In the virtual online world, the honor guard of China's three armed services is known as "the most handsome national business card" because of its unique charm. They are the shining stars of international events, and their every move reflects the dignity and glory of the country.
The courtesy guns in their hands were improved from the "56 and a half" of great historical significance, and every neat and uniform "splitting gun" action was eye-catching and breathtaking.
Since ancient times, China has had the concept of honor guards, and its main role is to create a solemn atmosphere by the guards holding flags, umbrella covers, barrier fans, weapons and other prescribed items in front of them when important people travel.
According to historical records, ancient emperors such as Shennong, Huangdi, and Yao all had their own special ceremonial guards, and later emperors also continued to innovate to improve the sense of ceremony.
In addition to the sense of ceremony, the majesty and visual effect of the ceremonial guard can also dispel idlers, and some of the ceremonial guards also have more specific functions.
In English, in the Book of Han"guard of honour"The word is directly translated as:"Guards of glory", a term that conveys the similarity of meaning between the East and the West.
Due to the importance of the guard of honor, countries regard the highest level of honor guard as the first window to show the image of the country, whether it is personnel, clothing, equipment, or their behavior, they have been carefully considered.
In China, the highest protocol task is the honor guard of the navy, land and air force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army"Guard of honor of the three services"。At important international events, they always serve as a vanguard to welcome and salute.
In the friendship between countries, the honor guard of the three services is the messenger of our national dignity. Although its birth dates back to before the founding of the People's Republic of China, its existence is still extremely meaningful in a difficult environment.
In March 1946, Truman, then the United States, sent Marshall's five-star general to visit China. The 500 selected soldiers from the famous "Northern Shaanxi Jiangnan" Nanniwan garrison showed their tenacity and dedication not only to prepare for war through arduous training and study, but also to work in the fields.
The commander and political commissar of the 1st Brigade and the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade urgently selected them and personally led them, and their courage and determination made them a legend in Chinese history.
Although it did not receive special training and was equipped with special **, this honor guard composed of 500 soldiers successfully completed the task with its high-spirited spirit and excellent execution.
The ** in their hands was also captured from the Japanese invaders. This guard of honor was the first of its kind in our country, and they returned to their original unit station after Marshall's visit, and their next mission was to defend Yan'an.
With the increase in exchanges between our country and other countries, it is becoming more and more important to establish a regular honor guard and celebrant team. At the beginning of 1952, ** and *** gave instructions, and *** personally paid attention to the selection, and formed a guard of honor and ceremonial team in strict accordance with the standards.
This contingent has undergone many changes and adjustments, and has always shouldered the task of showing the demeanor of the army and the image of the country on various occasions, such as welcoming foreign guests, laying flowers at the Monument to the People's Heroes, military parades, and major meetings.
In 1956, it was further upgraded to a tri-service honor guard composed of the navy, land and air force; In 2014, it was even more honored to introduce female honor guards. From Kim Il Sung, Khrushchev, Nixon, Kakuei Tanaka, and later leaders of various countries, their visits were warmly welcomed by this unit.
After the 80s, with the increasing frequency of exchanges between our country and other countries, the types of tasks undertaken by this team have also increased. Whether it is the return of Hong Kong, the return of Macao, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, or the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and other major occasions, this "military pacesetter" can be seen.
The courtesy guns used by the honor guards of the three services are not exactly the same in actual combat, but have unique features. This semi-automatic rifle, known as the "56 and a half", is the first semi-automatic rifle manufactured by our country, and has served in the army for nearly 30 years, which is of milestone significance.
In the 50s of the last century, China gradually established its own military industry with the help of the Soviet Union, and the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, as one of the products of this wave of struggle, was born from the Soviet-made SKS semi-automatic rifle, which has the advantages of simple structure and easy manufacturing and maintenance.
Any production must be in your own hands to ensure that it is not constrained by others. At the same time, the large-scale installation of this semi-automatic rifle has also successfully solved the problem of inconsistent specifications in our country and eliminated potential risks in the logistics system and material allocation.
Although the lack of uniformity in specifications may not seem like a big problem, if it is not handled properly, it may lay many potential "landmines" for logistics systems and material allocation.
This is the reason why the 'International Firearms Exhibition' of the Indian and other ** teams has been questioned. After the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle became famous in the Sino-Indian self-defense counterattack in 1962, although it is no longer the main ** of the army, its influence is still strong.
This is mainly due to the mass production of '56 and a half' during the construction of the third line, as well as its use as a live-fire gun for military training of college students. ”
The 56 and a half "was chosen as a courtesy gun because of its significance and extensive use. Although the Type 81 automatic rifle, the Type 56 submachine gun, and the Type 95 automatic rifle have successively played an important role in the troops, the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle has always maintained a solid position in the troops with high demand based on ceremonial needs.
One of the important factors is the "split gun". So, what is a "splitting gun"?
When the people in the neat line step on the "salute line", the flag bearers change from carrying the flag to carrying the flag, while the others change from walking in unison to walking in a positive step. At the same time, their upper body movements are changed from shoulder guns or lifting guns to end guns, and the three-edged thorns equipped with the front end of the rifle are split diagonally in front at the same moment, which is the well-known splitting gun action.
Some researchers believe that the movements such as walking in unison and walking in the march of the queue originated from the tactical actions of the period when the rifle firepower was weak, while the action of splitting the bayonet reflected the momentum and determination of the arrow to be ready for the string and not hesitate to fight.
Even now, although the tactical meaning of these actions has changed, the sense of power and oppression they contain is still retained, and we can feel the heroism and determination of that soldier.
Because of its special design, the 56 and a half rifle is known as the most suitable for splitting the gun. The length of this rifle makes the splitting action visually and audibly superior to other rifles.
In addition, the need to keep the shoulder gun state before splitting the gun makes the 56 half rifle need to perform a lower shoulder sinking gun action before splitting the gun, which makes the 56 half rifle split gun action is simply and crudely summarized as "three-stage split gun" or "three guns".
This kind of action is atmospheric and powerful, the sound effect is uniform, and the momentum is magnificent, and it is recognized as the most domineering spear splitting action.
The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle has been lengthened, and its slender body, sharp bayonet, retro-style combination of wood and metal, and appearance characteristics that are ideal for splitting the gun are very suitable for ceremonial guns.
While the length of the protocol gun is increasing, the actual combat gun is developing in the direction of removing the butt and shortening the overall length in order to meet the needs of infantry mechanization and urban street fighting.
Although it can shoot normally, the protocol guns used by the honor guards of the three services will not be fired when performing protocol duties. All firing pin parts are removed and placed in a dedicated department for centralized storage.
As the firing pin is removed, when the gun body is shaking, the other parts hit each other, making a "click" sound similar to that of a load. As the "collective spokesperson" of China's national style, the honor guard of the three services of the People's Liberation Army is known as "the world's best honor guard", and was even praised by Queen Elizabeth II as "unparalleled in the world".