Invented Initiation:The College Students Military Training And Meaning Changes In China

With the rise and spread of individualization in modern China,great changes emerge in aspects of the whole society,even in some events which were suffused of nationality and ideology.This paper investigate the transformation of meanings of Junxun(college students military training)based on the fieldwork in a university of northern China mainland.Different from the original meaning of protecting homeland from the outside invasion,or being regarded as the politicalized body,Junxun has become more like an initiation for college students in recent years.It creates a communitas in which freshmen are erased of personal identity in terms of appearance,personality,sexuality,family and class background at start of new college life.They have to suffer exhaustion and hardship to fight for the collective glories and obey the instructors' orders.Interestingly,all of these procedures point to self-development rather than patriotism or obligations for the nation or society in the discourses and practices during the training.From the commanders of universities,the training instructors to every student,Junxun has been re-explained and reconstructed,with the color of nation fading away.Nationality could barely inspire individuals in practical life,and the individualization in China has more and clearer sign.