Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion

Beijing Capital Garrison Honor Guard
北京卫戍区仪仗大队
Honor Guards marching
Active 1953-present
Country  China
Branch People's Liberation Army
Type Honor Guard
Role Military Police , Ceremonial Guard, Public duties
Garrison/HQ Beijing
Colors           Green and Red
March Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army
Equipment Type 56 ceremonial rifle
Insignia
Flag of the PLA
Ceremonial Shoulder Patch

The Beijing Garrison Honor Guard (Chinese: 北京卫戍区仪仗大队), also known as the PLA Honor Guard is a ceremonial honor guard and police unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is composed of representatives of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Honor Guard soldiers must be at least 192 cm tall. It performs the Changing of the Guard on Tiananmen Square and the raising of the Flag of China as well (starting 2018). It also greets foreign leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It has also performed at social events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics in and the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. It also has marched on Tiananmen square for the 35th, 50th and 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, as well as the Moscow Victory Day Parade in 2015 and the 2017 Pakistan Day parade.[1][2][3]

This honor guard battalion, while reporting directly to the Central Military Commission, falls under the operational control of the Central Theater Command. During parades, the battalion is led by a color guard detail bearing the PLA flag, a tradition which began in 1981. The battalion is associated with the Hong Kong Garrison Honor Guard Battalion.

History

From left to right: Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, George Marshall, Zhang Zhizhong, and Zhu De inspecting the battalion in 1946
The combined honour guard in 1972.

In 1946, the first Chinese ceremonial unit was formed in Yan’an to welcome the visit of General George Marshall, the special envoy of US President Harry Truman. In the 1950s, the battalion was tasked with guarding the Korean War negotiations.

Members of the BGHGB raised the Chinese national flag in Hong Kong in 1997 and in Macao in 1999.

In December 2017, the BGHGB officially attached the Beijing Garrison Color Guard Company as part of the battalion, formerly under the People's Armed Police, which had been responsible for flag raising ceremonies for many years.[4]

On May 13, 2015, 13 female Chinese soldiers who were added to the battalion made their debut during the welcoming ceremony for the President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan.[5]

In June 2018, the battalion created a separate female company made up of 55 female honor guards from the PLA as a result of the reforms in the ceremony of military honours for foreign leaders.[6][7][8][9]

Mission

The battalion in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade
At the 2015 China Victory Day Parade

Its missions include:

  • Guarding important public buildings in Beijing.
  • Providing honours for high ranking national personalities and foreign dignitaries in their visits to the Republic;
  • Providing guards of honour for state funerals of high-ranking officials of the Party and the Republic, deceased veterans of the PLA and active duty servicemen and women killed in action.

Ceremonial uniform

From its founding to 1955, the battalion did not have an official ceremonial uniform and just wore overcoats captured from the Japanese Army after World War II. From 1955, the battalion used Chinese made ceremonial uniforms for the first time. They would continue to use these uniforms until June 1, 1965, when they reverted to using regular infantry uniforms for the next 20 years. In 1987, Central Military Commission of China ordered a reform of army uniforms, ordering the battalion ceremonial uniforms once again, and on Oct. 1, 1992, the battalion gained ceremonial sabres.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2015-09/03/c_134582927_2.htm
  2. ↑ Sputnik. "Chinese Honor Guard Arrives in Moscow for First Time Ever". sputniknews.com. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  3. ↑ Guo, Xuezhi (2012-08-29). China's Security State: Philosophy, Evolution, and Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107023239.
  4. ↑ https://www.waonews.com/news/1436-The_historical_moment_Armed_Police_Tiananmen_flag_guard_cancel_the_designation_to_history.html
  5. ↑ http://m.scmp.com/news/china/article/1511230/theres-trooper-pla-honour-guards-skirts-and-boots-steal-spotlight-leaders?amp=1
  6. ↑ https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d3163544f77457a6333566d54/share.html
  7. ↑ http://www.atimes.com/article/plas-female-guard-of-honor-introduced-in-beijing/amp/
  8. ↑ http://m.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/xhtml1/features/spotlight/1806/2376-1.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.atimes.com/article/plas-female-guard-of-honor-introduced-in-beijing/amp/
  10. ↑ http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-08/26/c_134558199.htm
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