Some 500 students from 28 universities and vocational colleges excelled in a military skills competition jointly held by the Shanghai Education Commission and other related authorities, in the Pudong New Area over the weekend. Military skills such as basic combat expertise, medical rescue, map-recognizing ability, drill formation, and electromagnetic spectrum monitoring were carried out at the Shanghai Industry & Commerce Foreign Language College. Outstanding teams in the competition were awarded certificates. The competition aims to improve military skills and awareness of national defense among college students. "In today's competition, I saw many wonderful performances that I have never seen before," said Xu Haocheng, a 23-year-old student who used to be a soldier serving in the frontier defense army in Yunnan Province. He is now a captain of the college's national flag guard team. "Students demonstrated the best military skills they have learnt. If there are more similar activities in the future, I would like to join in too." Fang Chenyang, 22, a student who is also an ex-soldier, added: "I had a great chance to communicate with students from other universities during the military campaign. I learnt a lot from them, not only military skills, but also knowledge of different majors. I think it is necessary to hold events like this one because it can cultivate students' patriotism and help them become more positive and motivated."