Chinese military personnel out in the field can now look forward to a hot shower after a hard day of manoeuvres thanks to a new especially-equipped shower vehicle.

At midnight at a campground of the Chengdu Military Command at an unspecified site, the camouflage vehicle is quickly set up in five minutes. Inside, 20 people can shower simultaneously in the 10-square-meter space.

"The shower vehicles can automatically adjust water temperature and store quite a large amount of water," said Li Chunyuan, head of logistics of the division under the Chengdu Military Command. "Now soldiers who are doing field exercises can have a shower at least once a week."

He said his division undertook long journeys and high-plateau exercises each year. The inhospitable conditions of the campsites meant servicemen had to suffer from inadequate drinking water, while a hot water shower had been a luxury. The low air pressure at high elevations also made cooking difficult.

In addition to the shower truck, vehicles for cooking and water storage were also recently introduced to the division.

The cooking vehicle is resistant to cold, strong winds and is equipped to automatically raise air pressure. Each vehicle can prepare food dishes for more than 100 servicemen at a time.

The water storage vehicle has various functions. These include purification, storage and transport. In addition, each company of the division is allocated two water storage bags when they go for field exercises. The vehicle and bags guarantee the soldiers have enough access to drinking water even under difficult conditions.

(Xinhua News Agency, December 5, 2007)