China’s new military recruitment strategy brings rap music into the picture, as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released a music video “filled with masculine lyrics and advanced weaponry” to attract young people to become soldiers.
According to China Daily, the new video, which is underscored by a rap song titled "Battle Declaration," seeks to entice young Chinese citizens to join the PLA.
Quite noticeably, the new video appears to be more directed to the young as previous videos have been made with the accompaniment of orchestral melodies and lyrics that are carefully worded to avoid coming out too violent.
This time, PLA decided it was time to incite intense passion and aggression in its youth with lyrics such as: "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?"
A rapper then goes on to "explain" the challenges as well as the merits of being part of the Chinese army as the video showcases images to back the words.
According to Quartz, the Chinese government has previously released videos with similar themes over the past year, including one that extolls the virtues of the extensive anti-corruption campaign led by President Xi Jinping as well as the clip from the Ministry of Public Security that warns against spies.
Aside from the interesting new twist in the melody and words, the three-minute clip also features the PLA's most advanced weapons and equipment including the J-11 fighter jet, the aircraft carrier Liaoning, the Type-99A tank, and the DF-11 ballistic missile.
A PLA publicity expert who only identified himself as Jiao said that the appearance of spacecraft and satellites in the video implies that "the PLA is no longer the poorly equipped one that they saw from TV dramas, but a powerful force as modernized as the United States military."