All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources of information and is detailed at the end of the article
Text/Editor: Look at Mr. Zhang
In the People's Liberation Army on the mainland, there has always been a special traditional culture, that is, the boxy "tofu block", which not only represents the strict military discipline of the mainland army, but also ensures that the dormitories are neat and uniform.
But it was this inconspicuous culture of internal affairs that attracted the attention of the Western powers, and even the United States was shocked by the military discipline of the mainland PLA.
The origin of the "tofu block" quilt
In fact, "tofu blocks" is a compulsory course for every soldier on the mainland, and it is also the first skill for new recruits after joining the army.
In the army, every soldier uses the same quilt, and their specifications are 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, but the first lesson of the recruits is to fold this quilt into the shape of a tofu block in 3 minutes.
If there is a slight flaw in the fold, then it will definitely be criticized by the squad leader or the company commander, you must know that the "tofu block" is a soldier's masterpiece, if the quilt is not folded well, how to become a soldier.
Of course, this also makes many people puzzled: Is it true that the PLA just folds quilts every day in the army? What is the purpose of folding them into "tofu blocks"?
The internal affairs of the army will also affect the combat effectiveness of the army, but the behavior of stacking "tofu blocks" in the army first appeared in the Prussian army in the 19th century, and later countries around the world began to follow suit.
In 1935, the mainland also began to pay attention to the internal affairs of the army, and announced that if you want to become a qualified soldier, you must have uniform internal affairs standards, but stacking "tofu blocks" has become the first internal affairs regulation in the army.
Although it is not difficult on the surface, it is actually very difficult to operate, which is also a good way to hone the patience of a soldier.
Over time, many countries in the world have begun to stack "tofu blocks".
The ice has been broken in Sino-US relations
Later, the US military even came to the mainland for a period of time to study in order to learn how to stack "tofu blocks," and of course this became an important factor in the restoration of Sino-US relations.
You must know that in the seventies and eighties of the last century, the relationship between China and the United States has been in a state of tension, and the United States at that time imposed blockades and restrictions on China's technological fields in order to restrict China's economic development.
Later, U.S. President Richard Nixon experienced China's sincerity in China through his visit to China, and saw many of China's characteristic etiquette, and of course, the People's Liberation Army's dormitory made Nixon's eyes shine.
Generally speaking, the dormitory was just a place to sleep, so why did Nixon shine?
Just after Nixon walked into our army's dormitory, what caught his eye was a neat and uniform housekeeping, especially the boxy "tofu block" that Nixon praised again and again.
Just after he returned home, the first thing Nixon did was to follow the example of the Chinese army, rectify the internal affairs of the army, and let American soldiers practice folding "tofu blocks" on the playground every day.
But after a period of practice, the American soldiers did not even fold out a "tofu block", which also made Nixon angry, why can't a seemingly small thing be done?
Later, the U.S. military tried various methods, but even with molds, it could not fold the effect of "tofu blocks", and it seems that only Chinese soldiers can fold such an effect.
Many countries want to learn
In order to learn how to fold "tofu blocks," the United States sent many American officers to study in Chinese military camps, and until they learned how to do so, not only the United States, but also many countries around the world were particularly interested in the "tofu blocks" stacked by the mainland PLA, and even formed an observation group to study in China.
To this day, the internal affairs standards of the soldiers of the mainland PLA are also among the best in the world, especially in 2019, when the mainland PLA participated in the 7th Army International Exercise, when the foreign participants saw the Chinese soldiers folding the quilt, they were instantly conquered, and every foreigner's face showed an incredible expression.
It took less than 3 minutes for the Chinese soldiers to fold the quilt into a boxy "tofu block", and even some foreign soldiers did not believe it at all, and they could not achieve the shape of the quilt with water chestnuts no matter how much they tried.
It is understood that when these foreigners fold quilts in the army, they are basically as casual as we fold quilts at home, and when they see the operation of the PLA, they look even more unlovable, and if they are allowed to fold them, it may take a month.
The matter of folding quilts has always been envied by the armies of countries around the world, and at the same time, folding quilts into "tofu blocks" has different controversies at home and abroad.
There are many people who believe that the duty of a soldier is to defend the country, and it is not enough to focus all his energy on how to fold the quilt, and the housekeeping of the dormitory is not messy.
So, should the PLA continue to pass on the tradition of folding quilts?
Tofu cubes are housekeeping, but also discipline
For the People's Liberation Army, the requirements for internal affairs have always been quite strict, every soldier starts from folding quilts, in military life, not only the quilts are required to be folded neatly, other requirements must also have certain regulations.
In order to formulate a unified standard, whenever a recruit joins the army, the first skill he learns is to fold the quilt, but in order to make the quilt fold out of the standard, the squad leader will even take out a ruler to measure the data of each soldier folding the quilt.
For every soldier who has just enlisted in the army, the quilt must not only be folded out of standardization, but also have a strict eyeball in time, everyone must fold the "tofu block" within three minutes, otherwise they will be criticized by the squad leader until it is completed within a reasonable time.
The reason why the mainland's PLA has strict requirements on internal affairs is to standardize discipline in the armed forces and make the PLA a force with strong combat effectiveness, rather than a team that seems to be lazy and lazy and must have no combat effectiveness.
At the same time, we also believe that the fighters trained in this way must have a very strong sense of discipline and teamwork, and can also improve the combat effectiveness of the mainland.
Although the issue of internal affairs is a very small matter, we can see the combat effectiveness of the troops, and only with strict military discipline can we have strong strength to defend the country and the people.
References
Huanqiu.com, November 4, 2019 -- It's so difficult! Foreign soldiers learn to fold "tofu blocks" in the Chinese army, and their expressions light up
China Military Network, December 24, 2014 - Military culture with Chinese characteristics: "tofu block" quilt past and present
China Youth Daily, September 8, 2017 -- Military training is useless? In fact, you have gained more than just "tofu blocks"