Xing said it was too hard to make a living farming and that he would search for work in the cities.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, a follow-up survey by an air defense brigade showed that among the rural veterans leaving that brigade in recent years, 13 percent chose to find a job in the place where they served and 64 percent went to the cities instead of going back to the countryside.
Making their own way
Su Lilin, a rural resident from Hubei, returned home in late 2008 after two years of service. After several short-term jobs, such as helping his father run a restaurant and working in a computer store, he finally came to the city of Jingmen in the province and rented a store where he sold various kinds of grain.
Su learned that some of his friends in the army had been provided with driving lessons allowing them to obtain a license before they left. "If there could be training offered to us, I think we would be better off when hunting for a job," Su told the Global Times.
But training from the army is unlikely to be a cure-all. "Usually the training provided in regard to driving, cooking, vehicle repair and telecommunications is basic and doesn't provide much competitive expertise," the source said.
"I think as veterans we have to adjust our mindset. There are excellent people in every industry as long as you work hard," Su said.
Cumquat market in S China's Guangxi
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