Marching with honor: Women soldier carrying the flag

Cheng Cheng trains for the military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cheng Cheng would never forget May 12, 2014, when she showed up with 12 other women soldier as the first females in the three-service honor guards to receive inspection by President Xi Jinping and visiting President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

"I was both thrilled and nervous," said the squadron leader. "I wasn't worried about myself; I was more concerned about my soldiers since it was the first time for most of them to attend such a great ceremony," Cheng recalled.

The debut of Cheng and her 12 teammates amazed the public and drew broad attention to the girls in uniform.

Cheng Cheng, a 29-year-old girl from Shandong, had always dreamed to become a solder since childhood. Influenced by her father who had an unfulfilled military dream, Cheng never stopped trying to become a real soldier. On the day of her 18th birthday, Cheng received admission from the Second Artillery Corps and became a signalwoman.

Cheng showed her gift in parade march and soon made herself stand out from others in the army, she always stood at the head of the row during parade.