Why are Chinese soldiers’ quilts folded into tofu blocks?

A social youth does not prove that he has become a qualified soldier just because he wears the national defense green.

Being able to wear military uniform only proves that he has the right to wear military uniform within the scope of the law.

A necessary process is needed to ensure that he transforms into a soldier who can perform his mission well under any circumstances.

How can we transform an ordinary young man into a soldier with a lofty mission?

The author believes that it is important to inherit the military soul forged by generations of veteran soldiers with their blood and lives, and it is also important to inherit the military code of conduct created by generations of veteran soldiers with their wisdom and labor.

The first lesson in joining the army: folding the quilt.

For the first time, young people who have just escaped from the shelter provided by their parents and have not yet fully achieved psychological "weaning" realize that they are different from before, and this difference is not only reflected in changes in roles and responsibilities, but also in their outlook on life.

, values, and changes in behavior. Therefore, although folding quilts is not a big part of life, it does reflect and reflect profound connotations.

The rigorous and uniform style embodied in "Tofu Blocks" has become an invisible force, influencing batches of soldiers who enter the military camp and accompanying them throughout their military careers.

Soldiers carrying bedding on their backs began in post-Renaissance European armies.

After getting up every day, the soldiers folded the blankets very neatly to undergo strict inspection. If there were any mistakes, they would be starved and beaten with sticks.

The typical battle pattern of the European armies equipped with muskets at that time was for soldiers to stand straight in a horizontal line, march towards the opponent to the beat of the drum, and only fire after entering the shooting range.

This kind of "suicidal" close-range shooting and bayonet stabbing requires a very strong will and discipline. For this reason, these soldiers composed of peasant workers must be afraid of military discipline.

Military housekeeping has become an excellent way to cultivate team spirit, discipline and absolute obedience.

The Qing army did not fold quilts.

Most soldiers live with their wives and children in homes near the military camp. They wander to the military camp after breakfast, play on the playground for a while, and then go to the market to set up stalls or drink tea and play chess. There is no internal affairs training at all.

But when facing Western armies, its willpower is very weak.

The reason why the Qing army was defeated by the British army was not because swords and spears could not reach the British army as most people think. The British description of the two Opium Wars was that almost every time the Qing army fought, it collapsed instantly when the British army charged with bayonets.

After the Sino-Japanese War, Yuan Shikai began to imitate Western-style military training.

The New Army in the late Qing Dynasty was the first army in China to attach great importance to folding quilts.

As soon as new army soldiers join the army, they must undergo six months of hand-to-hand training and lectures, one of which is internal affairs.

According to the new army's internal affairs regulations, all uniforms, bedding, washbasins and toothbrushes are all issued uniformly.

Soldiers get a haircut once every half month, wash their hair with tea bran, and cut their nails frequently.

Immediately after getting up, tidy up the house, fold the felt quilt, and make everything neat and beautiful.

Officers are required to check the housekeeping at any time. They wear white gloves and check whether the quilts are folded neatly. If any problems are found, they will be punished.

A quilt 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide can be folded into a square of 0.5 meters long, 0.45 meters wide and 0.17 meters high within three minutes. Not only must the edges and corners be sharp, but the error must not exceed 0.5 cm.

This is the standard for folding quilts in some units of the People's Liberation Army.

The People's Liberation Army learned how to fold quilts from the Huangpu Military Academy.

At that time, the discipline of Huangpu Military Academy was very strict and the pace of life was very tense.

As soon as the bugle sounded in the morning, I immediately got up, dressed, and washed myself. I folded the quilt into a square shape like a piece of tofu and placed it in the center of the wooden bed.

Everything should be sorted out within 10 minutes, and then practice.

From the late Qing Dynasty to the founding of the People's Republic of China, the level of quilt folding was at two levels compared with today.

The 1960s was a turning point when quilt folding became popular throughout the PLA.

Various military units visited the Air Force compound, which was known as the cleanest camp in Asia at the time. One of the main contents of the study was to fold quilts.

Later, this kind of internal affairs sorting and evaluation was gradually retained as a basic content of grassroots management and construction of the army, and the requirements became higher and higher.

It is not an easy task to cut the same "tofu pieces" with a quilt stacking knife. The cotton in the quilt must be compacted, remove as much air as possible, fold it into a rough square, and then use your thumb and index finger to carefully

The reason why folding quilts has been persisted by the People's Liberation Army for a long time and even turned into a unique tradition is that this method of folding quilts is conducive to the execution of emergency tasks, especially in the form of folding quilts that are three in width and four in length.

The folding method is easy to fold and bundle, and can effectively ensure that the backpack straps do not fall off, which is beneficial to marching and fighting. Nowadays, the People's Liberation Army has new field backpacks, sleeping bags and other modern marching equipment, which effectively solves the problem of armed swimming in rainy and snowy weather in the past.

Under harsh conditions, it is inconvenient for soldiers to carry bedding on their backs, which greatly improves the combat effectiveness of the troops. The internal affairs project is actually a process of cultivating the officers and soldiers to be careful. The battlefield is dangerous. If the soldiers go to the battlefield, because

A soldier who lacks a careful and attentive character is doomed to defeat. A soldier is performing internal affairs for young military children. Nowadays, "internal affairs education" in China has become a means of cultivating patriotism and national defense education for students and young children.

One way. Instructors are teaching internal affairs skills to freshmen who have just entered college. Nowadays, "internal affairs education" has become a way to cultivate patriotism and national defense education among students and young children.