More than 3,000 newly-recruited young soldiers wearing a kind of new-type light, comfortable and warm uniforms and accessories left here by air for the mountainous Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China.

These soldiers are among the first group of troops in China's highland areas to wear the new clothing, according to Zhou Guotai, director of the Logistics Equipment Institute of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The new clothing is composed of 15 categories, ranging from overcoats to boots, featuring new technology and materials. They are environment friendly, cold resistant, sanitary, and smart, Zhou said.

The old uniforms worn by highland troops were mostly made of leather and cotton. The institute began studying the new clothing in 1997, and since then, a large number of experiments and innovations have been made to meet the needs of troops who are stationed in areas at an altitude of 4,000 meters or higher.

The new uniforms were widely welcome among officers and men who tried on them.

(People’s Daily November 29, 2003)