The report, shared on social media by the People's Liberation Army Daily, indicated 20 percent of the potential soldiers failed the fitness test because they were overweight, while another eight percent of male candidates were dismissed because they had an enlarged testicular vein.
Some of the other reasons would-be soldiers were rejected included failing vision tests and having damaged livers and gallbladders. Military wigs blamed these two on excessive use of electronic gadgets and overindulging in junk food, soda and alcohol.
China's Defense Ministry, wanting to dismiss the notion that unfit applicants were entering its ranks, later released a statement Tuesday reassuring the public its People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces were in fact combat-ready.
"China's recruitment process has strict rules and procedures," the statement read. "The quality of our recruits is guaranteed, and the headwaters of our military will flow long and strong."
"Recruitment is the foundation of national defense, and high-quality recruits are crucial to the military's combat capability," the statement added.
Peking University reported that height requirements have dropped from 162 centimeters to 160 for men and 160 centimeters to 158 for women. With roughly 70 percent of high school and university students deemed nearsighted in China, eyesight quality standards were also reduced.
"While the physical criteria may have been lowered slightly, the educational requirement has been increased significantly," Major General Zhu Chengdu, a professor at PLA National Defense University, told PLA Daily. "A strong body is still very important for a soldier, but education is now more valuable than ever in building a strong, modern military."
