Shao Xiaoqin: British general says she will be captain one day

On July 16, 2009, the Chinese Navy's Third Convoy Fleet left for the Gulf of Aden

In order to better fulfill their respective duties, higher authorities dispatched 7 female soldiers to the fleet. During the 150-odd days and nights, they performed their missions well. Along with the 800-odd male soldiers, they cruised the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the Somali Coast. The “floating territory” was their spiritual camp.

There is a 5-hour time difference between the Beijing Time and the time in the Gulf of Aden. People living in China were seeing the sunrise when the Chinese soldiers fell asleep at sea. The female soldiers would look toward the east each time the sun rose or set. One could find anxious expressions on their faces. Of course, they are daughters, wives and mothers. But, they are soldiers who have sailed the ocean.

Shao Xiaoqin: British general says she will be captain one day

Shao Xiaoqin

Young as Shao Xiaoqin is, she had an enviable experience

In 2002, she was a sophomore at the Nanchang University Medical College. At that time, China began to enroll university students into the army. Without hesitation, she joined the army and finally put on her long-desired army uniform. This girl from Shangrao became a member of one of the first batch of female soldiers from Jiangxi-based universities.

Two years later, she made the important decision to enter a military university. One year later, she enrolled in the Second Military Medical University and became a cadet wearing red shoulder straps.

In 2008, Shao Xiaoqin graduated from the university and was dispatched to a hospital affiliated with the East Sea Fleet. In front of the wary sea, she often wondered when she could sail the ocean.

On July 12, 2009, she received an order urging her to join the Third Convoy Fleet. She would be responsible for the medical duties for the fleet. It was at that time that she began to work on a warship for the first time. The name of the ship is "Zhoushan," and it is a command ship.