16 October 2006

Footage of Type 99 MBTs on CCTV4

I don't know if anyone here can receive Chinese CCTV4. Anyway, there is some sort of a soap opera with a military theme that runs on CCTV4 at 7:15 pm every Sunday night (or maybe on a more regular basis, I don't know).

I saw great footage of the latest Chinese Type 99 MBTs, Type 69s moving fast cross country and many other types. There were helicopter gunships, self-propelled howitzers, armoured personnel carriers, trucks and more.

From what I see, a lot of the footage were shot specifically for this programme. Last week, the plot apparently involved a situation where the Type 99 MBTs were trapped and an audacious commander had proposed to use three old Type 69 MBTs to strike across improbable terrain and this was effected. It would appear that the indirect approach* and unorthodox thinking have always been a Chinese concern, even on a TV programme. Shades of Sun Zi?

Last night, a senior character in the programme mentioned a scene from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It cannot be understated how this military classic is embedded in the Chinese national psyche. Militarily, culturally and more.

And yes, there is martial music and hearty singing at the beginning of each programme.


Type 99 (ZTZ-99). The Sino-Defence website has detailed information on the Type 99.
http://www.sinodefence.com/army/tank/type99.asp

*See Liddell Hart

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