of the more notable advances in China’s military in recent decades.
