A total of 24 new army recruits from around China arrive in the Pingtan Comprehensive Zone.

A total of 24 new army recruits from around China arrived in the Pingtan Comprehensive Zone, Fujian province, on Nov 27 to start their service.

The recruits joined the People's Liberation Army on September 6, and then took part in basic training lasting 80 days in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian.

They will spend the next two months working on their physical condition and learning combat skills in preparation for their service with the Pingtan border forces.

They seemed to be looking forward to their time in the island county, and Li Huaizhu from Tangshan, in north China's Hebei province, said that he had a "good impression" of Pingtan, and the local soldiers had been very welcoming and tried to make them feel at home. He also said that he felt a great deal of team spirit and would work hard to improve his shortcomings and adapt to the new environment.

Hu Guanghua, from Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province, also said that they had received a warm welcome, and added that he would work very hard and aim to become a squad leader.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman