A young woman is riding the wave of history by becoming the first woman from the Uygur ethnic group to serve as a naval officer.
"I am aware that there will be a lot of responsibilities, and I must show that I deserve the honor," said Dilihumar Aburat, 25, from Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Cheers rang out from the massed ranks of 1,000 cadets as she received the diploma that confirmed her rank of lieutenant. She was presented with the document on July 10 by Rear Admiral Jiang Guoping, president of the Dalian Naval Academy of the People's Liberation Army navy.
Afterward she returned to the CNS Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier, where she has worked in the combat control center for two years.
At the family home in Kashgar, more than 5,000 kilometers from Dalian, her father, Aburat Abduklim, was inundated with calls and messages after her story was covered widely on TV. Military service runs in the family. He himself served for 25 years with the PLA ground force.Â
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A young woman is riding the wave of history by becoming the first woman from the Uygur ethnic group to serve as a naval officer.
