China Honors 12 Model Service Members Ahead of 99th PLA Anniversary

On July 31, 2026, ahead of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, China's Publicity Department and the Central Military Commission's Political Work Department jointly commended 12 service members as the 'Most Beautiful Revolutionary Soldiers of the New Era.' The selected personnel represent key operational and support roles, including special operations, naval command, aviation, cyber research, and political education, reflecting Beijing's ongoing emphasis on political loyalty, technological focus, and combat readiness.

The joint commendation highlights the People's Liberation Army's current organizational priorities across modernization, emerging domains, and combat readiness. By elevating personnel from high-tech research and joint operations alongside traditional political roles, military leadership reinforces its focus on preparing force capabilities to meet centenary development goals.

Ahead of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), top Chinese publicity and military authorities jointly recognized 12 military personnel with the title of 'Most Beautiful Revolutionary Soldiers of the New Era.' The official list was jointly released by the Central Propaganda Department and the Central Military Commission Political Work Department on July 31, 2026, according to reports published by state news agency Xinhua and carried by military state media outlets. The 12 individuals named in the joint release are Li Can, Wang Xiaoming, Wang Tao, Bu Jiawen, Zhou Hongchao, Gao Debao, Gu Qiaoyun, Wang Wenbin, Zhang Feng, Chang Chao, Fan Hanjie, and Chen Yuhao. The group represents a wide spectrum of operational, technical, and command roles across the military. Recognized personnel include political instructors focused on ideological training, frontline troop leaders, staff officers handling operational planning, and special operations personnel focused on practical combat exercises. The list also highlights naval command personnel navigating open ocean missions, military aviators, cyber and network-information research pioneers, researchers working on emerging technological domains, equipment support technicians, and national defense mobilization personnel serving along coastal defense lines. Official coverage stated that the commendation is intended to implement Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military and the strategy of political military-building in the new era. Authorities framed the selected service members as exemplary models emerging from efforts to strengthen political loyalty, push forward operational training, and support the PLA's goal of achieving its centenary development target.