Fuxinggang Metro Station - The Young Women’s Marching Brigade | Guandu Metro Station “Carnival of the Animals” × Fuxinggang Metro Station “Big Contributions from Small Soldiers”

The Young Women’s Marching Brigade

In the past, Mulan village in Fuxinggang was the cradle of the Young Women’s Brigade. Even though the brigade came to an end after 56 years of service, memories of the “Mulan Trotting” section of the National Day military parade are still imprinted in the minds of the elder generation. The women were faithful to the ideals of Mulan, as is apparent from their emblem, which shows the legendary female warrior in a military uniform holding a weapon and riding a horse. Here, they are striding across the overpass that connects the platforms.

The Young Women’s Working Brigade

The Young Women’s Working Brigade was established on March 8, 1949, by General Sun Li-jen, who recruited over 300 young women from all over China to Taiwan. Members of the Brigade were also known as “Hua Mulan” within the army. Since 1960, they had been a staple of the National Day military parade, where 200 “Mulans” would march in total unison at a pace of 144 steps per minute. Their immaculate formation and distinct uniform of blue shirts and white skirts made them a hallmark of the beautiful, well-disciplined unit. After marching one last time in the National Day parade of 1991, the captivatingly graceful Mulan march has since faded into history.

Extended Reading

Have you seen videos of armed forces entertainment, where performers take to the stage and pull out all the stops to lift the spirits of our troops? These talented entertainers give it their all to help our fighters go through strenuous daily training and bring good cheer into their lives.

Today, there are K-pop girl groups; in the old times, there was the Young Women’s Brigade.

In this time of war, young women who wanted to contribute to their troops and country joined the Young Women’s Working Brigade established by General Sun Li-jen. Members underwent training at Fuxinggang, where their base of operations was Mulan Village, named after Hua Mulan. The women’s mission was to strengthen ideological education and raise morale in the military academy.

Their main focus was on cultural education in the army. They sang war songs and played music, studied dance and theater, led group activities, and shared stories of national heroes. Although they didn’t go into battle, they received good physical training. They also helped provide soldiers with counseling and guidance. When the nation was at war, soldiers relied on entertainment and activities provided by the brigade to temporarily relieve their stress and crack a smile. The brigade played a vital role and contributed significantly to the army.

If you think of them as merely smiling dolls in perpetual good cheer, you would be wrong. There was a time when the brigade was stationed in Kinmen that a battle erupted on their doorstep. Entertainment for the troops was out of the question, so the women dedicated themselves to helping with first-aid and supplies. “Knowing that we had received no training for battle, our leader gave us guns and ammunition, reminding us that we have to be prepared to put our country before ourselves if we are taken captive,” remembered Chang Qiu-xiang. She had always been afraid of the sight of blood, but she turned her focus on attending the soldiers in the medic station, helping them to quickly get back on their feet. At the time, some of the soldiers even had their wills written. “I used to get dizzy when I saw blood. During the battle, however, I was not even scared when I looked at soldiers whose bodies were disfigured and mangled by bombs. I just wanted to help ease their pain.”

The brigade was a vibrant group of women who brought joy and provided care for the army. They played a key role in raising the army’s spirits. Even though they have now become a remnant of history due to organizational restructuring, their presence will always be cherished in the hearts of many of our troops.