For most of the thousands of PLA soldiers working in Hong Kong, impressions of their new home are restricted to what they saw on that wet July 1 morning.
For although they are making every preparation to mingle with the community, they are still waiting for the go-ahead from their superiors to leave the barracks.
'We've had a quick glimpse of Hong Kong on the road, when we had to move from one barracks to another,' said Captain Jiang Hanhua. 'It looked like Shenzhen. Only with more participation from the international community.' Soldiers at Stanley Barracks said they had language sessions every morning to learn Cantonese and English phrases such as 'How are you?' and 'How much is it?' They also undertake daily sessions of martial arts.
They are allowed to watch local broadcasts, as well as read newspapers and magazines - all selected by barracks chiefs - during the hour before bed at 10 pm.
