ABSTRACT
This chapter examines recruiting, promotion, assignment, motivation, and the command system. It offers trends in personnel management are assessed, and some projections of the future of the Chinese officer corps. In 1949-1979, People's Liberation Army (PLA) service was highly regarded throughout China and was sought after. The PLA no longer automatically attracts the brightest and best of Chinese youth. PLA service is the best hope for an ambitious peasant to escape the village, learn a skill, join the party, and/or become a cadre. Although peasants are the large majority, the social makeup of the PLA runs disproportionately to urban students and workers. In the competition to enter military service, the children of serving PLA cadres have always had a distinct advantage, and disproportionate numbers are accepted. Civilian middle-school graduates are entering PLA "specialized technical academies and command academies" by competitive examination.
